Melanie Walker

## Background

### 2012 - 2021: Melanie Walker

Melanie Walker could've had a way different life if she was not born into her family. At a young age, she was initiated into her family's life of crime. They ran multiple scams & heists, successfully getting away each time. They never stayed in a place for too long, leading to Melanie & her older brother Jack being uprooted every few weeks. The costant moving & secret family business led to her social life sufferring. She never had a chance to make any permanent friends or recieve a formal education.

### 2021 - 2029: Ten

Her family was known as the Royal Flush Gang, a family of crooks that preyed on the wealthy & successful. Her mother was the daughter of the former Royal Flush Gang's King & was indoctrined into the lifestyle at a young age like Melanie. Her husband was a low level member but his marriage to Donna allowed him to move up the ranks & become King after his father in law's arrest. The family utilized weapons shaped like royal artifacts & flew across cities on card-shaped boards. None of the members had powers but each possessed a specific skill & high-tech weaponry. Melanie's father, King, was a master swordsman & her mother, Queen, wielded a scepter-like weapon with ease. Jack was a master of knives, almost always hitting his target & Melanie was a highly skilled computer hacker.

Unlike her brother, she grew weary of her lifestyle, becoming the only dissatisfied member of the gang. But she played a vital & crucial role in the team, as she was in charge of overriding the security systems of the places they robbed.

### 2029 - 2030: Ten

When Melanie was seventeen, her family made Neo-Gotham their new stomping grounds for a time. On her first night in the city, Melanie went to the nightclub Juice Bar, where she observed a couple's spat from outside. The man walked outside, running into Melanie & the two got to talking. Introducing himself as Terry, he began opening up to Melanie about his girlfriend & his undisclosed "after-school job" with Bruce Wayne. She noted the parallels between them, saying how tiresome her wandering life was then expressed her infatuation by kissing him. Before things could go further, Terry arranged a date the next night at the same place. Though he refused to admit, this was the beginning of Terry more or less two-timing Dana & Melanie.

The next night, Melanie's family made plans to rob a museum. She was distracted & not focused, leading to her not disabling the alarm system properly & the group being met by armed security guards & Batman. She did her best to take on the vigilante but was overpowered by his superior strength. The Gang managed to flee by holding a guard hostage, though Batman continued to follow them. When King ordered Jack to drop the hostage, she contested, which earned her a slap & warning to never oppose him again. With her family considering their bust a "minor success," Mealnie stayed out with Terry until the break of dawn with the promise to do it again the next night.

For the following days, Melanie was reprimanded by King for her lack of focus on the job. In return, she accused her father of the same thing, stating that his obsession with Batman would be their downfall. The fight caused Melanie to storm out the house but her mother convinced her to stay with her family, despite her heart's desire. Melanie phoned Terry that night & told him she could never see him again.

During their next job, they encountered Batman who took out everyone but Ten & King. As Batman engaged King, Melanie (stupidly) chose to help her father, resulting in her being caught by the authorities. As she was being taken in, she was unmasked & caught Terry in the crowd with disappointment on his face. Because of her age, Melanie was sentenced to juvie for a year but was able to get out in half of the time due to good behavior. But old habits die hard.

Melanie was in the middle of working a series of odd jobs when she received word that her family had been abducted by the Jokerz. In exchanged for their freedom, she was to steal from the Derby, a high stakes poker game played by high class criminals. Ten intercepted the game, taking all the bet money until Batman arrived & used a gas bomb to escape with Ten. She used it to her advanatage, escaping from the vigilante but fled empty-handed. The next morning, Melanie broke into Terry's apartment to apologize for dumping him & tell him all about her family's ransom. She went back to the Derby the next day but was intercepted by Batman, who reasoned with her by taking her to the Jokerz hideaway. As Batman took on the Jokerz, Ten went back to the Derby, succesfully pillaged the game & went to the meeting spot. Much to her surprise, she was greeted by King & Queen, who explained that the abduction was a ruse orchestrated to test her loyalty. Outraged, she realized her family didn't really love her & only saw her as an accomplice. When Batman finally arrived, Ten tried to stop them from fighting but to no avail. Too afraid to confront Batman & disappointing Terry again, she fled the scene but saw her family being arrested.

### 2030: Melanie Walker

Melanie remained hidden for some time after her family's second arrest. Deciding to completely sever ties with her family, Melanie began attending criminal rehab meetings & gained a sponsor in Jack Ryder. She began leading an honest life & got a job at Deck's Kitchen. When she saw the news of Paxton Powers' abduction by her old clique, she was engulfed with uneasiness. Shortly after, she was approached by Batman but denied any involvement in the ordeal, assuring him that she didn't exist to her family.

Melanie eventually paid for her brother's bail & got him an honest job at the restaurant while their parents were in jail. She moved out of her one bedroom to get a new apartment to share with her brother. Unfortunately, her brother quit his job & returned to a life of crime. But to top it off, he crowned himself as King of the new Royal Flush Gang. After receiving some cooperationg from her father (who was fully motivated out of jealousy), she assisted Batman in her brother's capture & return to prison. Seeing that a job could not save her brother, she started thinking the same about herself so Melanie enrolled herself at Neo-Gotham University as a part-time student.

## Personality

Melanie is a woman that constantly struggles with staying loyal to her family & wanting a normal life. Unlike her parents & brother, Melanie did not enjoy being a criminal & constant uprooting of their family. She was not merciless or ruthless, making her the oddball of the group. Despite only knowhing Terry for a few days, she cared a lot about his opinion. She felt an immediate bond with him & was ready to choose him over her family. When she realized Terry discovered her villainous persona, she was genuinely remorseful & embarrassed for being exposed to him. With the second arrest of her family, she decided to change her life around for the better & make a honest living.

## Powers & Abilities

* **High Level Intellect:** Melanie is a certified genius when it comes to technology.
	+ ***Computer Operation*:** Melanie has proven herself to be an expert at security systems, normally being the one tasked with overriding them when out with her family. She has hacked multiple computer systems, alarms & some top secret organizations.
	+ ***Crimonology*:** Melanie grew up in a criminal enviornment & was surrounded by criminals her whole life.
	+ ***Culinary*:** Since a young age, Melanie has been a good cook. It started as a hobby that quickly turned into Melanie being the primary cook in her household, with the family eating out if Melanie chose not to cook. She is currently the assintant chef at Deck's Kitchen.
	+ ***Thievery*:** Melanie was inducted into the life of crime at a young age. As long as she can remember, she's been breaking into buildings & stealing with her family. These acts were mostly motivated by greed & family loyalty.
	+ ***Weaponry*:** Though she mostly stuck to computers, Melanie is skilled with guns, knives & stick weapons.
* **Hand to Hand Combat:** She is a formidable combatant. She fought against Batman, proving herself to be capable opponent but she was eventually overpowered by his superior strength. However, when walking alone one night, she easily subdued & took out two larger men.
* **Ten of Spades Playing Card:** Her primary means of transportation is large flying card, with a ten of sapces on it. The card responds to Melanie's thought, manuevering wherever she deems fit.

### Weaknesses

* **Terry McGinnis:** Melanie has a soft spot for the guy. The thought of him once distracted her during a robbery with her family & led to her not disabling the security system correctly. She was also willing to give up a life of crime for him. Though they did not "date" for long, Melanie has stated that she does love him as he's probably the only person other than her family that took the time out to understand her.

### Ratings

* **Intelligence:** 5 - High / Exceptional
* **Strength:**  3 - Average / Basic
* **Speed:**  3 - Average / Basic
* **Occult:** 1 - Nonexistent
* **Weapons:** 3 - Average / Basic
* **Range:** 3 - Average / Basic
* **Strategy:** 3 - Average / Basic
* **Combat:** 4 - Trained / Learned
* **TOTAL:** 45 -Threat Level 1 / Minimal Threat

## Trivia

#### General

* She is close with Jack Ryder, her sponsor for the criminal rehabilitation program.
* She is friends with Isabella Bruner.

#### Terry McGinnis

* When Terry told Bruce about Melanie, he voiced his concerns about their relationship. When Melanie was revealed to be Ten, Terry asked for advice on the situation & Bruce reminded him that his wife was Selina Kyle.
* She does not know Terry & Batman are the same person.
* Before her & Batman went to "rescue" her family, she handed him a note for Terry in case something happened to her. Terry threw the letter away without reading it, feeling betrayed by her yet again.
* Terry technically cheated on Dana twice with Melanie. The first time was after their spat at Juice Bar, though they were technically on a break. The second was when Melanie was trying to pay her family's ransom.

## Notes

* In my personal opinion, I like Terry with Melanie much better than with Dana. Melanie had an interesting storyline & better chemistry/intersting conflict with Terry. She seemed like the "one that got away." Though some compare her to Catwoman, she didn't want to be a villain & did the crimes out of loyalty, not greed. Dana reminded me of the sterotypical girlfriend that was annoyed with her boyfriend's vigilante lifestyle, which reminds me of Spiderman/Mary Jane & is played out in my opinion.