Arktika

Age: Late 50s

Height: 5'10"

Powers: Manipulation of moisture in the air. Freezing moisture to create ice attacks, defensive ice walls, traversal through the air, and specialized "vision". Light healing factor. Can reach temperatures of absolute zero, with great strain. Has training in boxing.

Born in the city of Houston, LaToya Reynolds had very humble beginnings. While her family didn't have a lot of riches, she loved her community and made the best out of her impoverished life.

Especially when she had found out at a young age that she has had "ice powers" ever since she was born.

When she discovered this so early on, she constantly started troubles over her powers and their family had tried the hardest they could to help her control them and use them responsibily.

While superheroes weren't uncommon at the time, it was often quite difficult to raise one, as LaToya's parents were learning.

It wasn't until she was a teenager in the early 80's did she start to better control her abilities. She quickly realized that her ability to freeze things was due to her anomalous power to manipulate the existing moisture in the air around her. Considering the whole planet was chock full of moisture, this essentially meant she could freeze anything at any time. Even down to absolute zero, though it does strain her greatly to do so.

One day, a gang of criminals began to terrorize and occupy her neighborhood, hoping to set their operations in her unsuspecting community.

LaToya was in her late teens at the time and had taken up basketball at her school. During some practice she was doing with her siblings, some of the gang members came to them to see if any wanted to join their group.

Since they've already gotten one of her brothers, LaToya stood her ground and protected the rest of her scared siblings. Much to their amusement, the gang members shoved them to the ground and deflated their ball before they were chased away by LaToya' father.

After seeing her siblings wrought with fear and how the gang had taken her brother from her, LaToya had all she could stand of them and felt compelled to do something...so over the next week, she scouted the gang out and overheard where a big meet was happening with PROJECT PROMETHEUS for some potential candidates to select from their ranks. All of the gang was going to attend, including her brother...

That Saturday, at midnight, she had snuck out of her house wearing a ski mask and thick coat she had bought, mentally preparing herself to put an end to the thugs that plagued her community for good.

Since she was dressed as one of the gang members, she had easily slipped into one of their vans. Even though she was terrified, she knew this had to be done...

Once the van stopped moving, they reached a giant, state of the art facility. From what she remembered, PROJECT PROMETHEUS was an up and coming superhuman research organization that was helping to create new heroes under government "supervision" to protect and serve innocent people.

So it was odd to LaToya why they were here with all the criminals she had snuck in with.

This is when she learned the terrible truth... PROMETHEUS was also creating supervillains to combat the heroes they created in order to increase the demand for their services. At the cost of the safety and well-being of countless innocents, they were artificially creating the need for more heroes.

LaToya laid low, staying with her group as she soon realized the person she was walking behind was her very own brother, Reggie.

As soon as they were all alone, LaToya was overcome with emotion and quickly got Reggie's attention by unmasking.

Which ended up being a big mistake, as they were in the very heart of the heavily guarded laboratory area.

Acting on instinct, LaToya immediately sent out a blast wave of sharp icicles to stick into and distract all the people around her as she held her brother's hand to escape with him. And they very nearly got out of the facility as well, had there not have been a stray bullet piercing through her brother's body.

In complete desperation, she had tried to drag him out to the exit, but even with her ice barriers, some of the bullets were punching through.

She took one in the arm, forcing her to drop him back down. Once again, she went through the pain of losing a loved one in seeing her brother bleed out on the ground beside her. Enraged, she let out a wail of anguish, freezing everyone within 500 feet of her in place at absolute zero. A small circle separating where the ice began and where she laid with her brother.

Making it out from the facility, she was rescued by a newly formed superhero force known as the PARAGON ALLIANCE. As it turned out, she appeared on this particular night when they were going to raid and thwart this shady deal that was happening. Treating to her bullet wound, they quickly began to escort her home as the leader of the force, Director CARTER WAYNE, offered her their support and a very enticing offer...

On her 18th birthday, LaToya immediately enlisted into her local government superhero program, following Director Wayne's recommendation. Soon, after a few years of training and field assignments, she had finally taken on a new name:

ARKTIKA, THE FRIGID CHAMPION OF JUSTICE!

(Nowadays, she is still a superhero, becoming a veteran leader in the Alliance.. In return, they keep her and her loved ones protected. Especially since now she is Mrs. LaToya Graham, happily married for over 30 years and with 3 adolescent children to look after.)

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: Currently, Arktika has permanent vision loss due to an incident early in her career involving a nuclear explosion when confronting a radioactive supervillain. However, she is still able to "see" via manipulation of moisture in the air and translating the moisture into slightly detailed shapes and symbols that can be seen with normal human vision. A strange type of new sense replacing her sight.]