Template:Featured Articles/47-2008
| Jetstream: Born in Morocco, the son of a middle class business man, Haroun ibn Sallah al-Rashid's powers exhibited at birth, nearly killing his mother in the chemical backwash. They went into remission for the duration of his childhood, manifesting in his second year at Emma Frost's Massachusetts Academy. Caught up in the exhiliration of flight, Haroun pushed himself beyond his body's ability to cope with the immenses temperatures created by his powers and was critically injured in the fall. His legs and lower body (from the waist down) were amputated, and only a experimental cybernetic procedure saved his life and his ability to walk, and eventually, fly again.
Haroun spent many months in rehab, learning to use the cybernetic legs and adapting to life as 'half a man', as he saw himself. He returned to visit his family, only to have tragedy strike the Academy as Donald Pierce, targeted by the campus' 'hero group', the Hellions, destroyed the school and killed Haroun's friends and fellow students. Eventually he returned to America, after spending much time working for mutant rights in Morrocco as part of an underground terrorist organisation, and arrived at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, seeking out Emma's help once again. His initial stay was tumultuous, with his particular code of ethics and morals clashing with American lifestyles. Eventually, following a physical fight with a student, Sarah Morlocke, he returned to his organisation in Morrocco. Unfortunately, while he was away his enemies were busy laying the groundwork to deal with him once and for all. A government crackdown nearly led to his arrest, trial, and murder, but Haroun was able to slip the dragnet before the police could find and arrest him. Marrakesh, the city of his birth, the city that he called home, had sent him a message. He was unwanted there. With nowhere else to go, Haroun sought permission from Charles Xavier to return to the mansion, despite Emma's departure and his own past record there. Charles agreed, and in July 2004 Haroun returned to the school, as teacher of Arabic and Flight and as a full member of the X-Men. His second stay proved more productive than the first; with Sarah having left, much of the previous conflict was avoided, although he still proved unsympathetic to Jono's control issues. Initially known as a flirt, he began a serious relationship with Alison Blaire in October 2004, which eventually led to marriage. He also made several new friends, including Dr. Madelyn Bartlet and Nathan Dayspring. He proved less successful as a teacher than he was an X-Man; uncompromising and unwilling to cater to what he saw as the whims of spoiled Westerner students, he was a hard taskmaster and clashed frequently with Nathan on that and many other subjects. Disaster almost struck in August 2005, when Haroun was severely injured during a battle with Omega Red whilst the X-Men were protecting a sleeper agent by the name of David North. His cybernetics damaged beyond repair and his biologicals infected with Omega Red's deathspore, it took the concerted efforts of the medlab team, the resident technical wizards (Forge, Doug, Paige and Kitty) and some breaking-and-entering on the part of Alison and Cain in order to upgrade Haroun's already-outdated cyberware and save his life. In the course of the surgery, Dr. Jonathan Hawksmoor who had been on the original design team for the Jetstream project revealed that Haroun's 'ware had been a combat prototype, never intended to be used in a civilian setting, thus revealing the cause of the increased testosterone rushes to Haroun's system and the problems those had been causing for him. The new 'ware proved to be difficult to adapt to, and it was several weeks before Haroun was able to walk, and even longer before he was able to fly. Overall it was an improvement - Forge's design, using the Reavers technology he had gleaned from the remains left after the attack, gave Haroun increased sensation and movement, as well as correcting a certain 'defecit' caused by his original accident. In April 2006, Alison and Haroun eloped, and then shortly after that moved to California to set up the West Coast Annex, where he remains to this date. Haroun's mutant ability is chemokinetic flight. His top theoretical speed is Mach 2, but anything much past the sound barrier causes him damage, and very well might kill him. Haroun's mutation is maladaptive - he has no protection from the heat of the chemical reactions that power his flight. Haroun has no defense whatsoever against windshear, the stresses of flight, or against the heat his own power produces. The cybernetics remove the last problem (up to a point, the current Jetstream design still pushes the danger zone after Mach 1 is reached). He has to wear protective clothing and goggles if he wishes to fly quickly and remain undamaged. His oxygen needs are supplied by his own lungs augmented by the thruster-pack's own intakes while in flight.
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