Masika Salem

''"I guess I... I'm afraid." -Masika Salem''

Biography
CONTENT WARNING: Masika's backstory involves a lot of traumatic events, mainly all manners of abuse from her ex-husband, up to and including semi-graphic descriptions of physical and mental abuse.

Masika was born in Giza, Egypt, not all that far from the Great Pyramids. Her first language is Arabic, the main language of Egypt, and lived there until she was in her early twenties before her and her family immigrated to the United States in 2012 in hopes of a better life. Her family got the better life they wished for, and at first, so did she; she found what she thought was love, but turned out to be the exact opposite.

It started out subtle; gentle manipulation, gaslighting. He was a large man, almost as large as her, and certainly stronger. She had appreciated that in the beginning, but as the months stretched on, strong hands that once embraced her became fists that bruised her. Once-sweet words became vile daggers filled with self-hatred and planted the seeds of self-doubt deep in her mind. Protection became possession and she was soon isolated from her family by the man, kept at home and made into the perfect housewife-- and attempts at self defense and fighting back were met with fractured bones and split lips.

She stayed with him for years. Even long after her gene was awakened, she was left unaware due to medication that her now-husband slipped into every meal to keep her weaker than him... Until January of 2021.

Jasper beat Masika so savagely that she was hospitalized; a broken orbital socket, lost teeth, burst blood vessels, two broken limbs, four broken ribs, friction tears and over-extension rips in unsavory places... And stab wounds decorating her chest, stomach, thigh, and left side. He intended to kill her, but their neighbours heard the screaming, saw when she managed to pull herself out onto the front lawn. After all, even before her gene was activated, she had always been a strong woman.

The cops arrived faster than the ambulance. Jasper put up a fight, and it took three heavy officers to bring him to the ground and subdue him for arrest. He pled guilty to one count of domestic violence, and due to a plea deal, was sentenced to merely 90 days in prison during which Masika filed for immediate divorce. During her hospital stay, she was left without the medication that subdued her powers-- this enabled her to make a 'miraculous' recovery physically, but was diagnosed with severe C-PTSD. For months, she equated her rapidly developing strength to coincidence or a side effect, and now has only just begun to realize that perhaps she is not quite as 'normal' as she thought she was.

Jasper Cavanaugh was released in April of 2021, and Masika moved from Florida to Baltimore mere days before his release. At first, she worked as a bodyguard for hire, before being hired by Anderick to work as head of security at Elysium. Though she has not truly had to use her strength yet, it is part of how she has started to realize that she is stronger than she thought. Generally, however, she is quite apt at intimidation, enough so to avoid a fight.

Personality + Appearance
At her core, Masika is an absolute sweetheart. She can be affectionate and caring, loving even, to those she believes to deserve it. It takes a lot of trust and a lot of effort to get that far with her, however, due to her trauma. On the surface, she can be described as paranoid and anxious, constantly looking over her shoulder, and incredibly jumpy with a hair trigger temper that often ends in violence. She has a distinct Egyptian accent, and while fluent in English, occasionally struggles to find the proper words and often sounds far more 'proper' in her phrasing than she intends. English is a strange language to learn secondary.

Masika has many scars despite her durability, most noticeably a large, thick slash across her right cheek. She has brilliant hazel-gold eyes that occasionally gain a significant 'thousand-yard stare' at unknown times, bronze skin, and long, black hair twisted into thick, clean dreadlocks. She often dresses in denim, leather, or other heavy fabrics, and wears heavy boots. Notably, she is incredibly tall-- especially for a woman. She is six-foot-eight and approximately two hundred pounds, with semi-defined muscles-- not enough to betray her strength, but enough so to give her a fit appearance. When she smiles or laughs, it often seems forced or fake, usually backlit with a deep anxiety.

Powers and Abilities
Masika is a Paladin-class metahuman who had her gene 'activated' in late 2015. She had always been a strong woman, so at first she didn't notice much difference-- especially once her then-fiancé began slipping medication into her food in order to keep her powers subdued when he noticed that she was getting stronger, starting to withstand more abuse. Now that he is gone, and she is no longer medicated, she is beginning to struggle with the true realization of her full strength and has not quite put two and two together as of yet.

Strength 3 / Durability 3 / Stamina 1 / Speed -1

Skill: Intimidation

Equipment
Masika generally only carries her smartphone, wallet, and two sets of silver brass knuckles. Her wallet contains her ID, health insurance card, bank card, a folded and damaged photograph, and approximately $100 to $200 in cash at all times.

Relationships
Masika was with the same man from 2013 until January of 2021, and was married from 2016 until 2021. She is now divorced from her abusive ex husband who left her with crippling C-PTSD. This makes her have a hard time getting close to people in a romantic or sexual way, both emotionally and physically.