Heroes

Dr. Salim Chandra was renowned for his breakthroughs in gravitational theory, and wealthy from his work as Garotech International's head of research. Less well-known was his wayward son Jai, who tried to aim as far away from his father's careful, measured approach to life as possible. Jai found success as an extreme athlete, performing ever more daring stunts funded by corporate sponsors. He was an underground sensation, until his worried father brought his influence and money to bear to end Jai's nascent career.

Jai stormed into his father's lab for a family shouting match just as the supercriminal Phase broke in to steal the elder Chandra's work: the Geograv Locus. The ensuing chaos resulted in the machine's destruction, causing a destabilized gravitational anomaly to begin tearing the city apart. Jai, standing next to the device as it fractured, awoke to find half the city of Akelabad was now floating high above the ground, and he could now bend gravity with his mind. Jai used his new powers to get as many as he could to safety, but his father succumbed to injuries sustained in the explosion. The thief escaped. Akelabad never recovered.

Jai had lost his closest family, and his best chance of understanding his new powers. He thought about disappearing back to his old life, but it now seemed hollow. His experiences had thrown into sharp relief the two courses of action that still held meaning for him.

He would try to help others, to get them to safety when everything was falling apart. And he would hunt down superpowered criminals to prevent such catastrophes from happening in the future.

Renegade promo: Jai had left his old life behind thoroughly enough that there was nothing and no one to protect by hiding his identity, but he occasionally worked with other heroes who did, like the Cricket. He didn't learn her real name until she was framed, arrested, and her mentor contacted Impact to arrange a jailbreak. Learning about the Cricket's other life, he understood why she wanted to wear a mask, to keep that part of her alive and safe. So he disguised himself, and set out to help her reclaim it, if possible.

Wasteland Ronin promo: During his time as a renegade hero, Impact had formed an unlikely bond with Teryx, the Wandering Isle, a massive and ancient turtle that sheltered him and his companions. Months later, rejoining Cricket after her name had been cleared and her secret identity restored, another misadventure left them stranded in a post-apocalyptic future. Fleeing from hordes of monsters and in need of someplace safe to regroup, Impact somehow found the still-living Teryx, crawling across the parched seabed. He approached the turtle, hoping that something in it might still recognize him...