Tesseract

Tesseract is a mutant living in New Canaan. He shares responsibility for the island's security with Tempest.

## Biography

Miguel Luz Pavras grew up as a mutant living in the *favela* slums of Rio de Janeiro. His ability to open small portals first manifested when he was still a boy, fleeing from the police. Although this ability was still relatively weak, as he could only open small portals big enough to fit a hand through, he began to use it to aid his criminal career and quickly came to the attention of the Capitães Azuis, a brutal gang that controlled his neighborhood.

The Capitães were involved in a losing battle with several rival gangs. But they had captured several mutants and began forcing them into the fight. As the violence escalated, Miguel and his fellow 'freaks' were forced to commit more and more brutal acts on behalf of the gang, leaving him both physically and mentally scarred. Despite relying on their talents, the gang treated their mutant shock troops with utter contempt, subjecting them to abuse of every kind.

Eventually, the gangs negotiated a truce. After the Capitães Azuis had 'recruited' mutant soldiers, their rivals responded by doing the same, and after the destruction they had wreaked the gangs had come to fear their own captive mutants more than they did one another. So an agreement was struck: a temporary cease-fire would be declared while the gangs disposed of the mutants in their ranks. Miguel and a dozen others were bound and gagged, badly beaten, and driven out of the city to a deserted marsh for execution. But it was the gangsters, not the mutants, who met their end in the wilderness. Slush had investigated the reports of mutants being coerced to fight and he was waiting at the execution site with an entire unit of the Brazilian Army, who had been bribed to ambush the criminals and free their mutant captives.

Once safely relocated to New Canaan, Miguel knew peace and acceptance for the first time in his life. Eventually he accepted Rodin's offer of gene therapy to increase his powers, and soon he was able to open massive portals that connected long distances. As his abilities increased further with practice, he quickly became integral to New Canaan's operations, both for its defense and for the growing number of globe-spanning rescue missions attempted by its agents.

Tesseract, as he now calls himself, is one of the pillars of the New Canaan community and couldn't be happier to see it grow. While he understands the need for the island's isolation, he looks forward to a future where all mutants can live openly without persecution, and has tried to persuade Rodin (so far without success) that New Canaan must enter the world stage sooner rather than later.

## Personality

Tesseract is a dutiful and kind man who still suffers great anxiety due to the violence of his youth. He restrains himself almost to the point of pacifism, and he stands at odds with Slush, whom he once regarded as a hero but now considers to be little more than a war-monger.

Tesseract is an artist of some small skill, and when his powers aren't needed he can often be found fiddling away at a canvas high on the bluffs of New Canaan's rocky shore. He often encourages those mutants who are still in shock over fleeing their native countries to bond over similar artistic pursuits.

## Powers

Tesseract has the ability to open triangular 'gates,' two-way portals that connect any two points he desires. He needn't have line of sight to the portals he creates, and can even open portals inside solid objects to shear them in two. With effort, he can open a portal to any place on the globe, providing easy transport for anyone who can slip through before the portals collapse.

Tesseract's portals don't have any inherent visual component; only the incongruous landscape viewed through the portal's opening gives any hint that something is amiss. This is particularly useful when he must reroute a ship that has strayed too close to New Canaan, as the uniform horizon of the sea makes it nearly impossible for the targeted vessel's crew to realize anything has happened as they slip through the portal (other than sudden shifts in their GPS navigation, which is usually written off as a computer error).

## Weaknesses

Although Tesseract's gates can be incredibly destructive when used creatively, he despises violence and shies away from it whenever possible. So strong is this aversion that he even hesitates to use his abilities to destroy inanimate objects. Only the most dire threat could move him to use his powers offensively, and the thought of maiming or killing a person with a portal is enough to send him into a panic attack.