Current appearance
Former appearance (Columbia)
Born in early 1983, Lucy Morgan lived a fairly unremarkable life through most of her adolescence, never making waves as she grew up in Chesapeake, Virginia. Soon after her high school graduation, however, Cerebron attacked, with drones killing her father and several of her friends. Previously uncertain of what she wanted to do with her life, Lucy enlisted in the Navy in the hope that she could help make a difference in the world. Trained as a hospital corpsman, she was assigned to Norfolk Naval Station.
Less than a year into her posting, Hospitalman Apprentice Morgan happened to be in the blast radius when an experimental weapon exploded inside one of the hangars at Chambers Field, killing several people but leaving her empowered with the ability to project energy beams of the same type as the weapon. When she also demonstrated other powers, Lucy was quickly snatched up to serve as a last-minute addition to the United Superheroes of America. She was intended to serve as the team's official medic, with her energy projection powers used as a backup. Pleased to have the chance to make some good come out of a pair of unfortunate events, Lucy also agreed to use the identity of Columbia, dressed up like the Statue of Liberty come to life.
Aside from her dislike for this costume, Lucy's biggest problem was the increased public attention that she received as a member of the official superheroes of the Department of Defense. While scrupulously living within the 'Don't Talk, Won't Ask' policy that had been in place since the 1980s, she lived under the constant threat of exposure for her homosexuality. It was an extremely uncomfortable situation, and she let out a sigh of relief when the policy was finally dismantled in 2005, with gays, lesbians and bisexuals now permitted to serve openly.
Unfortunately, her relief came a bit too soon. In a private meeting with the Colonel supervising the United Superheroes, she was told in no uncertain terms that she was expected to remain in the closet for the duration of her service with the team. When she protested that this was not a legal order, it was clarified that it wasn't an order, merely the fact that, if she came out, she would be reassigned away from her current position. As she still believed, then, that the United Superheroes were doing good, she chose to swallow her pride and continue serving in silence.
She put it up with it for nearly two more years, until the team was finally disbanded. It honestly came as something of a relief, but the higher-ups continued to mess with her. Rather than reassigning her to continue serving as a hospital corpsman, she was expected to become a living artillery piece on a ship! Lucy had finally had enough, and ended her service with a dishonorable discharge. Thoroughly sick of the East Coast, she decamped for the West, specifically for San Francisco.
Over the next three years, she made a new career for herself as a private investigator, now going by the alias Rainbow and frequently working for one of the city's larger law firms. Then the American Angel contacted her about signing up with the new Heroic Enterprises organization he was establishing. Lucy proceeded to laugh in his face, told him exactly what she thought of his style of leadership and general character, and indicated that she had exactly zero interest in ever working for or with him again.
That set the tone of her interactions with other members of Heroic Enterprises for the duration of their stay in San Francisco. (It got even worse after, in her biased opinion, Dore's idiocy killed the one member of his team whom she sort of respected, fellow Navy veteran Monitor.) Fiercely independent, Rainbow has also none-too-politely refused an offer of membership from the Powerhouse, preferring to work alone. After the incident with the bridge, she has officially become San Francisco's semi-official heroic defender, occasionally putting her in a position where she ends up working with Montana -- an association that neither of them likes very much. (She has her suspicions about the other superpower, but honestly just thinks that Harmon is just a good-old-fashioned homophobic and racist jerk.)
Rainbow -- PL 10
Abilities:
STR 1 | STA 2 | AGL 4 | DEX 3 | FGT 3 | INT 1 | AWE 2 | PRE 3
Powers:
Boosted Leap: Leaping 6 (500 feet) - 6 points
Energy Beam: Array (20 points)
- Direct Blast: Ranged Damage 10 - 20 points
- Lance: Line Area Damage 10 - 1 point
- Wide Angle: Cone Area Damage 10 - 1 point
Advantages:
All-out Attack, Contacts, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Improved Initiative, Move-by Attack, Power Attack, Set-up, Teamwork.
Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+10), Athletics 8 (+9), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+7), Deception 5 (+8), Expertise: Civics 7 (+8), Expertise: Military 6 (+7), Insight 7 (+9), Intimidation 5 (+8), Investigation 6 (+7), Perception 5 (+7), Ranged Combat: Energy Blast 7 (+10), Treatment 6 (+7).
Offense:
Initiative +8
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 1 and Reaction Damage 5)
Direct Blast +10 (Ranged Damage 10)
Lance -- (Line Area Damage 10)
Wide Angle -- (Cone Area Damage 10)
Defense:
Dodge 9, Parry 7, Fortitude 5, Toughness 11/7/2, Will 6
Totals:
Abilities 38 + Powers 67 + Advantages 10 + Skills 36 + Defenses 16 = 167 points
Offensive PL: 10
Defensive PL: 10
Resistance PL: 6
Skill PL: 5
Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Fame. Out and Proud. Temper.
Note: As Columbia, she was PL 9; reduce her INT and PRE by 1 each, drop Boosted Leap, reduce Defensive Roll to 1 rank, drop Contacts and Improved Initiative, reduce Acrobatics to 2 ranks, Close Combat: Unarmed to 2 ranks, Expertise: Civics to 5 ranks, Insight to 5 ranks, Investigation to 3 ranks, and Ranged Combat: Energy Blast to 5 ranks. She also had the complication Secret (guess) instead of Out and Proud.