PowerTrip

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PowerTrip: The Vernik Brothers

Roar Comics

on July 9, 2010

Reginald Garrison Vernik and his little brother, Cicero Sidney Vernik.
Collectively known as Wedge and Sid.

Both the Verniks are powered.
Wedge has the ability to change the molecular density of himself and anyone/anything (of a certain size) he's holding on to. He can go from diamond hard to ghostly and intangible with a thought. With intense concentration, it is rumored that he can even turn invisible. He is the undisputed boss of his little brother (or so he believes). He's been bossing Sid around since they were toddlers. Wedge is a senior at Wendigo High, and Sid is a sophomore.
Wedge was once a target for a lot of the bully crowd, which is how he got his nickname. (Everyday for the entirety of freshman year, and half his sophomore year, he'd gotten held down and given a wedgie). The bitterness made him into somewhat of a bully himself after his powers manifested, but his favorite (and easiest) target was always his little brother, Sid. Make no mistake, Wedge loves his brother and does everything he can to look out for him. NOBODY picks on Sid, BUT Wedge. But, various hardships made Wedge a really hard guy to like.

Sid, on the other hand, is much more easygoing and friendly, if somewhat annoying. Especially to Eddie Essex.
Sid's powers just manifested this year, and what powers they are. Sid has the ability to duplicate other metahuman powers, although only one at a time. He has to touch his intended target. Notsomuch even skin to skin contact, just "get into their bubble", so to speak and touch them.
Sid LOVES his powers. Wedge, however, fears them. In his mind, Sid is too powerful to leave unchecked. That's why he bullies his little brother now more than ever, to keep him 'under control'. Wedge figures that if Sid had a brain (and/or a healthy dose of self esteem) he'd be very dangerous indeed. To himself, as well as others.
Sid has sampled many powers from the students of Wendigo High over the past few months, but, in what seems to be a rare flash of ingenuity and imagination, Sid believes that if he could duplicate Eddie Essex's self replication bit, that he could simultaneously have EVERY power. This thought scares the hell out of Wedge AND Eddie, thus, Eddie avoids Sid like the plague.

Everyone believes Sid to be a little slow, though he is not. He is so much smarter than anyone ever gives him credit for. Smart and PATIENT.
He loves his brother, but resents the way Wedge treats him. He resents the way everyone assumes that Wedge is "the brains" and that he is just some tagalong chimp sidekick who's incapable of thinking for himself.
Someday, he plans, he'll prove them all wrong. If he could only get his hands on Eddie Essex… or someone with the same powers.

Wedge has his own issues with Eddie Essex. Once upon a time, he and Eddie were friends, until Eddie stole his girlfriend, Rennee. Or, at least, that's how Wedge sees it. In truth, Rennee was just toying with Wedge to pass the time. She is a manipulative, spoiled girl who HATES to be alone, for reasons both psychological, and generated by the high school popularity food chain.
He has since harbored an intense hatred for our favorite self-replicator, as, no other girl in the school seems to be willing to give Wedge the time of day. He also bears a grudge against Rennee for dumping him in favor of Eddie.

So, when a certain genius rich boy who has his own issues with Eddie Essex recruited him and his little brother for a little revenge ploy, he was in…. Even if it meant working alongside the girl who had broken his heart. Wedge's "crowd" is now many of the very bullies that picked on him in freshman year. It's not that they suddenly think he's "cool", or anything, but, as many of them are 'Norms', they tend to fear his temper and invulnerable fists. Even the powered ones no longer mess with him.