Player: Ramana ‘Mana’ Symes
How did you find Mana4X2?: Ah, I-made-this. Lol. Mana4X2 is my baby.
Player E-mail: mana4x2@yahoo.com.au
MSN: Mana4X2@hotmail.com
AIM: BladeGirlMana
YIM: mana4x2

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Canon or MUC: MUC

Give Credit Where Due: My own mind and those minds behind the wonderful characters already within the X-Men Universe.



Persona Name: Ramana ‘Mana’ Symes {Me, hehe!}

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Character Name: Ramana Cavanagh

Nickname/s: Mana, Blade, BG

Current Codemane: Blade Girl

Previous Codename: N/A

Age: 23

Height: 5’6”

Build: Mana is a normal average looking girl, big boned, and therefore often mistaken for fat. One only has to take a closer look to see that is far from the truth. She is well toned and physically fit for her height and weight, and noted for the strength in her arms, in particular.

She is proud of the way she looks, loves her curly, wavy black hair, knows that being big boned means less chance of ever breaking a bone (which she has yet to, low and behold), and accepts it when she is told her smile is pretty. Far be it from being up herself about it though, she simply knows that prettiness is best judged by what’s inside, not by what is seen.

Hair: Dark brown (almost black)

Eyes: Brown

Relatives:

Ashleigh Cavanagh (Prism, Daughter)
Nicole Cavanagh (Mother) Joseph Cavanagh (Father)
St John Allerdyce (Pyro, Foster Brother)
Tobias Ranon (Volcano, Foster Brother)
Tameeka Cavanagh (Half Sister/Dad’s second marriage),
Juston and Joshua Cavanagh (Half brothers/Dad’s second marriage)
Giselle Stryker (Hue, Half Sister, Deceased)
Christian Leonard (Restorer, Half Brother, Deceased)
Lucien Petrovsk (Shade, Half Brother, Deceased)

NB: Prism, Hue, Restorer, & Shade are related to Mana via the usage of her DNA to create them within Stryker’s lab… please see their bios for a full explanation of how this happened.

Current Occupation: X-Man/Teacher

INSTITUTE INFORMATION

School Attending: Teacher & Mentor at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters

Advisees: Apparition, Bungee, Regenerist, Tepy

Squad Group: Empathy's Angels, Advisor

Room Number: TFA-10

Classes Taught: Creative Writing; Founder & Head Teacher of the “Fledgling Controller” classes approved and Overseen by Professor Charles Xavier.

Curriculum: N/A

Non-Curriculum: Accomplished writer, but only writes for fun.

Education: Year 10, Colorado Springs State High School, A Statement of Attainment in Animal Care via correspondence while traveling, as well as further education through correspondence at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters and Teacher Assistant Training to become the teacher she is today.

Resources: Money earned when she was on the road; teacher salary; savings; small percentage left along with the estate in her Grandmother’s will.

X-GENE MUTATION

In the beginning, Blade Girl possessed many abilities, and it was not until much later in life that the reason why was finally figured out. Because of her direct connection to lightning, needing it to recharge all bar her regenerative abilities, each time she made that direct connection the resultant energy recharge opened up a new section of her X-Gene mutation. At some unknown stage, this did stop happening, Professor Charles Xavier and Dr Jean Grey-Summers surmising this was because the point of exactly how many powers her normal human body could sustain had been reached. However, they do not know this nor will probably ever find this out for certain. The fact of the matter is, Blade Girl is one of those unique among her own kind, with so many powers with so many weaknesses, and the need to constantly recharge them every time they were used.

While events molded her personality and the person she was to become, they also helped to define her abilities, until one day, a major event that affected her both emotionally and physically resulted in the final leap in Ramana’s Cavanagh’s evolutionary chain. From a mutant who used to have the ability to Teleport, Phase, and move things with her Telekinesis, as well as several extensions of her Electrokinesis, Blade Girl’s X-Gene mutation seems to have finally chosen the powers best suited for her;; the ones she not only used the most, but was also very successful in mastering.

Regeneration: Like the Wolverine, Mana can regenerate damaged or destroyed areas of her cellular structure at a rate far greater than that of an ordinary human, something that is kind of essential when her other main power is the ability to take on wounds from others, therefore healing them in the process, something of which made her a perfect candidate for Colonel William Stryker’s Weapon X program.
Control: This power is automatic, as most Regenerative powers are. The rate of regeneration depends on the severity of the wounds she’s either sustained or taken on, or whether she has to let the ability take its natural course with rest and relaxation, or give it that little bit of added help by a direct lightning recharge.
Weaknesses: Although Mana also does have somewhat of an immunity to poisons, most drugs and the fatigue resulting from exercise and other bodily activities, unlike the Wolverine, Mana’s other abilities ensure the need for a good nights rest, and during the times she is in need of a recharge, therefore at her weakest, poisons and drugs will affect her just like they can affect everyone else.

Healer: This power comes along with a telempathic link that opens automatically between Mana and all those she heals, which enables her to know what that person is feeling, when they are in trouble, talk and locate them wherever they may be, telempathically, and just generally be bonded to that person for life. This link can be shut off if the person she heals does not wish to allow it to remain, and where once she could not help seeing and feeling everything in their mind therefore having little control over it actually establishing in the first place, she can now actually manage its occurrence from the very beginning.

The healing energy itself manifests as a purple glow around her body and within her eyes {something that also happens in different shades of purple to reflect her emotions, tinged with black if she is angry}. This passes into the person at her will, searching for and healing whatever it is that is wrong with them, and absorbing it into her. Its main focus is always on the worst affliction the one she is healing has sustained, in turn, the wound momentarily appearing on, or in, her until her own regenerative abilities kick in to take care of it.

Due to the power changes that began after the major event that helped the final shaping of her abilities, Mana is now able to heal others via the telempathic link she may share with them, and from a distance, as long as that which she is healing is within her line of sight.
Control: High & self learnt, however, it depends on the extent of the injury or health risk that determines how long it takes to heal it, as well as how long it takes to re-heal herself – the longer it takes the more she is drained of strength but access to lightning helps quicken the amount of time, therefore using up less energy. It also depends on the wounds, etc, to determine whether she must stay in direct contact with the person or not.

EG: A flesh wound – bullet, knife, etc, may take anywhere from one second to several hours to days, depending on the extent of the wound, whether she has access to lightning, or whether she stays in direct contact or not. Sadly, any wound older than five years or genetically inherited Mana is not able to cure, hence why it hurts her a little every time she sees her mentor, Professor Charles Xavier still confined to a wheelchair from an injury she can do nothing about.
Weakness: Explained above, and although a rage similar to that of Wolverine's often used to manifest itself when someone she cared about, or someone she could feel through her telempathic powers, was threatened or hurt, since coming to the mansion and becoming one of the X-Men, she has slowly been able to gain control of this emotionally based, dubbed ‘Protective Predatory Anger’. One of the main reasons why she has worked so hard to achieve this was because of the darker side of her healing abilities, the side that she’s determined no one at the mansion will ever witness in reality. Only those closest to her know that when she is truly angry, truly in this emotionally based rage her ability to heal has the opposite affect, becoming the deadliest of weapons.

Electrokinesis: This power has its basis in natural lightning; as do all her others; therefore without this connection this power would be useless. The energy glow happens according to her emotions and will. The electricity she can generate is an extension, which can be formed many different ways – leaves fingertips, forms as a ball in palm of hands or between both hands, or can electrocute someone with her whole body. Because of the connection to lightning Ramana can create and control this side, as well as the thunder, of a storm cell, and because this ability has been so much a part of her, Mana was able to adapt to the initial pain recharging caused once adamantium was fused to her entire skeleton, actually learning to use it to her advantage.
Control: High, self learnt then honed and adapted in extensive training sessions in the Danger Room.
Weakness: Please note that the usual weakness associated with Electrokinetics, water, does not seem to affect Mana in the way it affects most others with the same ability. In fact, if anything, it’s the complete opposite, water making her Electrokinetic attacks more potent. Why this is has yet to be found out.

Impenetrable Shield: Out of the three extensions to her Electrokinesis, this is the only one that Mana still contains, enabling her to form an energy shield around herself and others. Because of the electricity involved she must recharge after extensive use. This shield will automatically activate, drawing on any electrical energy in the air or her surroundings, to protect her whilst she is sick, unconscious, or out of action.
Weakness: This shield is a protection against physical attacks such as projectiles or flames, etc. Anything a telekinetic may throw at her either bounces off or is absorbed into the shield. This shield does not have the capability to stop powerful telepaths, such as Professor Xavier. It is a protection against inanimate objects and any attempts to grab her while she is down. Please also see ‘Overall Weaknesses’.

Pyrokinesis: Full-fledged – creates and controls a fire that is now, after much training and honing in the Danger Room, solely needing a safe place to practice while her powers continued to change and define, as concentrated and as powerful as Pyro’s. Where she could merely burn severely before, now, she can reduce to dust in a matter of seconds. She is able to produce it from her body, materialize it anywhere away from her body, as well as keep control of it from either source. She can gain control of other flames if she sees it coming. Because of her telempathic link to Pyro, she is able to sense when he uses his power, and, due to their closeness of the bond the two share and the further training to define the skill, they can work in perfect sync with each other - Mana creates the fire, John wields it;; John brings it from his wrist flame throwers, Mana takes control and wields it, and when they combine their individual Pyrokinetic abilities, the results are truly amazing.
Control: High – Self-Learnt, however, again, after the major event that helped the final molding of her powers, Mana’s pyrokinetic abilities seem to be reacting to her emotions, much the same way as the purple glow of energy in her eyes. She has managed to gain control of this, but still sometimes accidentally burns something when angry or shocked. Her body glows with purple energy, but is now more often than not also joined by the faint glow of fire, whether hot or cold to the touch.
Weaknesses: Flames that are not under her control can hurt Mana, but due to her regenerative abilities, unless the flames are constant she can easily heal from these burns. Of course, major burns mean she needs access to a natural storm cell and the same weakness all Pyrokinetics have, that of ice and severe temperature drops also apply to Blade Girl.

Overall Weaknesses: As aforementioned, all of Mana’s powers have their basis in her connection to lightning. There are now two sides to Mana’s major weakness, one of which came to her attention during the recent canine attacks on New York City.

1) If she uses too much of one, or all, of her powers this drains her as well as leaves that power useless until she can get her natural lightning recharge. If this is not attainable the resultant lack of rechargeable energy to sustain her X-Gene mutation can kill her, not to mention what can happen to a mutant who is essentially at risk of metal poisoning if her regenerative abilities were ever to fail. She is of no use to anyone and vulnerable in this weakened state. And because all of her powers are closely linked to one another if she maxes out, say, her electrical ability then her impenetrable shield would also be useless.

2) Blade Girl has recently learned that if she has extensive direct connection to lightning, therefore instantly replacing the power she is using and filling her body with energy she doesn’t actually need , this can cause her X-Gene mutation to shut down completely, not allowing her access to any of her powers, other than her regeneration, while it sorts out what to do and where to put this excess energy.

PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE

Personality: Mana is a very caring, protective young woman, especially of those she is close to. She has had to learn early in life to be hard and impassive at times, but this in no way detracts from the loving heart she has within. Where once her caring side could be easily ignored when those she cares about the most are threatened, as an X-Man Mana has learnt to remain calm during situations that call for it;; to think before reacting, and realise she cannot simply grab Wolverine and rush off to help where is needed.

She is now part of team, which has helped to mold her into a woman who looks to them for support and long ago accepted the fact she’s no longer alone in the world.

Another thing being an X-Man has taught her is that having weapons built into her arms does not necessarily mean they should not be used, or that it could make her a bad person if she did use them. Take the recent canine attacks for instance, a battle that lasted many hours, and without hesitation she used them, fully understanding that her other powers needed to be kept for when she truly needed them;; understanding that if she drained herself before getting outside, her death would have been a swift one hence, she would not have been able to protect those who desperately needed it.

So, all in all, this means as well as being highly approachable, willing to lend a listening ear when requested of her, and trying her best to help out in any given situation, including that of offering her help to those who want to learn how to be a better control their powers &/or aggressive nature, Ramana is also practical, careful, and in no way, shape or form, a naïve kind of person.

Unfortunately, or perhaps better put, for her future protection and sense of self preservation, the events of Spoor leading her to believe she was helping someone who genuinely wanted to be helped, but was actually being set up to be kidnapped and held prisoner, has changed Mana to the point where she is no longer as quick to see the best in others initially. They must prove they are worth knowing and protecting before she will ever begin to trust them, and, much like the man she loves, she will now not hesitate to do whatever it takes to keep her loved ones, and every other resident, or student in the mansion safe.

Demeanour: Strong

Nature: Caring/Protective

Current Affiliation: X-Men; Faculty

Previous Affiliation: N/A

HISTORY

Born in Australia but raised in Colorado Springs by her single mother, after she and her father divorced soon after her birth and her mother relocated to the US, Ramana exhibited her mutant abilities at an early age, her mother noticing her little baby barely ever got a bruise or a cut, and even when she started to walk, often running directly into things as little ones often do, there would be nothing there to show for this by the time she picked her up to have a look, always worried her little girl had badly hurt herself. It wasn’t until the day Nicole Cavanagh turned her back for just a moment, the shortest of moments she will forever regret, that she found out her little three year old was something very special indeed.

Mana was staring at the flames slowly engulfing the grass in one of the paddocks during the periodic burning off, her inquisitiveness getting the better of her, walking over ever closer to what she saw as a very pretty orange glow, something to be touched, something to be investigated.

Nikki will never ever forget the pain-filled scream that filled the air that evening. She will never forget the sight of her little girl surrounded by flames, catching fire and burning right there in front of her before she’d even contemplated what was happening. Mother’s instinct kicked in, and ignoring the danger to herself, Nicole jumped in, grabbing Ramana, pulling her out, and rolling her to put out the flames, before she hurried to the car, rushing her to the nearest hospital at least a half hour drive away. They weren’t even a quarter of the way there before Nikki realized something was happening, pulling the car over to take a closer look, as she witnessed the most fascinating of all things happen - her daughters burns were reversing, her skin was turning back to normal - she was healing right their before her mother’s eyes!

Her other powers did not present themselves until much later, when at the age of 10, about three months after a six-year-old Pyro had come to live with them, her mother fell from their farmhouse roof and broke her hip and arm, the two foster siblings rushing to her side, Pyro about to go and retrieve the phone when he stopped, taking a second look at the faint purple glow now beginning to spread across his foster sister’s skin. He watched as it passed into Nicole;; watched as the bruising disappeared, and listened to the cracking of bone back into place, freaking out when Mana suddenly screamed out in pain, neither of them hearing her own hip and arm crack in the same areas she’d just absorbed and subsequently healed in her mother. In a short time Nicole was fully healed, wrapping her arms around her daughter, overwhelmingly grateful, crying with a sense of joy that her little girl had been blessed with such a power.

It was in that same year and very soon after, during a severe storm one night, that her Electrokinesis followed. Drawn to the intense energy she could feel all around her, she climbed out of bed, walking straight towards the black clouds already so very close to her bedroom window. No one saw it happen when the storm cell soon past directly overhead, Mana hit by an intense bolt of lightning, the only effect it had on her - the opening up of a connection, and a sense of belonging. The first of many mutations to be unlocked, and the very basis for every single one of them, had begun!

No direct order can be given to exactly when her Telekinesis, Teleportation, Phasing, and the three extensions to her Electrokinesis were unlocked within her, however, it was during another periodic burning off of one of the paddocks on the property, shortly after gaining the ability to move things with her mind, that Mana found out she was also a fire wielder. Staring at the flames again, enjoying the beauty that could not be denied in the element, it was Nikki’s cry as memories of when she was three coming rushing back to her mother, and Pyro’s astonished gasp that made her take notice - the flames in the paddock were leaning towards her, and at first they all thought it was just her Telekinesis, but the fact Blade Girl soon burst into flames herself threw that summation completely out of a figurative window!

To this day, all three strongly believe that because Mana was burned so severely when she was three, it had something to do with her eventually gaining the ability to create and control the flames that’d once caused her such pain. It might also explain why she has always been so drawn to them, however, this is something none of them will ever truly be able to find out for sure.

At the age of twelve, nearly thirteen, Mana had her first encounter with a certain Cajun by the name of Remy Etienne LeBeau one afternoon while out shopping with her mother. Mana, after making sure no one was around, teleported to a park opposite the mall to make use of the toilet facilities because the ones in the mall were completely full, and being young and impatient she couldn’t be bothered to wait.

To this day she does not know how or why Gambit saw her, nor why he followed her and kept testing her after she came out of the toilet block, but that same night, while still in bed, Remy appeared at her window, and the two went down to one of the back paddocks where Mana’s promise to him, to show him what she was capable of if he continued to harass her, was fulfilled.

Their friendship developed from there, Gambit teaching her much, and Mana knowing she was learning from one of the best. Mana became Gambit’s protégé; something he always saw her as but never told her himself.

When she was fourteen Ramana’s Mom met and fell in love with the then highly ranked Colonel William Stryker (ewwww!). She confided in him what her daughter was capable of, not realizing he already knew she was a mutant;; not realizing his love for her was simply a ruse, a way to get closer to his next Weapon X candidate. Eventually, Stryker simply disappeared, breaking Nikki’s heart in the process until, in the year 1998, just after Ramana turned 16, with eyes watching the place for two weeks before the healer was finally deemed old enough to be taken, he moved in, kidnapping and, after about six months of not only being constantly injected with the control serum every time it started to wear off, but also subjected to very vigorous training to mold her into the perfect weapon, making her the second in his first ever attempts to bond adamantium metal with the bone cells of a mutant with Regeneration.

During the operation Mana felt the presence of another mutant nearby, soon becoming overwhelmed by his pain. Unbeknownst to her a telempathic link was being opened between the two, and at the end of the operation, when Stryker made the mistake she was still under the influence of his mind-altering drug, Mana escaped from the cooling tank she was chained down in, with considerable skeletal changes to the lower parts of her arms to incorporate the adamantium blades that were now a part of her skeleton permanently. In escaping Ramana killed her first human. A thing she vowed never to do again.

Drawn to the room directly beside the one she was in, she saw, for the first time, the mutant she had felt with every part of her being; the mutant whose own pain had been shared by her, and vice-versa.

The two escaped into the surrounding forest where they stayed together, avoiding the search parties that were sent out to find them, until Mana sensed Logan was slowly losing all his memories; realizing he would soon forget who she was entirely too. She shared this knowledge with him, deciding it would be too hard for both of them to suddenly have him not knowing who she was, telling him they should go their separate ways before it happened. When Logan agreed, Mana decided to leave within the week.

Three days later, at almost Midnight on the night of September 18th, 1998, in the heat of the moment, Mana shared her first ever intimate moment with a man; a moment that resulted in an unbreakable telempathic bond to form between her and the mutant known as the Wolverine. The next morning, Mana glanced upon the man she had come to love with every part of her being, deciding in her heart to leave him with that memory of her, even if, for him, he would soon forget it had ever happened in the first place.

She returned home but soon realized she, and those she loved, were in danger, and not just by the Colonel, because, shortly after she returned home, the mutant known as Magneto sent two members of his Brotherhood, Mystique and Sabretooth, after her, while she was at the movies one day in Colorado City. Mana managed to thwart their attack, with the help of Pyro and Gambit (making this the first time John met the Cajun), but not before Magneto turned up, rendering Gambit unconscious, and capturing the two other mutants.

Underestimating the protective instinct within her, Magneto was shocked to find himself beaten by a female mutant, and a young teenager at that, vowing to hunt her down and make her powers ‘his’ if it was the last thing he did.

That same day, Mana hit the road, to the heartbroken, but understanding protests of both her parents, and Pyro, in the Commodore Station Wagon her mother had helped her buy before she was taken by Stryker; cutting off all telempathic links, traveling, always keeping one to two steps ahead of those pursuing her.

She never saw Wolverine again, until, on November 3rd, 2003, after nearly 6½ years of traveling from place to place, keeping well ahead of those pursuing her, Ramana ‘Mana’ Cavanagh found him once again. Drawn to the fight ring beyond the doors, the mutant known as Blade Girl set eyes upon the very mutant she’d experienced the fusing of adamantium to her entire skeleton with, and in her case, the additions to her lower arms to allow for the three blades Colonel William Stryker was also very keen to put in. Still, seeing him meant nothing, for Mana knew he did not remember her, so she walked away, left the pub in Anchorage, Alaska, heading along the back roads, just… traveling, going nowhere in particular.

Whether it was meant to be, more than likely it was just because they both had the same idea that the back roads were a better way to travel, the Wolverine was the one who pulled up to help the healer when her bike broke down on the morning of November 4th. After parting ways again, it took only the one night for his dreams to siphon through the long forgotten memories still somewhere within his mind to put a memory to her familiar scent, recognition to her name.

It took Logan awhile to track her down, almost five days later, on the night of November 9th, he found her, the Wolverine and Blade Girl once again reunited, however, Mana had unfinished business she had to do alone, leaving him a note, saying she would find him again, but for now… she had to go.

On her travels over Brooklyn bridge one afternoon, heading away from Manhatten, Blade Girl’s powers decided to take another leap, a change occurring that saw her almost fall off her bike right then and there. Managing to drive for a bit longer, not knowing where in the world she was going, she finally did come off the bike, right of the street that housed Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. She had no idea of the significance of that name, but somehow, and most likely by the use of her invisibility powers, she was able to get to the stables, up into the stable loft, where she stayed, even after she was discovered by Rogue, who looked after her until the power stealing mutant knew something more had to be done.

Alerting Iceman, who in turn let her know they had to inform the Professor, Mana was soon taken down to the medlab, where she remained, unconscious for almost four days. After awakening on November 19th, she was reunited with Logan once again, Charles explaining to her he had felt him experiencing the same things she had been, and knew the pain and concern was not the Wolverine’s own. From then on, Mana and Logan became a part of the Xavier mansion, Blade Girl soon reunited with someone else she had honestly thought she’d never see again… her foster brother, St. John Allerdyce, or Pyro.

A visit from her mother on November 24th saw her family reunited once again, and her Mom Nicole over the moon that not only was her daughter alright, but her foster son was doing extremely well too. Normal days at the mansion, settling in, becoming close to Rogue, who will always be the healer’s closest friend, helping Iceman to realise he had to assure her that just because they couldn’t touch each other didn’t mean Bobby didn’t love her… you know, the usual teenage stuff, even though Mana herself was in her early twenties. One is only as old as they feel however ^^.

It was two days later that Blade Girl finally witnessed the extent of her foster brother’s anger, on a field trip to the Evolution museum where his cockiness saw him showing off to some guys who wanted to use his lighter. His foster sister soon stepped in to give them a lend of her own, telling them to back off. When they stole it, Pyro went off, chasing the guy down, almost burning him alive if it wasn’t for Mana, Rogue and Iceman finding him in time. Thankfully, Charles erased the memory of John using his Pyrokinesis from the teen’s mind.

Towards the end of November, Magneto’s obsession with making Blade Girl a member of his Brotherhood, and at the behest of another who was also very interested in Blade Girl, Erik sent his henchman to kidnap Rogue, Iceman and Pyro, knowing Mana would feel their pain via the telempathic links she shares with them and hesitate none in heading to rescue them. With the Wolverine’s help, she succeeded, Magneto and the rest of his Brotherhood disappearing to go after her another day, while the one whom urged him to do this pursued the healer after she left, later revealing himself to be Metlinque, however not succeeding in capturing her for himself thanks to the healer having already contacted the other X-Men.

The only casualty of that night was her Commodore, of which Iceman, Cyclops, Phoenix, Wolverine, Angel, Shadowcat, Xavier, Rogue and Pyro presented her with a brand new one a few nights later.

Mid December saw Jean and Warren return from Boston unable to find the mutant Charles had picked up via Cerebro, someone who had been witness to the mysterious Denver kidnappings;; someone the Professor and the rest of the X-Men not only wished to speak to, but to offer a place at the mansion too. Mana suggested speaking with him via the telempathic link she shared with Jean, while the telepath was hooked up to Cerebro. Charles agreed, however warned the both of them to back out the moment they felt any possible side effects happening. Thankfully this didn’t occur, and after much reassurance, some of which included informing the fuzzy blue elf she too was teleporter, he agreed to meet Mana, and Mana alone… at least at first.

Heading to Boston, it wasn’t long before he accepted the invite back to Xavier’s, meeting Jean, Wolverine and Storm. Back at the mansion, and thanks to the Professor’s telepathy, and permission from Kurt to search his mind, the license plate of the van used in the kidnappings was found out. It would take time to find out who the vehicle belonged to, in the meantime, Mana showed Kurt around the mansion, and the next day, Blade Girl, believing because she can get deep into her best friend’s mind, and therefore understand possibly even more than the Southerner herself does about her own powers, started the first session in seeing if she can help Marie to learn control of her powers.

Soon, the Denver kidnappings were brought to the fore once again when Ramana received a phone call from her mother saying her newest foster baby had been kidnapped right out of her room! Heading to Colorado Springs, the X-Men began an investigation, shocked to learn the base for where the mutants were being taken was only just down the road, the entrance well hidden within a rock face in the dried up creek bed. How in the world was it possible that this was going on and Nicky herself had not noticed? The fact this wasn’t the only entrance may have had a lot to do with it, since the creek bed stretched for miles, and what a perfect place to hide a facility… out in the middle of nowhere, down in the depths of the middle of nowhere again, and well camouflaged when the creek bed flooded as well.

Using her invisibility shield, back then able to incorporate her phasing powers into it as well, Mana infiltrated the base, finding out all she could about the security before it was time for the X-Men to go in together, of which they soon did, hijacking one of the vans and the people in it, easily gaining access. Splitting up into teams, the X-Men successfully made their way inside, soon finding and releasing the captured mutants, yet, unable to learn the identities of the true masterminds behind the entire thing (later it would be learned it was Christian & Magenta LeMasia’s first attempts at learning what exactly they’d need to make their dreams of gathering together many, many mutant trophies a reality).

It was here that Mana learnt for the first time just how cruel humans can really be to mutants, testing powers and abilities among the things going on in this facility, since the LeMasias couldn’t be there to make sure their one order, that the mutants were not to be harmed, was obeyed all the time. A mutant known only as Kyle, and later codenamed Catwings was released from the prison that day, forever and always grateful to the X-Men for rescuing him.

Mortally wounded, if he didn’t happen to be a mutant with the ability to regenerate, it took Logan at least two days to recover, the X-Men, plus 1, returning to the mansion on December 28th, 2003.

The beginning of 2004 came without any further major hassles, new ones turned up at the school, Logan and Mana became Senior X-Men to the fullest degree, already proving beyond a doubt they were well suited for life at the mansion, and the protection of all those within. Friends spending time together, training, Blade Girl studying to become an English teacher, it was all happening for them, the two ex Weapon X experiments now finding a place to remain and grow within.

What is it with humans and their damn mutant experimentation facilities, because again, around May of 2004, the X-Men were sent to Australia to take down yet another base, the only connection to the one in Colorado Springs, Dr Wayne Kensington, who had been in jail for many months now. If only they’d been on the Sunshine Coast, with its beautiful beaches and scenery, extensive shopping facilities and other attractions to actually be tourists. Being attacked in the Sunshine Plaza wasn’t much fun, the team knowing they were getting close since they had tried to eradicate them in such a public place.

The name of the man behind this particular facility was found out before they’d even left the States, Blade Girl visiting Kensington in prison and convincing him to give him up. A search of Dr Samuel Vitalin’s home found some old electricity bills for an old warehouse located on Bribie Island, but before they could leave to consolidate this information, they were attacked once again. Managing to allude both their attackers, and the ones shadowing in their vehicles, the X-Men head out to Bribie Island, intent on shutting this facility down for good as well.

Oh, success did come, but not after the initial, and very difficult aspect of actually gaining access to the facility, let alone helping to free the mutants within once they were inside. Dr Vitalin seemed to be a bit paranoid, setting up pressure trigger points all around the front entrance, along with guns sensor triggered, so it was Mana and Kurt’s job, as the teleporters, to get their team mates over the dangers. Eventually, and this time, with the military's help, this facility was indeed taken out of business, and all those kidnapped returned from whence they had come from.

Again, at least for a while, everything was normal, classes, training, greeting new ones, getting to know friends already even better, basically, fun… until one September afternoon, someone turned up at Xavier’s that had Mana’s heart racing ten to the dozen, Remy Etienne LeBeau, AKA Gambit, begging for help from the woman he remembered only as a young girl.

Apparently he too was being hunted by Colonel William Stryker, the man wanting him for the same reason he wanted so many other mutants, to use them for a means to his own end, to experiment on them, to do all sorts of things to make them apart of his Weapon X program. The X-Men agreed to allow him to stay, a few days later seeing a helicopter land on the Xavier mansion grounds, Lady Deathstrike and a platoon of soldiers exiting. Blade Girl, Shadowcat, Cyclops, Jean, Nightcrawler, many of the other mutants moved to intercept them, however, while Mana was busy using her healing abilities to seep the mind control drug from Lady D’s system, Gambit gave himself up to avoid anyone else getting hurt. However, his friends weren’t about to let him go that easily, pursuing in the Xjet, and succeeding in not only bringing the helicopter down, but sending a message to Stryker that Gambit was now off limits to him, and Lady Deathstrike was no longer his either.

Mana was pleased, when Yuriko, although not really sure where she fit into the scheme of things, stayed at Xavier’s, apparently out of loyalty to the woman that freed her from a life of slavery behind a veil of control she been able to see through, yet had not been able to fight.

Because of her obvious abilities and now learning where she was staying, Stryker set his eyes on Blade Girl once again, having already put into action the altering of another mutant he’d had in his possession for many years now to counter her every power. He figured the best way to capture her was to have her come to him, so he made an attempt to capture Gambit and Lady D, then even threatened her mother, Nicky, before Mana, fed up, begged Charles to allow the X-Men to find, infiltrate and bring down the Weapon X program once and for all.

The Professor agreed, knowing that answers could be found for both Logan and Mana in the process, and that other mutants, some already victims and prisoners, and others will be spared such experimentation in the future. On November 3rd, an entire year since Wolverine and Blade Girl found each other again, the two of them, along with their team mates, Angel, who had been back at Xavier’s and dating Mana for a while now, accompanying them on this one. Once inside, they worked to free the mutants already under Stryker’s control, freeing those that weren’t, including Beast, forced/blackmailed into using his experience in genetics into helping Stryker with his experiments.

Unknown to Mana, the mutant known as Nemesis was waiting in the shadows when she moved to confront the Colonel herself. Overpowering her, and steeling her powers, it is only due to Angel and Wolverine that Stryker did not succeed in whisking her off to another hidden base somewhere. While Angel watched over her and the mutant Nemesis, who was soon taken back and placed within the prison level of the Xavier mansion, the Wolverine, in a feral rage, moved to end the life of Colonel William Stryker once and for all…

At first torn between the love she thought she felt for Gambit and Wolverine, and confused by the advancements of the Cajun, and the uncertainty of if a relationship between either men and herself could really work, it was the sudden and definite attraction to Warren Worthington, III, AKA Angel, that made her rethink everything she’d thought was right before. Finally coming to the realisation she and Gambit had too much history, and his tendency to play with the hearts of the ladies was something she didn’t like one little bit, as well as the fact at the time she was too much like Logan for anything more than the close bond of friendship to ever work, she let herself fall head over heals for Angel.

Unfortunately, it was soon after the events of Alkali Lake that, on a business trip to Tokyo Angel’s plane went down, Mana feeling their telempathic link severed, Jean and Xavier feeling his presence disappear, all of them witnessing the last thing he saw before his plane hit the ground.

Blade Girl lost the love of her life, and during her grieving process, with Nemesis now contained within the prison sub levels and now also holding a link with the healer forced open during the draining of her powers, he was able to use this heartbreaking situation to gain control of Jean, via the telempathic link she held with Mana, causing both women to act far from their true natures. That link was eventually found out about and broken by Gambit and Rogue, but not before Mana had forced her way into the Cajun’s mind, seeing everything that’d happened in his past, learning his deepest and darkest secrets in the process, something of which she also shared with Rogue at the time, causing a series of events to follow that saw Remy having to disappear for awhile, somewhat fearing for his own safety.

Mana was not there when Nemesis’ powers took on another leap, gaining the ability to turn himself into pure energy and escape into the mansion’s electrical system. Choosing to get away after what she’d down, heading to her Colorado Springs mansion for a little while, she was soon joined by Gambit, her dog alerting her to Amp’s presence in the Greenhouse, Psylocke turning up in the X-Jet after helping another young mutant named Wound (who later turned out to be Mana’s Nephew. Geesh!), and the sudden appearance of someone claiming to be her sister the next morning! Blade Girl only found out Nemesis’ infiltration was happening when the painful torture of her friends was felt via the link she shared with them, rushing back, to do exactly what he wanted, face him down, yet, during the fight, Mana's anger was replaced with compassion when she learned Nemesis was not the man she saw before her. Soon, she was able to use the link they shared to show him the truth, revealing to him his true name of Nathaniel Tobias Klo'rel. Nemesis soon gave back all he had taken from her, only letting the link they shared remain, before he disappeared, heading off to find his family, and the answers to the many more questions he still had.

With this over, Mana was soon able to concentrate on the fact she had a sister, another of Stryker’s attempts to regain what he had lost when Blade Girl and Wolverine had escaped that night so long ago, combining his own DNA with that which he had taken from her mother, Nicole. A few months later though, on Wednesday, March 2nd, 2005, and at the same time an invitation turned up, inviting all at the X-Mansion on a field trip to a newly opening Museum, Prism went looking for answers, Amp following, and Mana soon heading after her as well. While those on the museum field trip fought against exhibits that had so suddenly come alive, Mana witnessed the reuniting of her sister with the siblings Prism never knew she had, realizing Stryker had made Quads, individually called Prism, Restorer, Hue, and Shade, but together and united, Manifold. With the new and almost overwhelming information that she not only had one new sibling, but three others as well, Mana found out about what was going on at the museum, heading back to rescue her friends from people bent on capturing them as living trophies.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t long after this event was over that Apocalypse sensed the potential in Prism, playing on her naivety and making her one of his Horsemen, Death, resulting in her killing Restorer, Hue and Shade, and a confrontation between Mana and Ashleigh that saw two key things happen - not only did Mana find out Prism was actually her daughter, but the emotions of the entire fight as well as the grief felt for the loss of her other siblings, triggered the final changes in Mana’s evolutionary chain.

It wasn’t until one of her good friends and team mates, Thomas Fireheart, AKA Puma, someone who had been there and witnessed so many of these events occur, announced he was falling in love with her, that Mana ever thought she’d be able to love again. Thomas was both patient and understanding that, even though it had been months ago now, the loss of losing Angel was still so fresh in her heart, and that this time, the young healer wanted to take the relationship slow, see if it worked;; see if her heart could be opened up to the possibility of falling head over heals for someone again. It was when the Wolverine finally made the decision to love Ororo Munroe unconditionally, and Gambit finally realized that he was in love with Shadowcat, that Mana accepted it was truly time to move on, her relationship with Thomas, although seeing several strains try to tear it apart already, merely growing stronger and stronger as each day goes on.

Thomas was also with her when Pyro finally upped and left Xavier’s for the Brotherhood, Mana’s heart breaking once again, however this time for a very different reason. She saw the firebug as her family, and watching him turn bad was like feeling her very inner being torn out, not to mention the affects it had on his then girlfriend, Swann, at the time. Fortunately for Pyro, his girlfriend, his foster sister and his friends were not about to just let him remain as one of Magneto’s henchmen, Mana returning from her Summer Break and immediately making the decision to go after him, but not before she was intercepted by Iceman, Wolfsbane, Swann, and a mysterious young mutant calling herself Snow. With their combined efforts, and Swann actually being shot by her Ex, Ronin’s, revenge-filled sister, Pyro came to his senses, at the time thinking he was about to lose the only true love he’s ever known.

It was the mysterious Snow that saved Swann from dying, and all thought of ever letting his anger get to him again was done away with, Pyro apologetic and begging for forgiveness, returning home, and once again restoring the emotional balance within the only other woman the fire bug will ever truly trust.

The life of an X-Man never ends, as on Tuesday, August 31st - Thursday, September 2nd, 2005, the Xavier mansion, along with every other mutant faction or individually known mutant, was attacked by human-sized Sentinels, some with the ability to transform into various machines, in the LeMasias’ second attempt to capture their Mutant Trophies. It was then that the mutant formerly known as Nemesis, now going by the code name of Dark Voltage, was heard from again, only this time, he wasn’t really working for the bad guys, simply there to thwart their attempts to keep those they managed to capture prisoners for long, as well as take down the plans of the LeMasias for good. {You can find the full Summary for these events HERE.!

The next major event in Mana’s life was actually one to be treasured, her foster brother Pyro, and her kind of adopted foster sister Swann, finally tying the knot on Sunday, October 16th, 2005 in a wedding ceremony that was simply beautiful, and it was at their reception that little Rosie Johannsen, AKA Whoosh, was discovered in one of the delivery crates, something that did not interfere with the special day, but merely added that extra special element to it all.

It was the very next day after this, after SHIELD had shut down the Hellfire Club’s underground Mutant Brawl scene, the healer was told by Dr Annie Ghazikhanian that, along with Wolverine’s, her DNA too had been used, in part, to clone X-23, therefore making her Laura’s mother! This is something she has not even had the chance to tell the young woman yet, simply because after they were freed from the cages, X-23 disappeared with Cable, the two having yet to return to Xavier‘s.

On the night Man’s Best Friend turned on everyone in New York City, Mana was out on a date with the man she was now deeply in love with, Puma taking her to the Empire State Building before they were to head to a nearby restaurant to eat. Of course, they never made it there, on the way out of the lift to the hallway just shy of the building’s foyer, the canines attacked, and all hell broke loose, Blade Girl and Puma reacting the way they had been taught - help those that couldn’t help themselves, and stay alive long enough to continue doing so. Out of seemingly nowhere, help came in the form of another feral mutant known as Spoor, and once they had all made it outside, after successfully getting those they could onto the lift and back up where the dogs could not get to them, Mana was able to use her direct connection to lightning to shield them as they made their way to the Cinema to reunite with the fellow X-Men they knew had been out enjoying a movie on a night none of them knew was going to change everything completely.

Eventually reunited with them Mana aided in protecting the nearest evacuation site, getting people safely to the helicopters and when the X-Jet landed, pouring in the backup they so desperately needed, and another much bigger form of rescue aircraft, Mana helped heal those on board, one young and heavily pregnant woman soon returning the favor by protecting the now somewhat powerless Blade Girl when the dogs ambushed the very transport that was supposed to be a safe haven.

It was soon after the way to stop the canines was found out, and the X-Men in the field returned to the mansion, that a weakened Mana could not ignore the pleadings of her foster brother, urging her to get down to the Medlab where his Wife was currently in long labor, baby Terra Rose Allerdyce refusing to come out. With Mana finally getting there, by her bedside, Skye was able to use her TK to help with the birth, Mana so grateful to the reserves of her energy for allowing her to remain conscious long enough to witness the birth. Once she left the new parents be, helped by Jenny up to her room, Mana passed out, while her X-Gene worked out where to put the excess energy she had taken on during her many and long lasting direct connections to the storm cells during the night.

Unbeknownst to anyone else in the mansion, Mana agreed to help Spoor, the mutant that aided them during the canine attacks, to control his base feral nature, not realizing Andrew was simply using her compassion against her, drawn to the healer’s strength and power , and wishing to make her his own.

On January 1st, 2006, after a couple of months or so of worrying about whether she would ever get the chance to reveal who she was to X-23, Nathan Summers came to his senses, and realized he could not help her in the way only the Professor could, therefore bringing her back to the mansion, but leaving himself soon after.

Mana never got the chance, for in the early morning hours of Saturday, 7th January, 2006, Spoor succeeded in capturing his prey, rendering her unconscious and fighting for her life while he whisked her away to the specially made room hidden underneath an old abandoned church. While there, Mana went through many different emotions, almost about to give up when Andrew made a particular move, sending out his pheromones to convince the very weak Blade Girl that she wanted to be intimate with him and that she would enjoy it too! Fortunately, the moment they’d realized she was missing, and the moment Dark Voltage, having seen via the strong link he shares with Mana, informed them he had seen Spoor, and Rogue had backed this up, only told herself about her best friend helping him after the canine attacks, had been looking, and soon succeeded in finding her, thanks to the aid of one of Logan’s good mates from the past, Maverick, someone he can’t remember properly thus far.

They burst in right when Andrew was about to force himself upon her, and in the events that followed, the feral who dared to even think of taking Mana, yet attempt to, succeed, and then try to violate her, was rendered nothing more than bloodied and mutilated corpse by the ones who not only cared about her intensely, but had no qualms in rendering their own sort of violent justice, Wolverine, Puma, Pyro and Striker ending Spoor’s life, while Knockout, Rogue and Tepy helped the healer out of there, KO teleporting Mana outside where she could partake of a much needed natural storm cell recharge.

Unfortunately, or perhaps better put, for her future protection and sense of self preservation, and while she was away from the mansion for a relatively long time, this event has changed Mana to the point where she is no longer as quick to see the best in others initially;; they must prove they are worth knowing and protecting before she will ever begin to trust them, and, much like the man she loves, she will now not hesitate to do whatever it takes to keep her loved ones, and every other resident, or student in the mansion safe.

Mana returned to the mansion in time for the Assembly held on Thursday Afternoon, February 2nd, 2006, the one that announced the opening of the new dorms, and the offer of forming an elite team that would be known publicly as Agency X, since the world’s view on mutants was slowly starting to change, and seemingly for a better future, or so it seems. How long that will last remains to be seen. Following the assembly, and after listening to Logan finally voice how he felt about the entire Spoor situation and realizing X-23 herself was at the door and had been eavesdropping on their conversation, Mana was finally able to not only reveal she was in part Laura's mother, but that both Logan and herself were there for her, Logan apologizing for his seeming indifference shown before.

Now, aside from finding herself a mentor to many, making new friends, continuing her life as an X-Man, helping Logan to deal with the court’s decision to return little Whoosh back to her grandparents, something all of those close to her have only been able to move on from because they know they love her dearly, and not just because one of them is a mutant herself, it is also coming to light, as of Wednesday Morning, February 8th, 2006, that mutants are once again being kidnapped, and the X-Men can only surmise as to the exact reasons why, Mana among the many who believe it is to yet again begin some sort of experimentation upon them.

For Blade Girl, when she finds the one responsible, this time there will be no mercy shown, for among the taken is her foster brother, and a youn woman she had helped out of her animalistic state back in Mid October, Amara ‘Mara’ Aquilla, AKA Magma, now very much under the watchful eye and protection of the X-Men, particularly the Wolverine. Along with him, the healer had made a promise to her, that they would never let anything happen to her again, least of all being kidnapped by the very people that’d given her to an experimentation facility in the earlier years of her life… her parents.

Gone are the days of holding back metering out the justice that is truly deserved, the day coming soon where she will show just how far she is willing to go to protect the ones she loves, and just how much closer she is to being so much like the fellow mutants once a part of Weapon X…

SAMPLER ROLE PLAY

If she was the type, she would have revved the engine of the bike loudly;; the car in front of her was doing much, much less than the allowed speed limit, and everyone was just taking forever to get out of her way. Well, that was how it felt, because honestly, she was panicking, thinking too much on the what if’s, and worrying that by the time she did get through all the things in her way, including the current red light that seemed to be taking ages to change, the healer might arrive too late to save the victim Spoor would no doubt be quick to choose when he lost control of himself.

~No, not when, IF,~ she reaffirmed in her mind, determined to remain positive, to hope to all anything her many sessions with him had paid off. She’d opened his mind to what he’d really been doing, that no matter how feral he essentially was, killing and eating people just was not right, even in his wolf form. She’d used countless examples of fellow ferals who’d won the battle, showed him breathing techniques, worked with him, even taken him to be around people of all ages, in all kinds of settings to show him just how like them he really was.

“These aren’t your victims Andrew,” she’d told him. “They are people, look at them, study them, and no matter how badly you want to ‘eat’ them, remember, you ARE them,” that’d been one of the first things she’d ever said to him, and, over time, Mana had seen the look in his eyes change… from one of keen interest in who was going to be his next food source, to actually realizing and openly accepting that she was right… or, so she’d thought.

“Oh, finally,” she mumbled under her breath, grip turning the handle and launching the motorbike forward, this time, the road ahead clear of any vehicles in front of her. ~I’m coming. Oh please fight it, Andrew,~ she thought to herself, preparing for the worst, as she finally rounded the corner, spotting the hunched form in the car park, it an anxious few more seconds drive to finally sidle her bike into the entrance, and towards him.

Removing her helmet at the same time she hoisted her leg up and over, she walked briskly the last couple of steps, hearing the headgear fall off onto the concrete, it obvious she had not cared in the slightest if it hadn’t been balanced properly when she’d put it down on the seat of the bike. The sight of him tore at her heart, however, she was also not stupid enough to think that the feral side hadn’t already overtaken him, kneeling down, yet not directly in front of him.

Almost a meter away, she watched, waited for just a bit, then finally asked, “Did I get here in time?” poised, blades ready, just inches from emerging should his response be anything more than what she was truly hoping for.

ADDITIONAL IMAGES



Mana's Bike, a GSX 1300 {replacement, first one destroyed by Sabretooth}: