Vyking

Everson, together with his teammates, were later taken to the Biowar Zone Alpha (nicknamed "the Garden"), a specially designed facility, filled with traps, which would help the Morituri manifest their superhuman powers quickly, under extreme pressure. During the test, several members of the team almost died, in the process of facing the perils of the Garden. Everson pleaded their Commander, Beth Nion, to abort the test. After her refusal, Everson grew paranoid and began believing that Nion had been either bought or replaced by the Horde, and wanted them all to be killed inside the Garden. In his panic, he developed the ability to sense his fellow Morituri (a process he called "imaging"), as well as the ability to reroute any form of energy.

After trying to help his teammates escape their traps, in vain, he sensed the console room into which Commander Nion was giving orders, behind a wall panel of the Garden. Mad with rage, he broke through the wall panel and attacked Nion, battering her. However, the Morituri managed to come out of the test alive and their powers manifested. Everson was embarrassed for his outbreak and apologized to Nion. He then adopted the codename "Vyking", as a tribute to his father's Scandinavian roots.[2]

Vyking soon became the unofficial squad leader, thanks to his ability to give orders and form strategic plans. He also started growing closer to his teammate, Snapdragon. He also began recording his book in a recorder. In the team's first official mission, in Kramatorsk, Soviet Union, Vyking was initially paralyzed with fear, plagued by insecurities about his ability to lead. In the end, though, he pulled together and proved his leading skills, and the team triumphed.[3]

Later, the team, by now internationally famous, was invited in a party in New York City, where they met the actors that would portray them in an upcoming soap opera. On their way there, Vyking began experiencing surges of power, a possible sign of the Morituri effect approaching. Terrifed, Vyking managed to suppress it. In the party, Vyking met the actor that depicted him in the series, Greg Mattingly. Vyking again proved his leading skills, when the team battled some Hordians who crushed the party. Shortly afterwards, however, they suffered their first casualty, when Snapdragon died of the Morituri effect.[4]

Sometime later, the team went for some time off in Holowood (21st-century Hollywood). While in a private party, Vyking sensed some Hordians being in the area, an indication that his powers were developing. Vyking left his recorder in the party and led the team to a secret group of Hordians who were stealing famous films from the movie archives of Los Angeles. They soon deduced that the highest earthbound warlord of the Horde had ordered a nuclear strike on L.A. and these Hordians were stealing the movies to later sell them in the black market for profit. Under Vyking's guidance, the team commandeered their ship and decided to move to the Horde fleet in orbit and strike there. En route to the Horde fleet, however, the Morituri effect caught up with Vyking and he exploded in a flash of light.[5] His recorder was later given to new Morituri Commander, Yuri Pogorelich, to be listened to for possible valuable information.[6]