Morning Star

## History

Mikhail Kourinov had been an orphan since he was five years old, when his parents were killed in a car crash. He was bounced around foster homes until he was 18, only feeling comfortable with one of them. This lack of proper family support propelled his slide into the world of street gangs, where his surprising fighting ability, ruthlessness and intimidating coldness let him rise to the high levels of the gang hierarchy.

While in high school (nominally... he didn't attend classes often) he also made a tidy amount of money as a drug dealer. Seeing some of the mistakes his competitors made, he never used his wares and was always careful where he kept his stash. However, he was not so cautious around his girlfriend at the time, Janie. She was a heroin addict before he met her, but he tried to break her addiction, refusing to sell her anything and trying to make sure she didn't buy from anyone else. She did manage, though, to get what she wanted from a member of the same gang, another dealer named Jeff. She began seeing Jeff behind Mik's back, complaining of his interference in her chosen lifestyle. For his part, Jeff knew that Mik was his gang's second-in-command, and removing him from the picture could up his own chances for promotion. Both Janie and Jeff knew that Mik had a nice sum of money somewhere, as well as a substantial stash. They plotted to steal them, and if Mik happened to get in the way, well...too bad.

After Janie managed to find out Mik's hiding places, she and Jeff struck. Unfortunately, Mik was with his main cache, taking some stuff out for a "client". In the ensuing fight, Jeff made it quite clear that he was ready and willing to kill Mik, firing his gun at him several times. When one shot hit him in the stomach, Mik blacked out.

When he came to in the hospital, he found out that Janie had been killed and Jeff was in a coma. The doctors were at a loss to explain what had happened to them; their retinas were seared - Jeff would probably be blind if he ever woke up - and they were burned in several places, but the burns were shaped in lines. Police investigators suspected a laser weapon of some sort, but nothing of that nature was ever found. Mikhail was charged with murder and attempted murder, but his case was unsurprisingly ruled self-defense and he was acquitted.

He had no idea how he could have done it, but he knew somehow that he was the one responsible. Some cautious experimenting revealed his power, which he kept secret. After his full recovery, he forswore dealing and left the gang world for good, although he still did a few favors now and then for his former friends. He tried to gain a better understanding of his power, and what to do with himself, and wandered between part-time jobs, trying to find a semblance of a normal life until a letter sent him to the Strikers...

## Abilities

Control of light

It's taken some time for the ramifications of this power to become clear to Mik. While he cannot create light, he can manipulate photons to create many effects. That being said, there are still very few places where he cannot use his power - any place has some source of light, however dim, except for deep underground or within a very tightly sealed manmade area, like a vault. Generally he carries an array of prisms with him to help him gather enough light to work with, to intensify it, or to redirect it. Some of his standard tricks:

- A distracting or blinding flash of light

- A direct laser

- Firing a laser into a refracting prism, creating a spray of lasers

- Bouncing a laser off of a prism or two to hit from an odd angle

As Mik learns more about the physics of light, he can begin to understand other uses for his power...

## Personality

Unwilling to trust anyone after "the incident", Mik comes across as aloof and cold. He doesn't really make friends easily, but once he's decided he likes someone, he can be as thoughtful, caring and nice as anyone else. He's not the kind of person who meshes well in a team dynamic, but being one of those people who is desperate to succeed at everything he does, he'll try his damnedest to work with others. He resents authority, but respects those who have proven their ability to lead.Despite his background, or perhaps because of it, Mik dislikes violence and would rather think his way out of a problem.

He is usually slow to anger, but certain things set him off, and when he does become angry, it smolders for a long time, leaving him sullen. The combination of guilt and anger he feels from Janie's death keep him from acting rashly... most of the time.

Although he used to be fairly outgoing, Mik's a lot more reserved now, because he no longer has the false sense of security and identity he got from being in the gang. Every once in a while a bit of his old extroversion may show, but it will take time for him to fully return to that state of mind, if he ever does.