PROFILE - MORRY ROANOKE
"Very well. Keep your commander.
You will pay for it with your silence."
Maiden Name: Morry Tremaine
Status: Prodigy
Skill: Level Two Telekinesis
Age: 46
Birthplace: London Core
Raised in: Sandcross Division
Accent: British, formal and polished
Physical Characteristics: slender, 5-foot-9, long brown hair, light brown eyes
Personality: sophisticated, intelligent, ambitious, self-absorbed, doesn't get mad (gets even)
MOTHER
Morry Roanoke is accustomed to getting her way. Raised in the mediocre Sandcross division of the London Core, her adolescence tainted by the ongoing war raging between the Houses, she might have been considered an ordinary prodigy—if not for her rare and coveted telekinesis skill. Combined with her beauty, grace, and intelligence, her prodigy status lifted her above the ranks of middle class, giving her opportunities others could only dream about.
Including an arranged betrothal to Fenneus Roanoke. Everyone knew he carried the recessive gene for telekinesis, and—eager for grandchildren who might vault them to fame—Morry's parents took matters into their own hands. Though he wasn't her first choice, Morry readily accepted the proposition. She'd been using her DNA as leverage for years, and the opportunity to marry an elite was too good to pass up. As a gifted surgeon, Fenn's wife, and the future mother of powerful children, she assumed her climb up the ladder of success would be easy.
Her body's inability to conceive proved otherwise. After several miscarriages, Morry had almost given up on motherhood when a new and somewhat radical procedure allowed her to carry a baby to term. She clung desperately to hope for her future, and when the House of Tiernam used her pregnancy to broker for peace, it seemed that future was finally within her grasp. But as rebel forces gathered to protest the Roanoke-Tiernam merger, Morry found herself—and her unborn child—in grave danger. She vowed to do whatever was necessary to protect the infant who would ensure their status and keep peace in the Core.
Sixteen years later, in Gambit, she's not sure if she made the right choice. Sending her birth daughter to the Outlying Lands and secretly raising another woman's child as her own wasn't ideal . . . especially after the man who took her baby failed to report its whereabouts. She has no clue if her flesh-and-blood infant survived. And when her alleged daughter Morrigan comes out of the Surge with no skill, Morry seriously begins to doubt her plan. She's always gotten what she wanted. Perhaps, this time, she's paid too high a price.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Commander Reece reports back that her long-lost daughter is alive and well. Ecstatic that her plan is still a go, Morry eagerly awaits Willow's return to the Core. But reuniting with the second-phase prodigy who will elevate her position doesn't go as smoothly as she'd hoped. The girl is stubborn and proud (a complete opposite of the meek, submissive Morrigan) and doesn't listen to anyone. Worse, she seems to have bonded closely with Reece, a man who has never failed their House . . . but whom Morry had considerable doubts about hiring.
But nothing will stop her from getting her way. She's spent years working toward this goal, hardening her heart in order to carry out vicious crimes and then cover them up with currency and shady alliances. No one knows what she's been through. Shouldering that burden alone, she throws all her manipulative energy into showing Willow who's boss. And when the girl tries to blackmail her, Morry knows this is only the beginning of the game. She's been playing it for years, and she's good at it. She won't let anyone stop her from getting what she deserves.
End of discussion.
SCHEMER
Countermoves are crucial, and Mimic quickly reveals that Morry knows how to make them. She doesn't waste any time turning the tables on Willow's threat. From her perspective, hiring Commander Kristoffe to oversee Roanoke security is her best option. He's well known for dealing with problematic behavior. And not only will he keep Willow in line, he'll also be there to prevent Reece from turning into the problem she's long suspected he might become.
Her biggest concern is whether Willow will survive it. The headstrong girl fights everyone and doesn't take kindly to Commander Kristoffe's new rules—or his harsh methods of making certain they're followed. She knows she's taking a risk. But after running diagnostics to determine her daughter's DNA frequency, Morry realizes that obedience is more important than ever. Without the merger, there will be war, and if Willow is as evolved as the evidence suggests, the House of Roanoke could crumble instead of rising to the heights she's aspiring to attain.
Morry is no fool. She knows there's a balance to be struck, and her chances of winning Willow's affection are slim. She's also aware of the tension between the commanders and her daughter's blossoming faith in Reece. With cautious scrutiny, she allows the situation to play itself out, carefully weighing her choices and taking advantage of every situation. She's put her trust in Commander Kristoffe. But in the end, she will make the move that best serves herself.
SURVIVOR
War changes people. When push comes to shove and sacrifices have to be made, a person's true character emerges. Gambit made it clear that Morry's greatest desire is for status. Not fully understanding her background, it would be easy to assume that her selfish ways make her more of an opponent than a mother. And in Mimic, she's still working things to her advantage. The icy layer around her heart has yet to be thawed.
But there's more to this mother-daughter bond than meets the eye. Morry and Willow are quite similar, each growing up under difficult circumstances, each using their obvious assets as a means to survive. Neither realizes that these similarities are the very things causing them to clash. Underneath it all, Morry does care about Willow. Her strongly ingrained instinct to rise above her circumstances just overshadows it. Can she ever truly change?
Only time will tell.
Image Credit: Blue Sky Design
