Vector

Vector is a mutant and member of the Tiger Squad.

## Biography

Originally of Taiwanese descent and raised in Hong Kong, Vector became involved in pro-Democracy causes from a young age. During a student-led protest, she and her fellow protesters were brutally attacked by police with riot batons and stun guns. The injuries she suffered in this attack caused her mutant powers to manifest, and she knocked out several police officers by pure reflex before she was subdued and taken into custody.

The authorities took a dim view of her political stance, but saw that her abilities could be put to good use. They gave her a choice: the Tiger Squad or prison. Though she herself had always thought of the Tiger Squad as little more than a state sponsored super-Gestapo, she had no desire to disappear into a Chinese prison where she would never see the light of day again. She accepted the "offer" and joined the Squad, and has spent the last six years as one of its most reluctant members.

## Personality

Vector does not consider herself a Chinese citizen and hates the Communist Party. She has little choice other than to carry out their orders, knowing that both she and her family will face reprisals if she doesn't do as she's told. She has a keen interest in fighting crime, but otherwise does as little as she can for the Party's cause. Vector only truly gives her all when protecting the innocent from a supervillain, and even then she is likely to "accidentally" let the villain escape if she thinks they are more of a threat to the Government than to the average citizen.

Some members of the Tiger Squad sympathize with Vector's views, while others consider her a near-traitor to the country. Equilibrium has a romantic interest in Vector, which causes him to defend her actions to the Party as merely "misguided." He is frustrated by her political leanings and often attempts to persuade her to the Party's way of thinking; Vector considers him an ignorant bully and a nuisance, and does not reciprocate his feelings.

Vector is bitter over her fate but at heart she is still an unrelenting optimist, and she believes in the power of the human spirit. If push came to shove, she would be willing to sacrifice herself for a pro-Democracy cause if she felt it was likely to cause real change. Her allies know or at least suspect this fact and she is not trusted by the Tiger Squad's leadership. She herself is the lowest ranking member in the entire squad, though she certainly wouldn't want a command position even if it was offered.

## Powers

Vector has the power to alter kinetic and inertial forces in the matter around herself. This lets her alter the course of projectiles or halt them entirely, or create bursts of energy by redirecting the subtle forces of air molecules to concentrate on a small area and "explode." She can also cause her enemies to accelerate or decelerate in subtle ways that can be very disorienting, causing all but the most agile fighters to go sprawling by twisting their inertial force and throwing them off balance. When the opportunity presents itself she can also make her foes take greater damage by altering their inertia (for example, if an opponent was thrown into the wall, she could increase their speed in mid-air and cause them to strike the wall with doubled force).

Vector can achieve crude flight over short distances, though this difficult at the best of times and she risks injury from a bad fall; as a result she only does this when absolutely necessary.

Although she is not considered one of the stronger members of the Squad, Vector's handlers believe that her powers are still largely untapped and have debated the pros and cons of trying to draw out her full strength (knowing that she might use her powers against the Party if given the opportunity).

## Weaknesses

Vector can suffer overload when she attempts to alter a particularly powerful inertial force. This mostly takes the form of painful feedback and migraines if she tries her powers against speedsters and the strongest bricks. She is aware of this weakness and typically tries to engage these foes indirectly or support her allies instead of attacking head-on.

Vector's abilities are somewhat difficult to control. She has to judge complex forces by instinct to properly apply her powers and she can occasionally fail despite her years of combat experience.