Emma Aiden Teague was born on March 25th to parents William and Margaret. She grew up in the Polish neighborhood in Chicago, where her father was a police officer. Her mother quit her job as a preschool teacher to raise Emma; and later her sister Jessica Lynn who was born when Emma was five. Emma's father had been partners with Jim Gordon before he moved to Gotham and became police commissioner. He remained close with the family and sent Christmas cards with a nice letter every year, and Emma's mother continued to send him Christmas cookies each year. Though she never met him as a child, she heard stories from her parents and came to admire him.
Emma's first experience with death and illness came at an early age. Her parents did their best to shield her from the tragedy her father saw on a daily basis, but it made its way into her life. Her grandfather died when she was six. Shortly after, her sister fell ill. Jessica was in and out of the hospital for two years before doctors were able to cure her. During this time, Emma herself was suffering on and off from severe asthma. She was hospitalized multiple times. This lead to her fear and dislike of hospitals as a child. However as she got older she developed a healthy respect for them, but she still avoids them if at all possible. Her early personal experience with illness, and later meeting Avery, would inspire Emma as an adult when she started her nonprofit.
<p>By the time Emma was in first grade it was obvious to her mother that she was different from her peers. She had trouble with social interactions. She struggled to communicate and make friends, preferring to play alone or with her sister, who she was close to at that age. Though she had trouble understanding her peers and always remained somewhat aloof; it was also clear that Emma was more aware of the world around her, and of people’s emotions, than other kids her age. She may not have been able to judge from body language or facial expressions- she would later learn this was because of a learning disability- but she was more sensitive to emotions of those close to her.
<p>In addition to her social difficulties, Emma was also dealing with ADHD. Every sound around her was amplified. This would be further complicated in middle school when her meta-hearing began to develop. Due to her social difficulties and trouble with impulse control, Emma experienced a good deal of bullying and teasing in school. Her self esteem suffered greatly. Further adding to her insecurity was the fact that although she was highly intelligent, she had trouble expressing this in an academic setting. She was often frustrated by school. Despite this Emma has always genuinely loved learning.
<p>While Emma’s childhood had it’s downs, it also had many bright moments. She was active in her local Girl Scout troop, of which her mom was the leader. The girls in the troop were some of Emma’s only friends and she looked forward to meetings and troop outings. She found a safe haven at summer camp and still enjoys camping and outdoor adventures. She completed several group excursions in high school including water rafting and kayaking. Emma’s mother was very service oriented and made sure to expose Emma to various volunteer experiences. She went on to earn her Silver and Gold Awards for community service projects.
<p> Some of Emma’s best childhood memories revolved around the culture and atmosphere of Chicago. She loved Navy Pier and the little Polish bakery at the end of her block. The elderly couple that ran the bakery were like an aunt and uncle to Emma and she learned Polish fluently from them. She also picked up Spanish and Arabic from the children of the other police officers and her classmates.
<p>As much as she struggled with self esteem, Emma wasn’t a total doormat either. When she was 12 she decided she’d had enough of being bullied and feeling worthless. She signed up for Tae Kwon Do lessons at a local dojang. There she found a second family. She discovered that she was actually very talented at it and highly enjoyed it. Her confidence soar, just in time for her family to move.
<p> Right before Emma entered high school her father abruptly retired from the police force and moved the family to Central City for a new job. They settled into their new suburban home over the summer, with Emma starting at Central City High in the fall. Armed with her new found confidence she made a fresh start at her new school and began to flourish. She still struggled a bit with school work and was never the social butterfly her sister was. But she made friends and joined several clubs. She also continued to train in Tae Kwon Do, earning her first degree black belt as a senior. Emma also competed and medaled in various local tournaments. Emma met Wally West her sophomore year when he moved to Central City from Nebraska. He later introduced her to Avery Yu, who Emma came to see as a sister. He also introduced her to his friend Dick Grayson. The four remain best friends to this day.
<p>While Emma was thriving socially, she began to have other difficulties as her superpowers started to manifest. Certain powers made things slightly easier for her and helped her overcome some problems she’d always had, like her asthma. Others made things harder for her as she learned to adjust to and control them. All she had ever wanted was to be normal, and now she was anything but. At times it was impossible to hide her abilities, and Wally and Avery began to notice. Luckily the development was slow and the manifestations sporadic enough to avoid raising suspicion from all but those who spent the most time with her and knew her best.
<p>Her alien powers didn’t make things any easier with her family, either. Her mother accepted Emma’s new found differences. She took to researching and helping Emma learn to control her powers on her own. Meanwhile her relationship with her father was further strained. Certain abilities seemed to manifest mostly when Emma felt angry or threatened. This was not ideal as her and her father often thought . The fights frequently dissolved into intense yelling matches and ended with more than words flying. The move had been hard on both her parents. Neither of them handled the stress well and Emma’s powers put added strain on an already disintegrating marriage. William grew angry both at Emma for not being able to control her powers and his wife’s handling of them. Coupled with other disagreements over finances and such, her parents weren’t able to overcome their differences. They divorced when Emma was 18.
<p>At first Emma despised her powers. Once she realized there was no way to get rid of them she began to accept them. Wally and Avery helped her see them more as a gift that she could use to help people. So did the Kents after accidentally finding out about them. Emma fully embraced her powers after watching Flash and Kid Flash in action. She soon realized it wasn’t in her to ignore her new ability to help and save people. Shortly before she left for college Emma started to occasionally use her powers around Central City as an unnamed, unseen hero.
<p>After high school Emma enrolled in college in a small town where she majored in education. She continued to use her powers around town, becoming somewhat of an urban legend on campus. She was still an unnamed hero at this point. During her college years Emma kept up her friendship with Dick Grayson and they became more than friends. Her freshman year Emma suffered a severe car wreck. She survived when an alien masquerading as a human came to her aid. The consequences left her with a genetic mutation that enhanced her powers.
<p> After college Emma planned to move to Bludhaven with Dick. Before doing so she enrolled in a special school called Donatus Academy. She thought the school helped women with meta alien abilities learn to control their powers and use them to help people. Not until some time in did she learn the truth. A wealthy businessman named Julius King was really using Donatus Academy as a cover for his program to create living weapons.
<p>While under King’s control Emma underwent various experiments and tests designed to enhance her powers. The result of one of these experiments left her with electrokinesis; in addition to her telepathy and empathy, telekinesis, super speed, strength and endurance, and super senses. She also trained extensively in multiple martial arts and weapons.
<p>Through different events Batman and the Teen Titans eventually found out about the danger she was in. The Teen Titans raided the facility, saving the other girls there and shutting down King's operations. Emma took on King herself, not knowing he had planted a bomb. She used her powers to protect the Titans. After the chaos of the battle subsided, both Emma and Julius King disappeared. Her friends and family mourned her death.
<p>In reality, she had been found and saved by a lone hero. At his request traveled to Paris where she warned his girlfriend Lillian Grace de Sauveterre about dangerous information King had collected on her. While in Paris Emma became close friends with Lily, learning various telepathic techniques from her. Once her mystery savior assured her it was safe she returned home. After seeing her friends and family in Central City she headed to Gotham. After talking things over with Dick, she enrolled in a graduate program at Gotham University on a full Wayne Foundation scholarship. Over time she became close with Bruce and the rest of the family.
<p>Despite the trauma she suffered at Donauts, Emma still felt the need to use her powers for the greater good. She was mentored by Superman, working alongside him as the Defender. Eventually she started working on her own as the hero Lioness. As Lioness she worked with Nightwing helping to lead the Teen Titans for a brief time and occasionally still works with them. She also works closely with the Bat Family.
