[hider=Phoenix]
[b]Name:[/b] Born Pietra Maximov, now, Rose Smith

[b]Codename:[/b] Phoenix

[b]City of Operation:[/b] New York, now Cleveland

[b]Appearance:[/b] With long brown hair, and golden eyes, Rose has typical Romani features; she stands at 167 cm, weighing 8.5 stone.
[img]http://th09.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2012/226/a/9/angel_by_sscindyss-d5b50bv.jpg[/img]

[b]Cybernetic Arm:[/b] (left; carbon fiber; steel version used while Phoenix)
[img]http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs42/f/2009/082/8/4/Cybernetic_Arm_by_Ragaru.jpg[/img]

[b]Age:[/b] 26

[b]Gender:[/b] Female

[b]Superpowers: [/b]

She is known as the phoenix because that is exactly what she is. The firebird, just like the girl, is famous for its ability to be reborn in a burst of flames. [b]Every time Rose is killed, she is resurrected, in a blast of fire.[/b] Upon this rebirth, however, she still retains the marks of however she was killed, which fade into scars. Along with this comes the obvious power of being [b]immune to the effects of heat and fire;[/b] her internal body temperature is constant, and cannot be brought above 100 degrees fahrenheit by external forces (she can still get sick and have a fever, though). And finally, just as the bird is able to fly, so can Rose. [b]The wings of an angel sprout from her shoulderblades, granting her the ability to fly[/b]; her wings are each thrice the length of her body. The wings are also quite strong, each feather having the strength, resistance, and constitution of steel, while still being as light as any other. They fold into her back when she is not actively using them, retreating into what looks like two long scars.

[b]Skills/ Talents: [/b]

[b]Knowledge of the human body[/b] - Rose took the GED test to graduate high school early, at the age of 14. It took her four years to earn her bachelor's degree in Biology, with a focus on the human body. She completely understands the human body, with a better perception of anatomy than even most doctors, as she has memorized Gray's Anatomy. With this knowledge, she is able to affect people in ways that are not only efficient and effective, but painful without being permanently harmful. In addition, she has focused on neurology, studying the brain, and focusing on paralysis and ways of subverting it, among other things.

[b]Engineering and Technology[/b] - It took only another two years to earn her master's degree in Engineering- she took to the subject as a natural. Despite the torment she received from her colleagues in the field (she being the only girl in all of her classes, and quite young at that), she excelled amazingly. Her perception of technology is as advanced as any professional's, and she has worked hard to obtain the knowledge she has gained. She understands the innerworkings of any tech that is open sourced as far as its components go; when presented with foreign tech, she is usually able to at least figure out the basics of it, and the general logistics. With this skill, she has been able to invent her own cybernetic arm, and strives to further such technology, working with the combination of her knowledge of the human body and robotics.

[b]Marine Corps Skills[/b] - As soon as Rose earned her Masters degree in Engineering, at the mere age of 20, she enlisted in the Marine Corps. She was an ideal recruit, and an even better Marine. Even now, she is always ready for combat- psychologically, and physically. Her physical fitness is that of any marine. She can run a mile in six minutes flat, and can run a full marathon at that pace before getting tired. She still trains every muscle in her body to be as strong as it can be. In her training, she became a black belt in Northern Shaolin kung fu and Hung Ga kung fu, learning from two different masters. As far as armed combat goes, she is proficient with knives, bayonets and rifle blocks and strikes. Like all marines, she has also studied the art of war, and has a vast knowledge of strategy and tactics both in and out of combat of all types.

[b]Other Assorted Skills[/b] - Rose's native tongue is a [b]Romani dialect[/b], spoken by her mother. She learned [b]German[/b] as a child as well. However, she has completely ridded herself of her accent, and speaks in a voice that sounds as if it is completely without an origin, unrecognizable. While the Phoenix, she instead speaks in her native accent, a blend of strong Romani influence with the affects of German, plus an odd southern twang. After losing her arm, she decided to pick up a new skill; [b]she mastered driving her motorcycle one-handed[/b], and occasionally participates in races.

[b]Equipment: [/b]

[b]Valkyrie Armor[/b] - The Phoenix (when she has time to prepare) wears steel armor, which covers and protects her vital organs; it is, however, light armor, so that it is easier for her to fly. It is in the style of classic Viking armor. It is complete with a helmet that obscures her face completely.
[b]Kjósa [/b]- A sword, made of fine steel, was given to the Phoenix by the mayor of New York city for her work there. It is an old relic from the Viking age, of Nordic design.

[b]Bulletproof jacket[/b] - No matter where she is, while dressed in civilian clothes, Rose wears bulletproof clothing. Whether it's a kevlar vest beneath a loose fitting outfit, or a jacket over something else, she is paranoid of being shot.
[b]Handgun[/b] - She has a license to carry a gun, and always has it with her, in a little sheath strapped to her thigh.
[b]Motorcycle[/b] - When traveling as a civilian, she drives a motorcycle if the distance is too far to run.
[b]Pocketbook[/b] - Rose always carries a purse filled with everything she might need in any number of situations, namely feminine products and the like, as well as pepper spray, and snacks.

[b]Weaknesses: [/b]

Rose is a badass, there is no doubt about that. However, she is still human, and has her weaknesses. [b]The loss of her arm has left her with an imbalance in her strength[/b]- her instincts can be off sometimes, as she was born left handed. She tries her best to become ambidextrous, but her right arm is harder for her to control when it comes to finer functions.

Ever since she was small, [b]Rose has been terrified of the water,[/b] as she watched her younger brother drown at the beach. The Lake Erie is, to her, the scariest thing in the city, scarier than any villain. She will not go near big bodies of water unless it is absolutely necessary, and even then, she is off her game in such circumstances.

Due to her time overseas, Rose has suffered more than just physical damage. Inflicted with psychological effects as well, [b]Rose suffers from post traumatic stress disorder.[/b] When not in battle, any loud noise can trigger a panic attack, as well as the sight or mention of a body of water. She is haunted by nightly nightmares of her time in war, and so, rarely sleeps; when she is asleep, it is often with her hand on the gun she keeps beneath her pillow. Whenever she wakes from a nightmare, she goes to train, or run a few miles. [b]She is paranoid[/b] that she will be killed if she ever lets her guard down, and so, becomes close to very few people. She keeps her identity secret for this very reason, even from the love of her life. 

Speaking of which, [b]Victor Knight is the only person alive that Rose actually loves[/b]. This puts her at a disadvantage- anyone aware of her identity would quickly become aware of his existence, and might threaten to hurt him. Rose believes that Victor is under her protection, and so, he is her weakness. Any threat to him takes her perfectly trained mind and turns it soft, so that she can't think straight. Logic becomes irrelevant in the face of love.

[b]Psyche:[/b] 

Rose is driven by the vow she made when she became a Marine; the vow to protect the people. Her life is centered around one thing, and that is the protection of civilians, and less obviously, villains.

Her ideals are that of justice and righteousness, and she lives according to a very strict moral code. She treats every person as she believes a person ought to be treated, unless they prove that she should do otherwise. Even when a person must be treated unkindly, Rose only resorts to violence as a last option. Another aspect of her code is that everything she is given must be earned, that charity cannot be accepted- unless it is given by the American government, as she fought in their army.

Rose refuses to give up her faith and hope in humanity. She believes that even the cruelest villain has some shred of decency remaining. To her, morality is not black and white- no one is purely "good" or purely "evil", so everyone deserves a chance for redemption.

In conversation, Rose is, in complete contradiction with her resume, lighthearted and casual, always seemingly happy. She does not seem to take much seriously, but that is just a facade- if things get serious, she reverts to her stern, stoic self, the creature that was created in the Marine Corps.

Her only vice that she is conscious of is her boyfriend. He is to her an indulgence, something that interferes with her work- both her science, and her vigilante activities. However, she loves him too much to let him go, and would sacrifice anything to keep him safe.

Science is, to her, of the utmost importance. Some small part of her wants to be famous, wants to create something that will change the course of history forever. She has a soft spot for others missing their limbs, and for those suffering from paralysis.

[b]History: [/b]

Pietra Maximov was born in Germany, to a Romani woman by the name of Cleo. She was raised there until she was four years old, in a roaming caravan, alongside her brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, and mounds of cousins. Sometime in her fourth year, though, Pietra was taken by her mother to the United States, so that she could live a more stable life. This was due to an event which scared the poor girl to death- she went to a lake with her younger brother, alone, and they played for a while. However, the young boy could not swim very well, and Pietra watched him drown.

Raised then in Charleston, South Carolina, Pietra grew up next to the Marine Corps recruits and training facility. She admired them greatly, and from a very young age, strived to be like them. Each morning, she would go and sit outside their gates at six AM, watching their morning routines. When she was older, she would begin to mimic them, and upon reaching her teenage years, she would actually do them well.

School always bored her, as they never discussed the things she wanted to learn. Fed up with it all, she received her mother's permission and took the GED test at the age of 14. As she was three years too young to be recruited into the military, she instead went to an Ivy League college to earn a degree. She became fascinated with the human body, and found that her studies related rather well to fighting, as she began to study with two different kung fu masters to earn her belts.

Martial arts were hard, for her, so she practiced for several hours each day. Her work paid off, and soon, she went on to earn a more advanced degree. Knowing that she would be dealing with tech in the military, Pietra earned her master's degree in engineering in a mere two years. At the age of twenty, she was already quite accomplished, and she applied to the Marine Corps.

Returning to Charleston, Pietra changed her name to Rose Smith, not wanting to continue to attract attention from the world by her Romani name. She worked fiercely to train her body into its peak conditions, and bested all of her fellows in combat. Finally, after only half a year of training, she was sent overseas.

Her location undisclosed, Rose was the leader of her group. The men who followed her respected her, and not one of them attempted to pursue her romantically; every one thought of her as a sister. One day, though, two years into their stay overseas, their loyalty was tested. In the middle of the night, a bomb went off. Rose and her men were ambushed by a group of terrorists brandishing swords. All of them unarmed, the Marines fought off the attackers- however, many of them were slaughtered. Their loyalty was true, though, and they all fought until they were all killed. All except for Rose.

She was still fighting when it began to rain. The white liquid soaked her to the bone, but she kept fighting. She was left alone with seven terrorists attacking her with swords, with only her fists to defend herself. Not even Rose could defeat them. One hacked off Rose's arm at the shoulder, and she screamed, in deep anguish and agony. They left her there, in the rain, as she died a painful death, from blood loss.

The sun rose, and so did Rose, in a burst of flames. She flew through the air, suddenly, wings sprouting from her back like an angel. Convinced that she was dead, and now an angel watching over the Earth to continue her work protecting the people from beyond the veil, she flew over to a town, smiling down at the people below. She was met with screams of terror.

Returning to the ground, Rose realized that she was still alive- in the rush of it all, she had not recognized that her dominant arm was gone. Rose returned to camp, and contacted the main base. They sent a car to pick her up, and then a plane to return her to America.

Flying over the ocean in the plane, Rose suddenly felt lightheaded, her heart beating fast, and her vision blurred. Her mind was filled with images of horror, of her brothers- both by the blood of the womb and the blood of the covenant- dying. She screamed, convinced that she had been poisoned. It took nine officers to calm her down, to tell her that she was having a panic attack.

Upon reaching the states, Rose began to receive checks from the government for her time in the service, as well as for unemployment and disability. Unable to return to her home, as her mother had died during her stay overseas from a congenital heart problem, Rose moved to New York. There, she spent most of the money she was given on therapy for her newly developed PTSD. All of her free time- which was all of her time- was spent retaining her body, and training her muscles to the breaking point.

Simply existing was not enough for Rose. She had to do something to better the world, and despite her power to come back from the dead and fly through the skies, she was useless without her arm. She had heard of a company, though, which occasionally offered grants for research in esoteric fields- Knight Industries. Contacting their executives, she set up a meeting with the CEO of the corporation himself, Victor Knight.

Presenting herself as professionally as she could, Rose wore a bulletproof vest to their first meeting, giving off a vibe that she did not trust the man, when that was not the case. She presented her resume- though short, it was impressive- and her proposal; that he provide her with the funds she needed to create a cybernetic arm, to replace the one she had lost. He agreed, so long as he could supervise the research, and that it could be done in the name of his company. She obliged.

With seemingly unlimited funds at her disposal, Rose designed the arm over the course of a year, and it took only a month for her to build it. Finally, testing began- and the tests were a success. Rose presented the arm (attached to herself) to Victor, with joy. It received the signals from her brain, and acted accordingly, as any human arm might. However, fine motor controls were not quite mastered yet, so she still had much work left to do before it could be marketed to the public. Victor asked if she would accept a high position at the company, as she had proven worthy of it- she refused, as her job was to protect the people, not to claim titles. Of course, she told him that she simply didn't want the attention.

This meeting was over dinner, at a fine establishment with a romantic environment- candlelight, piano music, a bit of wine, et cetera. Perhaps it was the influence of that which caused Rose to ask Victor out on a date. Having become friends over the course of that year, the transition into romantic partners seemed as if it was going to be easy. It would have been, had it not been for Rose's assumption of her new alter-ego, as the hero Phoenix; a just and righteous figure. 

Everything worked between Rose and Victor, as his fake lightheartedness and true core seriousness were matched by Rose's honest self as well, save for the secret she harbored from him. Each time she was killed in a fight, she would come back, but still, she bore the mark of the death, and had to find excuses to explain these things to Victor.

Over the course of the following two years, she and Victor were in a steady, committed relationship (and the media had a field day with it). At the same time, the Phoenix rose from the ashes time and time again, becoming a more and more well known and loved figure to the people of New York. She fought against injustice wherever it was to be found, indiscriminate and focused on all walks of life, and often did so without the killing of innocents, or those who had done wrong, unlike many other superheroes. For her duty, and for her respect for humankind, the Phoenix was named a hero of the city, and given a sword by the mayor of NYC at a ceremony.

When the tragedy in Cleveland occurred, though, she wanted to go there, to help as Phoenix, but needed an excuse to do so. Luckily for her, Victor wished to provide philanthropic aid, so she moved with him to Cleveland. Unable to afford to pay for a new apartment there, as she refused to accept money from Victor besides that which went into her research, she sleeps alongside him in his bed, which has presented two major problems. Primarily, it is now much more difficult for her to sneak out and become the Phoenix. Secondarily, she still suffers from PTSD, and will wake up in the middle of the night, screaming, after reliving death in her dreams.

As the Phoenix, she strives for justice, and acts accordingly- anyone who acts unjustly is wrong in her book. The Crisis, and his psychopathic methods of slaughtering those who do wrong, inspires fear in millions, rather than hope. Though his results are effective and to be respected, his methods are hated by the Phoenix, and she considers him to be hurtful to her cause. He takes lives, and she saves them, at least, that's how it seems to her. In her book, the Crisis is an enemy of the people, and needs to be stopped, no matter what it takes.

Her primary goal, though, is to protect the people. Young and old, innocent or guilty, people deserve dignity, even despite whatever wrongs they have committed in the past.
[/hider]
[hider=Dragon]
[b]Name:[/b] Zarqa Nadir

[b]Codename:[/b] Dragon

[b]City of Operation:[/b] Cleveland

[b]Appearance: [/b]Dark skinned and blue eyed, Zarqa hides her beauty behind a Niqāb, occasionally revealing her face with a Hijab.
[img]http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/scale_small/9/96747/3841637-dust_(uc).jpg[/img][img]http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2014/021/3/d/ludmilla_ghane_by_sscindyss-d733ymf.jpg[/img]

[b]Age:[/b] 20

[b]Gender:[/b] Female

[b]Superpowers:[/b]

Zarqa's body has become a router of sorts; [b]she is basically a walking wifi hotspot.[/b] Her brain is a computer, and her mind a monitor- [b]she can access the internet inside of her head,[/b] at near instantaneous speeds. Due to her experiences hacking in the past, she is able to bypass most security. As she has all of the information about all of the superheroes and villains at her fingertips, she knows the identity of almost every single superpowered person, if only by connecting the dots. 

She uses her powers to catalogue all superheroes and villains and their real identities, to find their weaknesses and strengths that the public does not know about. Her own abilities aren't public- the general population has no idea she even exists, as she erased herself from public record. She was close to all of the superheroes who died, and often acted as their coordinator, directing them from her base in her cozy little apartment, watching from security cameras, and talking through their bluetooth devices.

[b]Skills/ Talents: [/b]

[b]Computer Programming/Coding[/b] - From a very young age, Zarqa has loved computers. Not the hardware aspect of them, but the software. She is incredibly talented at picking up programming languages quickly. By the age of ten, she already knew C++, Java, Python, and around twenty others. As she grew older, she became interested in cyber defense, essentially [b]hacking[/b]. 

[b]Languages Spoken[/b] - As she is muslim, she speaks [b]Arabic[/b] as a first language. She also learned [b]Hebrew[/b], as her father believed that the Torah was also a necessary read. When she was a child, all of her nannies were from around the world- through them, she learned [b]Spanish, Italian, and multiple asian languages and dialects, namely Mandarin and Korean[/b]. In school, she learned [b]French[/b].

[b]Sewing and Fashion Design[/b] - Zarqa is gifted with an eye for art. When she was little, her nannies also taught her how to sew. When she and the other superheroes were a team, she made their costumes for them, sewing in the necessary body armor and equipment each one needed. She does not have a costume of her own, she just wears her hijab all the time.

[b]Equipment:[/b]

[b]Hijab[/b] - Zarqa is never seen without her hijab. Usually, she wears black, but occasionally, she'll spice it up with varying colors and/or patterns.
[b]Kevlar[/b] - Always equipped with a kevlar vest, Zarqa only wears it at the insistence of her friends, as she doesn't believe she'll be discovered by the public.
[b]Bluetooth earpieces[/b] - Zarqa gives these to her superfriends, and is able to talk to them through the devices at any time, namely during fights.

Weaknesses:

As a believer in Islam, Zarqa practices her religion with fervent love for her god. However, this puts her at a great disadvantage to the public, as most Americans have a predisposed hatred for any Muslim they ever meet. People mock her to her face, and whisper behind her back; they judge her before they even know her name. This is a great source of self hatred for Zarqa, even though she loves Allah with a passion, and the traditions of her culture.

Zarqa has internalized racism, and unconsciously thinks that she is ugly because of her dark skin and Arabian features. Due to this, she does not actively seek out relationships and friendships with anyone who does not approach her first. It is difficult for her to maintain relationships once they are founded.

A great fear lingers over her head whenever she uses her powers- what if the government finds out? Surely her talents are not at all legal, and given her religious background, their prejudice might lead to her execution. So, she tries to stay out of the spotlight, helping others from the shadows. Her codename, "Dragon", is only known by the dead at this point.

Unlike most of the superpowered heroes, she is completely untrained in any form of combat. If ever attacked, she would be completely useless. 

Psyche:

Zarqa Nadir is fueled by rage more than anything else. Her kind and quiet exterior is but a mask she wears, whether she is conscious of its falsehood or not. Her brain now functions as a computer- everything she does is perfectly and precisely calculated. She relies very heavily on having all of the knowledge in the world at her fingertips.

(She wants to go on Jeopardy really badly)

History:

Zarqa Nadir was born in Saudi Arabia, to a mathematician and his wife, a painter. When the girl was only a few hours old, her mother died of blood loss. Akil Nadir took his newborn daughter away from the home he and his wife had lived in for so many years, to the United States. There, in America, he would be able to find work as an actuary; insurance companies offered him jobs as if they were free mints. 

Akil moved around the country a lot, never really settling down in any official home, and his baby girl came with him. As he worked as an actuary, Akil spent most of his days at home, however, in an office of his own design in whatever hotel room or apartment they were staying in for the time. Therefore, the man had very minimal free time, and was unable to spend much of it with his infant daughter. This called for nannies.

As they did not stay in one place at a time for longer than a month, Zarqa never grew very close to her caretakers; however, she did pick up their languages rather quickly, having a knack for that. When she was old enough for school, she was instead of being sent to public school taught by private tutors, in a homeschooled fashion. She was therefore able to move at her own pace, which was rather fast. She would later graduate from high school at the age of 17.

Being homeschooled and cared for by nannies was boring to Zarqa, so she searched for something to bide her time. It was around the age of six that she discovered computers. By the age of ten, she had learned all of the standard programming languages, and mastered the art of coding. When she graduated from her high school program, though, things hit a hitch.

It rained. She was on her way to the grocery store, dressed in her long black outfit and hijab- one droplet of water fell onto her nose, and that was enough to give her powers. Suddenly, a headache, unlike anything she had felt before. The world before her was spinning, and her head seemed like it was going to explode. Dropping her bags, she fell to her knees in pain, and passed out. 

Six weeks later, she woke up behind the bars of the Northeast Ohio Penitentiary. She was told that she had been accused of hacking into the CIA and FBI databases, because when she was found, it was by two representatives from each of the organizations; they had pinpointed the location of an IP address that had done so, and it matched where her body lay. She had two days before her trial.

The first day was spent entirely in her head, as she explored the extent of her powers, and caught up on her favorite TV shows. The second was spent developing a strategy to hide her powers from those who had accused her.

On the stand, she admitted her past involvement with computers and cyber defense, and insisted that yes, she had the capability to hack into the aforementioned databases. However, given her lack of having any technology on her at the time of the intrusion, and the security footage showing that she did not access anything before she passed out, she seemingly proved her innocence, and was let free.

She returned home, relieved, but excited. Running into her father's office, she flung open the door with glee- only to see his body lying there on the floor, a bullet in his head and a gun in his hand. His was not the only body there, though. A man stood there, glaring at Zarqa, obviously waiting for her. He explained his newfound ability; to force people to commit suicide. When the girl choked out one word- "Why?"- he answered that her father had no right to decide how much people's lives are worth, and that his estimations did not factor in love and compassion. His work was 'unethical', so he took Akil Nadir's life.

Zarqa didn't have the capability to kill a man, she simply watched him as he left. Feeling like a coward, she swore that she would avenge her father. 

Over the course of the following year, Zarqa began to find and catalogue the identities of all superpowered people- heroes and villains alike. By doing this, she discovered four in the Cleveland area; Hologram, Pokerface, Miss Understood, and Captain Cuyahoga. With Zarqa's help from the shadows, it only took a year for their names to dominate the presses. Her influence eventually reckoned justice for her father's killer; the man was captured and imprisoned by the four, the first time they worked as a team.

Knowing that it could not be coincidence they all happened to go after the same man at the same time, the four tracked down Zarqa. She admitted her involvement, and asked their forgiveness. Instead, they gave her a job. She would act as coordinator for them whenever they had group missions, acting as a fly on the wall for them, whispering in their ears information and tactical advice whenever necessary. Zarqa was thrilled, and began to work with (or rather, for) them- still remaining in the shadows. She even designed their costumes for them.

When Veritas, a villain who could force anyone to answer any question truthfully and used this ability to bring down politicians, villans, and heroes alike, met the Captain at a bar, he accidentally let slip Zarqa's name, and involvement with the four- somehow, though, his own identity did not escape his lips. Veritas broke into Zarqa's apartment, and captured her, bringing her to an abandoned underground sewage facility. Zarqa was immune to his powers, as he directly affected the brain, and her brain was no longer wired the same way as any normal human's would be. So, Veritas resorted to torture.

Zarqa was saved by Miss Understood, but only after being tortured for a full 72 hours. She was forever changed by the experience, more solemn and scared than ever.

When the purple fire came and engulfed her friends, Zarqa was miraculously away, back in Saudi Arabia, visiting her mother's grave. When she returned, she attended their funerals only through security cameras- she could not risk someone realizing her connection to the four. Now, she has returned to working behind the scenes completely, orchestrating everything as well as she can; at the same time, she is attempting to trace who lifted the electronic locks of the penitentiary.

Outside of her heroic activities, Zarqa has a part time job. She is a librarian at the Cleveland Public Library.
[/hider]