Quantum Vapor
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Real Identity: Not Applicable
Appearances (SS): Shock to the System, Junior, Pop's Girlfriend, Attack of the Living Brain Puppets, Flashback, Army of Darkness, Linked, and Power Outage
Powers/Skills: Ability Bestowal
Voiced By: Not Applicable
Quantum Vapor is a highly unstable substance with unpredictable mutagenic properties when exposed to living beings. In liquid form, it is highly concentrated and combustible. When the fumes are inhaled, DNA is altered through a mitochondrial resequence. It does appear that the less exposure, the more a person is able to conceal their ability and less likely to be transformed. The formula was developed by Alva Industries sometime in the 1990's. During the Dakota Gang Riots, in the late 1990's, Ebon broke into company headquarters and hijacked a tanker truck loaded with the Vapor. He planned to stage a controlled Big Bang at the Riots and create 100's more metahumans to join him. Static and Gear intervened and the truck rammed into a gas station. Timezone's power activated and the trio plus the truck were teleported to the present in the early 21st century. A hazmat team safely disposed of it.
The Quantum Vapor is stored at Alva Industries headquarters in a restricted area where only authorized personnel are allowed, High Security Vault Number 14, Hazardous Containment Area. Among those without higher clearance, the Vapor is referred to as Hazmat Gas. While Dakota City police officers attempted to neutralize the gangs with tear gas, several barrels of Quantum Vapor stored at the dockyard's Gate 10 were set off. The surrounding area was covered in a purple gas turning the gangs and anyone else nearby into metahumans. In order to cover up any evidence, Edwin Alva had all data on the mutagen formula and related shipping records deleted from company hard drives. This event came to be known as the Big Bang. The Mayor was privy to Alva's connection and slowed down the investigation with bureaucracy. Local newspapers chalked up the event as a government conspiracy.
An overdose often leads to serious to fatal results such as uncontrollable convulsions and skin melting. For the next several months, Edwin Alva Junior studied the Quantum Vapor in a bid to earn his father's respect. Frustrated with his father's lack of interest, Junior broke into the security vault and injected several modified samples of the Vapor into special bubbles. Upon exposure, he would receive a different superpower from each one. In the end, Junior overexposed himself to the gas form and was turned into a stone statue. Only after receiving a combined energy transfusion from Static and HotStreak years later did he revert to normal. Scientists, internal and external to Alva Industries, continued to study Quantum Vapor.
While the formula was being delivered in liquid form, it was stolen by two Dakota Union High School Students, Royce Axelrod and Frankie D'Amico. If it wasn't properly contained, it would turn to gas and result in double the mutations from the Big Bang. Axelrod believed he could sell the Vapor but succumbed to its effects. Static was able to compact several lockers around it and launch it into space with less than 24 hours left. Some exposed to Vapor had a delayed reaction from months to years such as Madelyn Spaulding, Richie Foley, and Nina Crocker. Foley was exposed when he met with Virgil Hawkins immediately after the Big Bang. Genomatech was eventually brought in by the government to engineer a cure to Quantum Vapor. Dr. Todd led the team and Aquamaria was the first test subject. It was believed that a low electric current was enough to reduce a subject's natural defenses and let the cure take hold.
After perfecting the cure, Todd introduced it to the entire city. However, Ebon gathered a crew and attacked Dr. Todd for his remaining samples of Quantum Vapor. He then planned on instigating another Big Bang at the decommissioned ship S.S. Cheng. The arrival of Static and Gear and HotStreak's temper led to the Vapor being released prematurely in Quaratine Hall. Static and Gear got their powers back but Ebon and HotStreak were overexposed and fused together into a giant monstrosity.