Parallel

Real Name: Vivian Baxter
Programmed Name:  Diane Wolfe
Renegade Name: Parallel
Title: The One-Woman Conspiracy
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Age: 32
Gender: Female
Race: Metahuman
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Height: 170 cm
Weight: 56 kg
Blood type: B




Though her appearance can vary wildly in her various personas, Vivian is a tall, attractive woman of German descent.  A consummate professional, she always impeccably dressed to the exacting standards of Olympus company policy.  When met in the office, she prefers practical (though stylish) business formal wear.  She typically carries no equipment save for what is strictly necessary to perform her immediate job functions, though this can change rapidly if she replaces her current Parallel with one that is differently equipped.


Before the decade of trauma and 'enhanced' experiments she suffered, Vivian was a deeply caring and empathic person.  She possessed an unparalleled ability to get inside people's heads and understand their point of view.  A strict vegan and pacifist, Vivian believed no problem between people could not be talked through and mediated.

...that was before she signed up with Murumasa Industries. Following the years of psychological monitoring and intense indoctrination, Parallel is ruthless and efficient.  Though she maintains a pleasant demeanor in order to facilitate better co-worker interaction, it is a façade.  She is a zealot; uncompromising and uncaring. She is Diane now; huntress and killer. Only Olympus and their goals are of any importance now.

Her personality and preferences have been carefully flipped in order to control her core persona.  'Diane' prefers her meat bloody and believes every solution of consequence requires sacrifice, and not always hers.  She does not balk at violence, and she seems to take an almost sadistic delight in the pain she inflicts.  Even when at rest, she often eyes people as if she were sizing them up for a kill... or incorporation.


Though she never knew the name of her birth parents, Vivian Baxter never wanted for love. She  was adopted shortly after birth by a pair of self-described hippies who showered her with all the affection and attention a girl could ask for. Nurtured and well cared for, Vivian proved to be a kind and empathic child who showed compassion to nearly everyone she met. As she grew older, she became involved in a number of charitable originations and proved to be a gifted athlete, gaining a scholarship. It was after her acceptance to Berkeley that her life changed.

During her Sophomore year, Vivian was tapped for a summer internship. It was during a 'routine drug screening' that it was discovered she was a metahuman. Murumasa Industries swiftly inducted her into their research program, where it was found that Vivian was able to form psychic 'links' between people. Though her abilities were relatively new and unrefined, intensive testing and experimentation by MI staff allowed her abilities to flower.

Things turned dark when the tests came to the direct attention of Dr. Murumasa himself.  Intrigued by the strange 'quantum entangling' effect of her telepathic connections, the notorious genius decided to take direct control of the project. Unfortunately, Murumasa was not known for his respect for his test subjects.

Direct neural stimulation and invasive exploratory surgeries followed. When Vivian became uncooperative, 'corrective disciplinary sessions' consisting of direct induction of pain receptors was applied. Vivian Baxter soon became Murumasa's favorite subject; each new session growing his understanding.

Years of trauma and mental conditioning eventually caused Vivian to suffer a form of Dissociative Identity Disorder. She developed a guardian personality, 'Diane', who was as cruel as Vivian was kind. Murumasa, already finding the new personality far more agreeable than the former, 'encouraged' it to become the dominant one through targeted mental reprogramming, repressing Vivian further and further.

After a decade, only the Diane Wolfe remained.

Thought it had not been his original intention, eventually Murumasa realized Diane's powerset made her potentially one of the most potent intelligence assets in the world. He was two steps into hatching a scheme to use her in infiltrating several governments when Olympus seized control of Murumasa's assets. Diane happened to be one of these.

Experiencing far kinder treatment under Olympus, Diane has become fanatically devoted to her new handlers. For now, her new masters have used her sparingly. Diane is far too eager to remove obstacles violently and brutality. Choosing to keep her on a tight leash for the moment, it is only a matter of time before Wolfe will hunt.


The Core of Shadows
Before the experiments conducted by Murumasa, Parallel had the ability to connect two beings together in a form of high-speed telepathy. This connection allowed an incredible degree of empathy and understanding to transpire between the two, almost allowing the other to know the others thoughts before the other could articulate them. Yet, even after the link was ended, the psychic impressions would remain with Parallel.  

Murumasa explored this capability, attempting to further his research.  Multiple experiments and procedures have caused the power to change and warp, however. Parallel is no longer able to connect to a consciousnesses not contained inside her 'Core', instead requiring her to duplicate a personality and manifest a psionic clone already a part of that network.  

Mechanics: Psychic Link, Gestalt Consciousness, Parallel Processing
Though there are some nuances, the Well of Souls is simply an extremely powerful psychic link.  The well allows all those who have 'drunk' from it to rapidly understand and communicate with one another. Parallel shares the same 'mind' with her duplicates, allowing each to function as one.  However, having so many individual minds processing at the same time allows for a unique form of parallel processing, allowing each to function independently of direct oversight.

Parallel
Initial exploration of Vivian's powers by Dr. Murumasa revealed the ability to manifest clones of individuals she had sampled. These clones, dubbed 'Parallels', could perfectly mimic the form, personality and thoughts of anyone so copied. Though the clones themselves could persist indefinitely, a soft cap was hit of thirty-six individuals was soon hit.  

It was determined that the original core could not contain so many active consciousnesses. Further clones could be created, but they would be unattached to the original network. Strangely, however, parallels made in this fashion would immediately attempt to establish ties with other free duplicates, using Vivian's original power. Eventually, Dr. Murumasa deduced that a series of traumatic sensations synchronized between subjects would cause their cores to merge into a greater whole. Though slow to manifest, eventually Parallel gained the ability to create and integrate new 'cores' into her network.

Mechanics: Multiplicity, Object Duplication, Clone Destruction
Though her daily output is limited, Parallel's duplicates remain indefinitely. She can elect to create them with any real item or object a parallel or persona is wearing or holding, but will begin to disintegrate if removed from a duplicate for more than a few hours.  

Grey Legend
When it was discovered that Parallel was able to communicate instantly between her duplicates regardless of distance, Dr. Murumasa took a personal interest in her development. While initially her personae duplication was imperfect and random, intensive neutral stimulation and tissue grafts created the desired outcome. Though the original power functioned at a range of ten meters, the subsequent evolution was stymied in range while exponentially improved in accuracy. Diane is able to perfectly recreate an individual down to a quantum level.  

Mechanics: Physical and Mental Mimicry (Perfect)
Parallel is able to perfectly recreate an individual, down to a quantum level. This mimicry is a copy of the person at the time of recording, however. The two personae diverge, both changing organically based on their experiences and memories.  

Shadowy Cabal
The ability to absorb minds, personalities, and information from a brief touch as resulted in Parallel gaining a very robust base of knowledge and capability. From her 'Shadowy Cabal', Diane can draw on the minds and knowledge she has absorbed with Grey Legend. At any given moment, Diane can access the insight and understanding of hundreds of different minds.

Mechanics: Skill Absorption, Superhuman Intellect, Polymath
Adding a personae to her Cabal allows Parallel to access their skills and abilities. This does not extend to superpowers, however.  (see Engima Cipher)

Phantom Doctrine
In a world full of exceptional individuals and magical beings, finding someone with the talent to ferret out an army of psychic clones should not be difficult. Despite this, Parallel's powers are all but undetectable. There is no flash of eldritch light, no sparkling web of psychic energy, or aberrant thought patterns to detect. The Murumasa Researcher Team speculated that Parallel uses an exotic form of quantum entanglement in order to join with her other selves.

Mechanics: Subtle Powerset, Mental Shielding, Stealthy Psychic Presence
Certain abilities or powers that would expose a hidden operative are foiled. Psychic detection, thought probes, or other such abilities will show a parallel as the original. In addition, overt displays of power are subtle and no 'footprints' are left when using them.

Going Loud
Though her ability to affect individuals outside of her network is limited, Diane has at her fingertips a vast store of psychic power. Using her connection to the duplicate, Parallel can flood their cells with a fraction of that energy. Supercharged, the clone becomes capable of uncanny feats. Parallel has been observed to be able to put her fist through hardened steel or shrug off bullets when motivated.

Despite its power, Parallel is sparing with her use of this ability. Overcharging a parallel for too long will cause irreparable damage to their cellular structure, as her bodies are not decided to take the load. Thus, Parallel must consciously use this ability and must be aware of what she has doing. Diane has shrugged off rocket hits with little effort, only to be taken out by a knife in the back.

Mechanics: Supercharged Physical Abilities, Quick Heal. This ability cannot be used for too long, however, as prolonged exposure will cause a parallel to degrade.

Dark Obelisk
Shortly before her acquisition by Olympus, Diane was already implementing an operation initiated by Dr. Murumasa to infiltrate multiple governments, codenamed Dark Obelisk. Diane is currently operating under a hidden directive (see Murumasa Candidate) to spread into any structure of influence she can and prepare herself for further operations. This has been allowed to proceed unchecked, causing Diane to suborn the agencies of more than four dozen world governments and major corporations.  

Mechanics: Access to Resources, Intelligence, and Political Influence (Superhuman Level)
Though she is specifically forbidden to infiltrate Olympus, Diane cannot help but infest any power structure she has access to. Though this compulsion has sometimes caused complications, it has proven to be a 'bad habit' that benefits her.  Diane can be assumed to have operatives in most major governments or organizations. For obvious reasons, her favored prey are Media Conglomerates and Intelligence Agencies.


The Murumasa Candidate
Though Dr. Murumasa Madarame is insane, he is not an idiot. Having an uncontrolled metahuman of Parallel's powerset was the height of stupidity. Safeguards have been implanted in Diane's personality; code words and phrases that would allow a controller to assume control of Parallel. Possession of one of these phrases can cause Diane to suddenly undertake actions or loyalties that she herself did not consent to.  

Mechanics: Implanted commands
With the correct trigger phrase, Diane be made to undertake a host of actions. Note trigger phrases must be said with intent to use them, and Parallel will forget they were utilized after the command is completed. These commands can vary to immediate self-termination to post-hypnotic instructions.  This last instance can be particularly harmful to Parallel; she has cleansed entire cells when it was discovered they were compromised.

Collateral Damage
The methods used to modify and enhance Parallel's powers had effects beyond causing a personality shift. The powers Vivian had access to were altered in order to align with Dr. Murumasa's design.
For all her great power, Parallel is limited to only being able to access her powers through her psychic network.  

Mechanics: Limited Power Access, Limited Range (Touch)
Any power that allows interaction outside of her network requires Parallel to touch them. And though this is more a story-based aspect, Parallel cannot grow her psychic ability toward other powers until a solution can be found.

Bridge Agent
The '36-Cap', as the research staff of MI eventually came to call it, was overcome through a series of directed traumatic shared experiences between two members of the psychic cells. Parallel was 'tricked' into adding these entities into her collective by dint of aligned experience. Parallel was forced to reorder her subsidiary consciousnesses into satellite entities capable of performing independent actions.  Each of these consists of one linking member (which must be of the core persona) and thirty-six subsidiaries.

This has left a point of vulnerability in the Parallel network. Killing the member of the network that is the 'Bridge Agent' of the group will cause the subsidiary consciousnesses to be removed from the network. While the subsidiaries are capable of spawning a new node themselves, it will be unconnected to the main network. Parallel must dispatch a new 'node' to the group in order to reestablish communication.

'Diane' is actually the result of such a split, the original Parallel having been killed when a more compliant personality was created.

Mechanics: Clone Power Loss (Core of Shadows, Going Loud, Parallel)
Killing a hub clone will cause the others in that cell to become undirected, losing access to the benefits of the hive mind general hive mind. Clones can be individually interrogated (if they do not destroy themselves), and persona clones will behave as if they were the individuals they are mimicking. Diane is able to create new 'core' parallels in order to reestablish contact, though this requires they be transported near the disconnected operatives.

Naked Analysis
The theoretical storage capacity of the average human brain can be well over a petrabyte.  When Parallel absorbs the mind of a person, a great deal of 'bandwidth' is used.  When incorporating a personality, the parallel will often be unable to act for a moment as they recover, leaving them vulnerable. The 'linking' Parallel will also similarly freeze, allowing the canny to identify the node for the cell.  

Mechanics: After using the Power: Grey Legend to mimic another mind, the parallel (and her handler) are unable to take actions for a short time.

Limited Expatriates
Foreign personae, or 'expats' as Parallel jokes, are more difficult to maintain control of.  While duplicates of herself are relatively easy to create, copying the template of another individual is more taxing. While producing a clone of an individual, Parallel can only maintain one or two at a time before the template begins to degrade.

Mechanics: Power Limit: 'Expat' Max Template Limit (2)
While this can be temporarily exceeded, the personality template will rapidly degrade, making it unusable shortly after.

Sleeper Agents
What is your hand up to when its not being used?

One of the ways Parallel deals with the processing load required to run so many bodies is to give each of them a form of limited agency. Allowing these bodies to function like an autonomous system prevents network overload and conserves 'bandwidth'. This has created another point of vulnerability, however, as parallels without specific directives will act according to their personaes unless otherwise instructed.  This can result in crossed purposes as old directives or cover identities can conflict with Parallel's goals.

Mechanics: The Left Hand Doesn't Know What the Right Hand is Doing

Enigmatic Cipher
Though Parallel is able to flawlessly copy the physical and mental structure of an individual, the powers of other individuals have so far remained beyond her. It has been speculated that her psychic abilities somehow interfere with these powers at a basic level. Only time and testing will tell if this is something that can someday be overcome.

Mechanics: No Power Duplication
Despite the fact that parallel can duplicate people with strange and unique powers, she cannot herself use them. Parallel is actively seeking to overcome this limitation.


Due to her abilities (see Dark Obelisk and Parallel), Diane can be assumed to have access to whatever tangible resource she requires at any given time.  Though she is limited in the scale of what she can manifest, she can deploy vehicles and weaponry at need.  Due to her personality and powers, she tends to limit these displays.

Due to her infiltration of multiple intelligence agencies and governments, Parallel can also access a host of safehouses and identities (some legitimate, some not) and provide them in short order.  Licenses can be issued and documents provided as needed, accounting for the time to process the paperwork.  Conspiracies come and go; Bureaucracy endures.


Though her personality has been twisted away from the vegan pacifist she once was, a few remnants still remain.  Diane loves animals, especially dogs, and frequently donates to animal rights organizations under a variety of guises.  She also enjoys trashy romance novels and old Westerns.  

'Diane', being an implanted personality, has extreme difficulty confronting things about her old life.  She takes an instant dislike to anyone named Vivian or Baxter or anything that reminds her of her old personae.  She has a paralyzing fear of Dr. Murumasa; his mere presence having driven her more than once into uncontrolled trembling.  

Diane/Vivian are Libras.