History
Inferno Babies[]
Shauna was one of the Inferno Babies used to open portals to Limbo and taken by Project Purgatory. Using information from Cameron Hodge, Ten mutant children were kidnapped, by N'astirh's N'asteris, during the Inferno. The infants arrived in a cemetery, where the demon N'astirh was attempting to create a permanent portal open between the demon infested dimension of Limbo and Earth. The infants were teleported to Times Square, where the New Mutant, Magik, was opening a portal to return her teammates from Limbo and N'astirh, using the babies as the points of an inverted pentagram (focusing beams of power because of their purity and openness to use them as natural, living conduits who could not block the flow of power and who would not know how to shut it off), kept the portal open. N'astirh attempted to used them, and baby Christopher Summers, who later grew-up to become Cable, to open a portal from Limbo to Earth and was partially successful in merging the two realms. The X-Terminators and the New Mutants saved the children.[1][2]
After the defeat of N'astirh, the Goblin Queen attempted to sacrifice baby Christopher and the other nine mutant babies atop the Empire State Building to finish N'astirh's work and permanently open a gateway between Earth and Limbo. The invasion was thwarted after the Goblin Queen committed suicide in combat with Marvel Girl, attempting to kill everyone in her power. After the X-Terminators and New Mutants took the babies to X-Factor's Celestial Ship, X-Factor turned the babies over to the US government, while being attacked by Nanny and Orphan-Maker.[3]
Project Purgatory[]
For many years the fate of children remained unknown. Following the Inferno, the United States Army founded Project Purgatory to research the fields of the supernatural and paranormal. One of the recruited scientists, Doctor Noc, developed technology to use the children to open portals to Limbo. General Ulysses, Doctor Noc, and a trained band of military soldiers established a military base in Limbo, the Hatchery. At the base, they continued to experiment, both on demons and on the Inferno babies, and train new soldiers. However, when the soldiers recovered the Bloodstone amulet, the base was attacked by Witchfire and the Inferno babies were believed dead. The Earth based military forces sealed off the portal Epsilon, leaving those on the Limbo base stranded to find the observation portal with virtually no hope of escape.[4]
After 26 years in Limbo, but only 4 years on Earth, Noc and Ulysses were able to locate a traveling portal and return home, keeping the existence of the children to themselves. However, they never gave up their mission of taking control of Limbo and capturing Illyana Rasputin. They returned to a world where all of the mutants were living together, on Utopia. and, therefore, their commanding officer, General Combest, ordered them to stand-down. The unit still believed that Illyana was a significant threat and, after Project Purgatory kidnapped Pixie, the Inferno Babies revealed themselves when they killed General Combest and obliterated the entire battalion. The New Mutants showed to rescue Pixie and the Inferno Babies defeated them. After Dr. Noc and General Ulysses took Illyana's Soulsword and Pixie's Souldagger, they extracted the Bloodstones and completed the Bloodstone Amulet to call forth the Elder Gods. They, along with members of Project Purgatory, tortured the New Mutants. Once they returned to Limbo, the Demons Three asked them to turn over the Bloodstone Amulet and General Ulysses had them beg for mercy, then killed. After releasing the Elder Gods, General Ulysses was killed attempting to control them and the group fought against a demon horde. While fighting, Shauna's whereabouts were unknown.[5]Attributes
Powers
Physical/Mental Paralysis: With a single touch, Shauna can place a victim in a state of temporary physical or mental paralysis. The mental paralysis resembles being placed under a heavy sedative, while the physical paralysis renders the victim unable to control his or her muscles. The paralysis will eventually wear off and must occasionally be reapplied.[6]
Cephalopod Limbs: Another Mutation caused by her power is the fact that her arms seemingly grew the same suction cup suckers of an octopus tentacle that seemingly serves as the primary way she administers her paralyzing agent into her victim by having her suckers make contact with their bodies. This mutation has also seemingly caused her fingers to merge together and also seemingly cause suckers to also grow out of her legs.[6]