Flashback
(Sara Quinones)
Context
Flashback was a major character in Milestone Comics’ Blood Syndicate. This book was part of the Milestone launch in 1993.
Part of the Milestone brand was to have more super-heroes who aren’t wealthy White men. Thus, Blood Syndicate members gained their abilities due to an experimental gas used in the streets of a minorities-majority American city, Dakota. This type of superhuman is colloquially called “Bang Babies”.
Background
- Real Name: Sara Quinones.
- Marital Status: Single.
- Known Relatives: Carlos Quinones, Sr. (Father), Mr. Quinones (Uncle), Carlos Quinones, Jr. a.k.a. Fade (Father).
- Group Affiliation: The Blood Syndicate.
- Base Of Operations: Paris Island, Dakota City, midwestern US.
- Eyes: Brown Hair: Black
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Powers and Abilities
Flashback may “step back” three seconds in time, and relive those three seconds over again.
Furthermore :
- She can fly.
- She’s unusually agile and hard to hit.
- She’s an experienced thief.
History
Flashback is a Bang Baby. That is, a gang member who received superhuman powers in the wake of the Big Bang. The Big Bang was supposed to be a rumble between all of the major gangs of Paris Island to settle their turf wars, once and for all.
However, the Dakota City Police Department learned of the impending showdown and developed a special tear gas that also contained a radioactive marker. Their plan was to use the gas to break up the Big Bang and then trace the gang members down the next day by tracing the radioactive “tags.”
Instead, most of those exposed to the tear gas died. And the handful of surviving gang members that lived had all developed superhuman abilities.
One of the Bang Babies, Rolando Texador, took the name Tech-9 after his favorite type of pistol. He gathered his fellow survivors together with a proposal. Tech-9 wanted to form a new gang, the Blood Syndicate, with the aim of achieving substantive positive social change. They took over an abandoned door factory, which they simply dubbed The Factory.
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The gang’s all here
Operating from The Factory, the Blood Syndicate smashed crack houses throughout Paris Island, trying to rid the neighborhood of the dealers while taking the money captured in these operations to fund their activities.
In the course of their work they would acquire new members, and put an end to many threats in Paris Island. Flashback and her brother, Fade, were two of the founding members of the Syndicate.
During her time with the Blood Syndicate, Flashback struggled with an addiction to crack, worsened by the stresses of her work with the Syndicate. She also trapped herself in a self-destructive relationship with Holocaust, another Bang Baby and occasional rival of the Syndicate.
In the course of their work they would acquire new members, and put an end to many threats in Paris Island.
One of the Blood Syndicate’s greatest enemies was the Demon Fox. After numerous battles, the Blood Syndicate finally defeated the Demon Fox at the cost of Syndicate member Kwai’s life. After this final battle, the Blood Syndicate disbanded and went back to their separate lives.
Holocaust
In the wake of the original Syndicate’s disbanding, former Syndicate member-turned-criminal Holocaust began forming a new Blood Syndicate. This one was more sympathetic to his schemes. He recruited several villainous Bang Babies as well as some former members of the first Syndicate.
He then arranged a confrontation with Icon to remove that hero as an obstacle to his plans.
This became Holocaust’s ultimate undoing. Icon had brought Hardware, Static, and Rocket as backup. One of Holocaust’s new recruits was an undercover federal agent. And all of the members of the previous Syndicate who had joined had only done so to uncover Holocaust’s plots and partners.
With the rest of the original Blood Syndicate also arriving to support their friends, Holocaust’s crew was quickly subdued and taken into custody.
In a last ditch dominance play, Holocaust challenged Wise Son to a one-on-one duel for leadership of the Blood Syndicate. Wise Son agreed and capably battered Holocaust. Frustrated, Holocaust grappled Wise Son and pushed his powers to the limit. The conflagration consumed Holocaust, leaving naught but a skeleton behind, while leaving Wise Son unharmed.
Having earned the Blood Syndicate’s respect anew, Wise Son took leadership of the reformed team with a promise to focus on fighting for justice.
Milestone Forever
One result of the Final Crisis series was the integration of the Milestone Universe into the mainstream DCU. The cataclysmic events therein destroyed the universe in which Milestone took place but the powerful psychic Dharma was able to harness the power of Rift, the powerful being behind the original Milestone/DC crossover, to save his universe’s inhabitants.
The two realities have been merged as if they were always one, with Dharma altering “histories and memories of both, but only enough to smooth out any inconsistencies.”
The only people currently aware of the transition are Icon, Superman, and Dharma. Icon and Superman have agreed to keep the secret and help Dharma when necessary to complete the interweaving of realities.
This process was hindered by Starbreaker’s attempt to steal Dharma’s powers and is thus on-going. Dharma stated that it would be months, if not years, before it was complete (this was likely also a metatextual statement on the incorporation of the Milestone characters into DC Comics’ mainstream titles).
As of this writing (February 2010) it is unclear what alterations to the Blood Syndicate’s history may have occurred as a result of the merging.
Description
Flashback is a beautiful young Hispanic woman with dark skin. Her costume consists of a pink bodysuit accessorized with a padded vest, boots and gloves, all in purple. Her civilian attire usually incorporates the same colors.
The first picture is a rather early Flashback ; on the second one she’s a bit older.
Personality
Sara is a very caring person who wants to see others live well. She cares deeply for her brother but chafes under his over-protectiveness.
She engages in extreme behavior at times while out partying to escape the stresses of her life ; it was this habit that led to her addiction to crack.
Quotes
“You don’t have to live like an animal anymore. You’re better than that.”
“Why you gotta talk to me like that ? You know I’m trying not to use. Why you gotta hurt me all the time ?”
DC Universe History
The Big Bang and the Blood Syndicate can dropped into any urban area where gang activity plays a major role. Flashback and her brother Fade could be encountered individually, perhaps as metahumans who acquired their powers during one of DC’s numerous temporal disturbances (The Crisis, Zero Hour, the upcoming Crisis in Hypertime, etc.).
Game Stats — DC Heroes RPG
Tell me more about the game stats
Flashback
| Dex: 04 | Str: 03 | Bod: 05 | Motivation: Thrill of Adventure |
| Int: 05 | Wil: 04 | Min: 04 | Occupation: Gang Member |
| Inf: 04 | Aur: 05 | Spi: 03 | Resources {or Wealth}: 006 |
| Init: 014 | HP: 045 |
Powers:
Flight: 07, Time Travel: 01
Bonuses and Limitations:
- Using Time Travel to “flashback” cancels out the current Phase of combat, including any damage Flashback has suffered, though Flashback retains her memory of what had occurred/will occur. This means that current Phase starts again, with Flashback automatically winning initiative when the phase restarts because of Sara’s flashback ability (+5FC).
- Time Travel can only be used to “flashback” to the start of the current phase of combat (0 APs) (-1FC).
- Flashback must say the word “Flashback!” aloud to trigger this effect, though it doesn’t have to be clearly verbalized — she once gurgled “Flszbkk!” when her throat was slit, which was sufficient to trigger the flashback effect (-0FC).
- Use of Time Travel is Mentally Fatiguing ; every use of Time Travel is treated as being 2 APs for this purpose (-3FC).
- Time Travel has an R#3, which is rolled during each use. Failure means Flashback is too shaken or surprised to use the Time Travel for the current phase (-1FC).
Skills:
Artist (Dancer): 07, Thief: 07
Advantages:
Area Knowledge (Paris Island), Attractive, Expansive headquarters (The Factory, though the Blood Syndicate may have a new base of operations after its disbanding and subsequent reformation), Language (Español).
Connections:
Fade (High), Holocaust (Low, up until Holocaust’s death), Blood Syndicate (High).
Drawbacks:
Mistrust, MIA (Crack cocaine, was an SIA before Sara’s recent concerted attempts to overcome her addiction).
Source of Character: Milestone Imprint, DC Comics.
Helper(s): David J Oakes, Jackson, the Milestone Rave (defunct).