Nikki Connor-Tavares[WORMHOLE]

Power Index: Fused with a kind of living Dark Matter that allows her to create wormholes, along with regenerate wounds and perform bodily repairs at the cellular level on her. Dark Matter also gives the host the ability to exist in a vacuum (ex. Outer Space) without requiring a space suit or oxygen. 

If it feels it is threatened, the Dark Matter will become considerably aggressive to protect itself and its host to keep them alive. Nikki has to fight this instinct a lot when in combat, but can allow it to overwhelm her if someone she really cares about is in harm’s way or injured, which also feeds into the Dark Matter assuming more control. When in this state, it can be hard for her to differentiate between friend or foe when approached.

If she were to be injured or suddenly killed, the fallout of the Dark Matter leaving her body would be devastating; it has the potential to rip a hole in spacetime across multiple dimensions and destroy those at the epicenter of it. When Nikki first found out about this, she wanted to stay out of combat situations where she might be killed, but has since learned to overcome that fear since she doesn’t want to be the one to sit back and watch like she’s liable to break at the slightest touch when she could do so much good. 

Family: Duncan Nielson [husband] | Jenna Nielson [step-daughter; twin], Jesse Nielson [step-son; twin], Camila Nielson [daughter]

Background: Nikki grew up in the States for the early part of her life before her parents moved back to where her mother was born--Brazil--to continue their research in astronomy at a lab that offered them a grant for the research they were doing.

She got her powers from an accident at the labs when she was there to observe with others, including military officials and family of the scientists. Her parents and other researchers in the chamber were seemingly vaporized when the demonstration went sideways, and those on the observation deck were hit with severe radiation. Most of them died, but Nikki absorbed a lot of the blast, which was a sort of living Dark Matter substance that latched onto her. She disappeared for at least five minutes before reappearing, disoriented and in a lot of pain; the blast shot her through hundreds of dimensions before returning her to her main one.  She’s kept under observation to see what exactly is going on with her, but once she finds out the truth–someone from a rival company was working there to rig the demonstration to cause it to collapse (CorTek)–she goes after them, fully intending on killing them. She was fifteen when her parents were killed. It’s around this time that she runs into some of the Wrath type of antiheroes and they take her in to help her with her revenge plans (and because she’s a powerful asset who can get them in and out of places before they can be apprehended by Jade’s Hall people and/or authorities).

She winds up tracking down the man responsible and kills him at the urging of her team peers and the Dark Matter. She feels extremely satisfied at first, but comes to regret it later as the guilt eats away at her. She’s eventually taken into custody by Jade’s Hall when her powers grow to be too unstable for her to control on her own and she starts causing dimensional rifts. The Simmons Institute steps in to take her off their hands since their—Jade’s Hall’s— technology can only do so much to stabilize her, and they have more resources (including magic) that they can use to help her. They also have professionals to help walk her through the emotional trauma she experienced. She eventually went to work at a subsidiary company to Simmons Tech in astrophysics to further understand her powers and figure out ways to explore space. Simmons Tech is able to come up with headgear for her when she's on the field doing hero work that can help her enforce her control over the Dark Matter, and level out her powers.

It turns out that she has to learn how to control her powers instead of them controlling her, since the Dark Matter will flare up/become more volatile when her emotions are high (ESPECIALLY when she’s angry). It makes her more powerful, but also more reckless.  When at the Institute, she helps out with the kids/Junior Members since he's got a big heart for kids, especially those with troubled backgrounds like her. This leads to her becoming close with Jenna and Jesse when The Institute is given custody of them after their father is arrested by Jade's Hall (after some fenagling on his part so that Jade's Hall wouldn't be able to take them in); she helps them to process all that's happened and lets them ask her about her own journey since she's the only other hero they're aware of (at the moment) who started out as a supervillain before reforming. 

She volunteers to take them to see Duncan when he's allowed visits at Jade's Hall, and gets to enjoy having an awkward conversation with him when he clumsily apologizes for the many situations when he fought her and the Titans in the past. Nikki simply finds it amusing, reminding him that they weren't on the same side at the time, it only made sense that they'd be wailing on each other like that. The two seem to hit it off, especially more after Duncan is handed over to The Institute for a sort of "house arrest" situation where he's required to stay on the Institute's grounds for a year. Duncan finds that it's easier for him to talk with Nikki than the others since she knows where he's coming from, and they both know what it's like to be driven by revenge and the fallout of that. The two don't realize they've slipped into a relationship until Jenna, uncharacteristically and pointedly, asks when they started dating. 

Nikki takes the question as a cue to ask Duncan if they are in fact dating, or if he's just this friendly with the women he hangs out with, earning her some flustered stammering before she lets him know that she's only joking--she knows they've been dating even if none of them said anything to make it official. They try to keep it quiet at first before the twins keep running into them trying to snag a quick kiss (that inevitably lasts longer than a few seconds), and finally formally inform Jenna and Jesse of the relationship so that they're not left in the dark. The twins, having gotten to know Nikki, are okay with it, and actually eager to see how things progress. They don't have to wait long since Nikki becomes Nikki Nielson a year and a half later, making her their new stepmom. 

Personality:

• The sort to throw caution to the wind when she's stuck between a rock and a hard place; typically has a devil-may-care attitude that people either find refreshing or frustrating (it's how she copes with her powers shhh). 
• Understanding with people and willing to listen and take her time with them if they're being difficult, especially given her own history 
• Loves a good, classic horror movie. The cheesier the better. 
• Absolutely loves to razz people to get a reaction out of them; the type to banter with villains, and to tease teammates and watch them get annoyed or red in the face. 
• Fascinated with space and the complexity of it. Can wax poetic on astronomy for hours without realizing her audience's eyes have glazed over. 
• Has to fight back the urge--both from herself and the Dark Matter--to go lethal on enemies when they attack her teammates, and eventually, family. 
• Part of her wishes she could get rid of the Dark Matter, but the other part also feels she would be no one without it since it would be getting rid of what makes her a "super" hero. 
• Enjoys working out at the gym, doing both cardio and things that help her focus like yoga 

Goals: Keep the Dark Matter from controlling her while also helping others with their own powers and personal demons.