Mastermold

PHASE 1

Natalya Ignatova - believed deceased
Portrayed by None
Known Aliases:	Mastermold, Pestilence
Affiliations:	Horsemen
Socked By:	Dex
Introduction:	Operation: Flesh Mechanic

The result of Russian experiments with a young technopath, 'Mastermold' was a meat computer, a living convergence of technology and flesh. Completely insane, 'she' was brought down by X-Force, although some doubt lingers as to whether a remnant of her consciousness managed to escape.

Details

Name: Natalya Ignatova

Aliases: Mastermold

Affiliation: None

First appearance: October 26, 2006

Family: None

Biography

Natalya Ignatova was a typical Russian youth. Like all good patriotic Soviets, she was part of the Young Pioneers and the youth military clubs that granted the respectability and political stability to rise in the USSR of the late 60s. It was discovered that the fifteen year old had strange powers, like a few others appearing in Russian cities. The Soviet army drafted these individuals for study in what the Americans would later call Project Epsilon. For years, Soviet scientists had theorized on the existence of psychic abilities, and had sought out those who were sensitive to it. The surprising discovery of non-psychic physical phenomenon had excited them about an entirely new direction: mutation.

Of course, being the Soviet Army, the first priority was to weaponize those skills and powers. Many of the members were moved to a complex in Stepnogorsk's bio-weapon engineering division. The next five years were lost to tests on young Ignatova, as they sought to understand her gift. Ignatova was a technopath; a strange hybrid type of telepath/electrokinetic that gives ability to interface directly with electronics. At first, it was simple things, like turning on a radio without touching the switch. As they grew to understand her power more, they found that the machinery aspect was secondary, and it was more of an ability to directly read complex linkages in structures with any element of electric charge. Including the human body.

Ignatova was moved to a secret facility in Chernyakhoskoye for the major experiment. Tests had shown that with her powers, she could engineer highly complex bio-machinery; amalgamations between organic compounds and inorganic compounds. Early examples were hybrid forms of cybernetics that the KGB instantly seized on for agents. They discovered that her powers could work at distances, and most effectively when totally integrated into a system. In a graphic final step, Ignatova was fully meshed into the core of computers at the centre of the complex, where her body was broken down and used to integrate a bio-technological mainframe; Ingatova become a meat computer.

Dubbed Project MASTERMOLD, research into Ingatova's power and her new form continued into the early 80s. Unfortunately, a series of accidents and general setbacks saw the project diminished, and finally cut by '85. Eager to bury the gruesome experiments, the Soviets mothballed the Chernyakhoskoye instillation, and reduced the power to the minimum required levels. Ingatova was essentially shutdown but not dead, in case they should restart the project. A small caretaker staff maintained the upkeep of the facility, but nothing else for the last twenty years.

Following the events of Operation: Flesh Mechanic, Ignatova was believed dead until she resurfaced as a member of Apocalypse's Horsemen, taking the role of "Pestilence". During the attack on Manhattan, Ignatova took over the New York Stock Exchange and attempted to gain access to the financial network within, in order to throw the US economy into utter chaos. Her attempt was unsuccessful thanks to the actions of X-Force, namely the (temporary) sacrifice of Doug Ramsey. Once more, Ignatova is believed to have been destroyed, but it remains to be seen when or if she will surface again.

Powers/Abilities

Ignatova is technopathic. She has the ability to directly read complex linkages in structures with any element of electric charge, and control it in a certain fashion. While in her body, her abilities were limited. Once she was removed from her body, her ability increased vastly. Following the destruction of her complex, the current level of her abilities is unknown.

Ignatova's technological innovations are limited to her alone. Unlike Forge's creations, her abilities fuel her constructs, making them useless for anyone else to use.

Plots

Operation: Flesh Mechanic

Day Zero

Meta

The name of the plot was provided by Lise.

Socked by: Dex

PB:

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