Strilka |
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Portrayed by Tatyana Maslany |
Statistics |
Full Name |
Olena Kovalenko |
Age |
24 |
Height |
5'5" |
Build |
Waifish and wirey |
Eyes |
Brown |
Hair |
Brown |
Factions |
None |
Occupation |
Mercenary Adventurer |
Alignment |
Neutral |
Claim to Fame
Once an internationally recognized "young Olympian to watch", Olena Kovalenko's Olympic career was cut short amidst allegations of doping that, as far as the international sports community knows, ultimately landed her in an unnamed "rehabilitation center" somewhere in her native Ukraine. It was an excuse. In fact, she's a victim of her nation's "metahuman development program", sent to an "advanced training facility" — which turned out to be a euphemism for a meta/mutant concentration camp/indoctrination center. She escaped and, consequently, a is now a militant meta/mutant rights advocate and freedom fighter.
Reputation
On the Olympic circuit, years ago, Olena Kovalenko was considered both a prodigy and an intense competitor, but she was friendly and out-going among her peers. Since her disappearance from the world stage, however, little is known about her.%r%rThe vigilante Strilka is sometimes referred to as the Angel of Death in Ukrainian and Russian circles. The only upside to becoming her target is that the deaths she deals are rarely prolonged. It is the only hint of mercy about her.
Biography
Olena Kovalenko is a mutant. She was born just outside the city of Kalush in Ukraine to a factory worker and a teacher. At 18, she won the Olympic gold for archery, beating out the favoured South Koreans in a surprise first-appearance at the games. She lost the medal scant weeks later, however, when government testing revealed her mutancy — hyper-perceptive abilities that gave her enhanced senses, almost precognitive reaction times, and flawless aim. Consequently, the government a) framed a doping scandal around her (meaning she was nationally and internationally disgraced and the South Koreans were given the gold after all), and b) shipped her off to a "rehabilitation facility". Of course, the rehab center turned out to be a concentration camp where superhumans were shackled, experimented upon, and subjected to myriad forms of abuse, deprivation, and humiliation in an effort to discover what made them tick and break down their personalities so that they would become far more highly suggestible, and thus controllable.
She spent three horrific years in that facility, hidden in the forest outside Ivakhnivtsi, a small town halfway between Ivano-Frankvivsk and Vinnytsia, before she was transferred to a secret "state development district" run by the Ukrainian military. There, she was conscripted into a supersoldier program based upon indoctrinating and controlling superhumans through psychological and physical conditioning — among other things.
The government's goal was two-fold: It wanted to control superhumans, turning them into willing weapons by brainwashing them, otherwise dampening their powers if they couldn't be controlled and thus eliminating the threat they posed; and it wanted to create sufficient propaganda around their so-called "Meta Development Program", by showing supposedly happy and well-adjusted superhumans willing to support their homeland unquestioningly, as upstanding civic defenders, so that both their native populace and the international community wouldn't question their activities. (Of course, the brutal side of their 'training and development' processes is, to this day, kept very tightly under wraps.)
The development district to which Olena was transferred was near Pryp'yat', just south of the Belarus border. There, she and the rest of the conscripts were sorted into 'cohorts' according to their strength, potential, and ability sets. She was subjected to invasive psychic scans (to prove and ensure her loyalty to "The Program"), intensive training in a wide variety of weapons and technology, and punishing correctional measures for any infraction — real or imagined.
Ultimately, after about two years of this, Olena and a handful of others — including a young woman she'd met and befriended in Ivakhnivtsi, Tetyana Balanchuk — managed to escape. They blew up half the compound to do it, and fled north into Belarus to avoid the Ukrainian army (not to mention the cadre of loyal metasoldiers sent with them). The escapees ultimately decided to split into smaller groups and take their chances whichever way they could, thus presenting smaller targets. Tetyana said she had cousins in Minsk. So, north Olena and Tetyana went.
They were pursued most of the way. Oleana's perceptive abilities kept them a step ahead of most of their pursuers. Tetyana's ability to change the temperature of her body and thus melt the weaponry of anyone that did get close enough to fire at them kept them safe in the heat of the moment — though every scar the girl received from it left its mark on both their psyches. Nevertheless, they ultimately reached Minsk, and what they thought was the safety of Tetyana's extended family.
Unfortunately, Tetyana's cousin, was as fearful of metas as any government official in Kyiv. He sold them out. Only, instead of selling them to the government, he took his (metaphorical) thirty pieces of silver from a man who specialized in a unique form of human trafficking — providing indentured mutant services to anyone willing to pay.
That, of course, wasn't what the girls were told. They were told his contact would get them out of Europe, get them over to America — land of freedom… All they had to do was pay for their passage.
Of course, it's not like the girls had any money. But they were assured that could be worked out on the other side of the ocean. There were people that liked metas and were willing to give them jobs. Land of opportunity, America, after all. Land of superheroes.
Truthfully, especially looking back on it, Olena didn't really believe them. There was something about the way their hearts fluttered in their chests and mircobeads of sweat gathered on their brows, not to mention the suppressed signs of arousal in the contact man, that put her off the whole scheme. But, she couldn't… wouldn't abandon Tetyana, who had become so much like a sister to her by this time they regularly referred to each other as such. And she was tired of running. She just wanted to stop. If they could stop in America, so much the better. So, reluctantly, she accepted the deal.
Weeks later, they arrived in New York City and the new lives they'd been promised — lives that ended up looking remarkably like the ones they'd just fled. Or, just possibly worse, since they were now in a foreign land where Tetyana didn't speak the language at all and Olena spoke it haltingly at best. They still had no money and no ID. And the jobs they had been promised were… not quite what they'd hoped.
They were effectively slaves yet again, pet mutants brought out to do tricks (some demonstrating their abilities, others… of a different sort) by trakhaty vyrodky that made the sadistic camp guards look almost friendly in comparison.
As fatalistic as she had learned to be over the past several years, Olena finally broke. She finally got truly angry. It wasn't a hot, raging anger. It was a focused, smouldering anger. The kind that burns for a very, very long time and fuels feats of great, patient vengeance. Anger at the stupid, selfish humans and the brutish, short-sighted government that tried to kill her — that probably succeeded, she was sure, in killing her mother. Anger at the manipulative vyrodky that had tricked them into this predicament. And, most of all, anger at herself for not doing more to prevent it.
But that was the crux of it, wasn't it? She really had no one to blame but herself. All of which leaves her where? Stranded and imprisoned in a foreign land with nowhere to turn for help and a whole lot of hurt to repay. Good thing she shoots so well. That can settle a lot of debts…
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Character Details
Olena was a happy child. Focused and disciplined, too, but happy overall. Indeed, things didn't really go south for her until she was frog-marched into the metahuman detention center for processing. The years she spent being 're-educated' took their toll on her. No longer 'happy', she is, instead, 'driven'. Haunted, even. Still focused and disciplined, however… and that has kept her from excesses others in her position might otherwise indulge.
Most people would see her as a quiet, somewhat serious young woman, who's a bit distant, a bit guarded, but not particularly off-putting. In many ways, she appears unremarkable, and she likes it that way. She likes to think of herself as an observer — but she's far less detached than she likes to think she is. She's ultimately too inquisitive, too sensitive to what's happening around her to just let things be.
Everything she does has some sort of internal justification — even if it simply boils down to "screw you, you bleedin' bastard" — though mostly, it boils down to "I'll do whatever I have to do to survive. And if I happen to be able to wreak a little revenge in the process, so much the better."
Flawless Aim |
Olena's hyper-perception and resultant hand-eye coordination lend her remarkable ability with trajectories. If it can be thrown or fired from any weapon smaller than a rocket-launcher, she can make it hit exactly where and how she wants it to, simply because she can perceive all the forces that act upon it and adjust accordingly on-the-fly. Of course, if something should happen to affect the projectile after she's released it, that's not always in her control. Misses happen, but they're rare.
Further, she is specifically recognized as an Olympic-class archer and (thanks to the scandal that surrounds her) is known by name, at least, to most true aficionados of the sport. While her notoriety isn't an advantage, her skill certainly is. Olena's archery skill is often enhanced by her "Flawless Aim" power. She's had the training to be an Olympic champion — which is about physical stance and coordination (things not covered by her naturally increase senses), but that training has always been boosted by her perception bonuses. Without the basic form and technique, the best eyesight in the world is still useless. But, even without the use of her powers, her archery skill is among the best in the world.
Further, this ability applies to more than just projectile weapons. It applies to any body in motion that's within her perceptive range. She instinctively "sees" the motion path without having to think about it. (Incidentally, this makes her a real shark at the pool table or dart board, too.) |
Meta-reflexes |
Olena can dodge, weave, and block like nobody's business thanks to the milliseconds — sometimes full seconds — of lead time her perceptions give her. She's most effective at that when she's in "the flow", however, which can heighten her reaction times to a metahuman level that's tough to beat.
She doesn't technically have super speed or superhuman acrobatic abilities. Her best running speed is that of an Olympic athlete — providing she's diligent about training. She reacts faster simply because she perceives faster. |
Potik |
Olena can create a zen-like, almost meditative state for herself she calls "potik" (the Ukrainian word for "flow" — an American might refer to this as "being in the zone"). This focussed state allows her to "see" the ebb and flow of movement and energy around her in real-time. When she's fully focussed, her mind processes the details so quickly and clearly that she instinctively reads the complex patterns of interaction between bodies at rest and those in motion within the space around her. This allows her to unerringly manoeuvre the path of least resistance between two points, which makes her seem much faster than she actually is. Usually, she needs to concentrate at least for a moment for it to kick in, but, given her experiences in the past, a good jolt of adrenaline can also activate it.
Note: Where Olena's "Flawless Aim" allows her to manipulate the trajectories of any projectiles she uses or intercepts, "Potik" characterizes her own physical spatial navigation. It's a lot like "bullet time", although things don't so much slow down for her as she just sees where paths open up and uses her "Meta-Reflexes" to take advantage of the new directional options. |
Parkour |
Differentiated from "Free Running" by its lack of ornamentation or excessive acrobatics, Parkour is best characterized by its emphasis on efficient, direct movement. Its practitioners look for the straightest, quickest path between two points, even that means surmounting obstacles such as buildings or walls in the way. Olena learned about the sport as an adolescent and was drawn to it because it so neatly reflected the way she saw the world when in her state of "potik" (flow). In a word, it was fun. Then, she did it because she enjoyed it. Now, she does it because putting herself in potik allows her to forget all the rest of the crap she has to deal with. She's been a parkour practitioner for about 10 years, now. |
Combat Training |
The purpose of the "Meta Development Program" was, ultimately, to turn mutants and metas into supersoldiers (though the Ukrainians called them metasoldiers). Consequently, Olena has had the equivalent of about two years of military training. She is proficient at hand-to-hand combat (particularly given the anticipatory nature of her powers), and an expert marksman with almost every weapon.
Since her escape from her captors in America, she's become a vigilante and mercenary, putting all that training to good use and "staying in practice" as a result. So, she can handle herself in most toe-to-toe situations with mid-level metahuman combatants and lower. |
Psychic Resistance |
The only good thing that came out of Pryp'yat', as far as Olena is concerned, is that having to endure all those deep telepathic scans has given her serious practice at resisting them. This isn't immunity, it's simply a suite of techniques that increase the difficulty of finding out those things she really doesn't want revealed. She can be breached. But, all but the most powerful teeps are going to have serious headaches trying to do so. (They're also probably going to be craving bacon and eggs or singing Ukrainian alternative rock songs for days afterward… although her favourite technique is simply to mentally echo all her myriad, minute perceptions of their own physical state back at them, thus making it harder for them to concentrate.) |
Scavenger |
Olena has become very creative about obtaining food, shelter, clothing, and the other necessities of life, when they're not otherwise readily available. She's a survivor and she's not afraid to use every single advantage she has to make sure she stays alive even against the worst odds. |
Languages |
Olena, thanks to her international exposure, speaks several languages well enough to carrying on normal conversations — albeit with a noticeable accent in most cases. Her native tongue is Ukrainian. She's also entirely fluent in Russian, speaks passable Polish, Hungarian, and German, and can hold her own in heavily-accented English. |
Equipment |
Between her raids on Russian mob strongholds and the few merc jobs she's managed to survive, Olena has cobbled together a fairly versatile, if limited, collection of equipment. She has body armour and weaponry sufficient to do what she needs to do. It's not pretty stuff, nor flashy, but it's reliable and, in her hands, as deadly as it needs to be. The one thing she splurges on is her bow and the variety of arrows she carries with her, since those are what she knows best. But, rumour has it she's also got a really nice sniper rifle squirrelled away for those times when a little more distance is advantageous. |
Bolt-holes |
Olena has bolt holes all over the place. They can't really be called "safehouses", since most of them are in abandoned buildings, construction projects, or tunnels under the city. But, they're out there. When she needs to go to ground, she can. And she does. |
Distrusts Authority |
Prior to her imprisonment, Olena had no idea she was a mutant. And, throughout her imprisonment, no one actually told her what her "powers" were… thus she was left to speculate and it took quite some time for her to realize it was her perceptiveness and uncanny accuracy that set her apart from regular human beings. (Even now, she finds that hard to believe, though she no longer denies it.) So, like any holocaust survivor, she has a deep distrust of authority and, given the anti-meta focus of the abuse she suffered, is particularly distrustful of non-meta and governmental authority. (Actually, she's now distrustful of non-metas in general, for all that she's remarkably adept at blending in with them.) |
Illegal Immigrant |
Olena is in the USA illegally. She was smuggled in by a human/mutant trafficking network in the aftermath of her escape from Pryp'yat', ostensibly with the promise of freedom and a better life that never actually materialized. She has little money and no legitimate ID… nor any easy way to get any (short of further illegal means). There's also that drug scandal hanging over her head. So, she'll do just about anything to avoid dealing with US law enforcement of any kind. With no reason to believe that anyone out there is likely to help her, she's effectively screwed… in more ways than one. |
PTSD |
A victim of Ukraine's anti-mutant agenda, Olena was swept up by the program that saw hundreds of x- and meta-gene carrying Ukrainians relegated to concentration camps and, in too many cases, the gas chambers. She spent three years imprisoned at Ivaknivtsi and was transferred to Pryp'yat' to be brainwashed into the Ukrainian metasolider program. After that, she became a victim of the human/mutant traffickers that ultimately brought her to the States. Consequently, she suffers from PTSD, which typically manifests as frequent nightmares, occasional flashbacks, and a distinct emotional distancing from present events. Were she to consult one (unlikely to happen, given her distrust of authority), a psychologist might also consider her typically acute situational awareness to be a symptom (i.e. hypervigilance), but her hyper-perceptive abilities muddy that diagnosis considerably. |
Sensory Deprivation |
One of the fastest ways to "control" Olena, or render her powerless, is through the use of sensory deprivation techniques. Her hyper-perception makes it difficult to entirely block out all perceptions, so this is less about blindfolding or binding her and more about placing her in full physical isolation within sensory deprivation tanks or some similar chamber. Most people exhibit signs of anxiety and can be subject to bizarre thoughts and hallucinations when subjected to true sense-dep. Olena hits that wall a lot faster, thanks to her time in the Ukrainian "Meta Development Program" (the source of most of her angst), where she first encountered the technique. (In fact, nothing scares her more than a sense-dep tank.) She's also particularly susceptible to the "ganzfeld effect" (a.k.a. perceptual deprivation), which is accomplished by subjecting her to constant, perfectly uniform stimuli that have no discernible variation whatsoever. The ganzfeld effect, in particular, can trigger especially bad flashbacks and hallucinations for her. |
Tarnished Reputation |
Thanks to her mutant abilities (and the fact she didn't realize she was a mutant at the time), Olena was an Olympic medalist in the 2008 Summer Games in archery. Fourteen weeks later, she was stripped of her medals and her subsequent world titles in a drug scandal that alleged she had been using illegal performance enhancing substances during competition, but had bribed (some said blackmailed) testing officials to look the other way. The fact the allegations were lies, however, isn't known outside of the Ukrainian government. Thus, its effect on her reputation in Olympic and archery-related circles is lasting. She's never been publicly outed as a mutant and she never had the chance to respond personally to the allegations. Thus, her apparent silence was taken as an admission of guilt. Consequently, anyone that does happen to recognize her (probably only Olympics or archery buffs) tends to automatically assume she's a liar, a cheat, and a user. Of course, if she were outed as a mutant, she'd still be considered a liar and a cheat (but not a drug addict) because she used her "powers" to give her unfair advantage against "normal folk". So, she's damned if she does, damned if she doesn't. Chances are the only people that might understand her predicament without extensive explanation are fellow mutants. |
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