Real Name: Tanya Maski

Identity/Class: Human mutate

Occupation: Spy

Affiliations: MACH One; former agent of an Eastern Block country

Enemies: her former masters; Dr.Horowitz

Known Relatives: None known

Aliases: MACH Woman

Base of Operations: unidentified Eastern European country

First Appearance: 2000 A.D. Prog #36 (IPC, October 1977)

Powers/Abilities: Superhuman strength and speed. She had an inbuilt computer in her brain, created by surgery which implanted printed circuits in her skull. The computer would carry out threat assessments for her, and calculate the correct levels of power to use to deal with the target, the angles of attack she might need to employ, and so on. As she was at least as strong as John Probe, and apparently faster than him, we can base our estimation of her other abilities on those of MACH One: Probe's top running speed was 120m.p.h.; his stated "strength of 50 men" is unclear, but according to his computer lifting 6.32 tons requires 30% power, so presumably he could handle over ten tons at least. He was able to swim at more than 50 knots. Tanya should match these powers in every respect - the only area she was "inferior" to him was her computer, which was less advanced, which is why she eventually managed to override it's orders to her, allowing her to spare her assassination target (Probe) and defect.

Tanya's power levels would constantly build up, until she had too much energy burning inside of her, making her unable to relax for very long or sleep at all (MACH One also suffered from the same problem). She finally killed herself when she exceeded her maximum hyper strength by pushing a 70 ton tank at 30mph over Horowitz and his machines. This saved John Probe but at the expense of her own life.

History: ("M.A.C.H. Woman" Progs 36-39) In the 1970's Britain experimented with creating superhuman secret agents using a procedure known as Compu-Punctured Hyperpower (the most successful result being John Probe, aka MACH One). Around 1977 the process was stolen / leaked to an unnamed Eastern European country who then experimented to make their own agent, Tanya Maski, who they then sent after her British counterpart. Maski's powers were pitched higher than Probe's, meaning she was more liable to burn out than he was, but also making her faster than him. She nearly killed him, but her conscience intervened, and her inbuilt computer, less advanced than the one that regulated her British rival, was unable to stop her from defecting. The two agents headed back to Tanya's home country to put an end to their experiments in this area, where they encountered Dr Horowitz, the scientist in charge, who had not only enhanced Tanya, but had carried out the same procedure on a dog (the "Hyper Hound") and a large number of brainwashed children. While Probe fought the mind controlled children, Tanya destroyed the stolen compu-puncture tapes. But Probe was losing the battle as he couldn't bring himself to hurt the children and they were starting to overwhelm him by numbers alone. Tanya pushed a heavy tank into the side of the building containing Horowitz and the computers controlling the children. She destroyed both, but the strain burned her out, and she died in Probe's arms.

"Too late John...I'm burnt out...finished...remember, I said I missed my dreams - well I'll be able to dream for an eternity now"

Comments: Created by Alan Hebden, Lozano (Leopoldo Sanchez) and Marzal Canos.

CLARIFICATIONS: None.

Any Additions/Corrections? Please let me know.

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