| K.C. Strange | |
| Biographical Information | |
| Aliases | K.C. Strange |
| Gender | Female |
| Class | Nat |
| Wild Card Traits | Jumper |
| Social Information | |
| Citizenship | Citizen of the United States, deceased |
| Base of Operations | The Rox |
| Affiliations | Jumpers, the Rox |
| Allies | Blaise Andrieux, David Butler, Molly Bolt, Bodysnatcher |
| Origin | |
| First Appearance | Jokertown Shuffle |
| Final Appearance | Jokertown Shuffle |
| Creator | Victor Milán |
K.C. Strange is a fictional character from the Wild Cards series of books.
History[]
K.C. had lived on the streets since she was twelve and alluded to formerly being kept in foster care facilities. Unlike other jumpers, K.C. is no aimless street thug with special powers. She is a wannabe revolutionary and, along with Mark Meadows, hates the "combine" with a passion.
K.C. met the fugitive ace shortly after Meadows lost custody of his daughter Sprout and evaded subsequent arrest with the help of his "friend" Cosmic Traveler. Meadows had come to the Rox in search of refuge and the drugs necessary to recreate the powders that summon his friends. K.C. happened upon Meadows as he was being brutally beaten by a gang of jokers who mistook him for a nat. Using her jumper abilities to scramble the minds of Meadows's assailants, K.C befriended the much older man.
K.C. quickly fell in love with Mark Meadows and helped him rescue Sprout when she was taken to Reeves Diagnostic and Development Institute in Brooklyn. The whole situation was a set-up by Blaise Jeannot Andrieux in order to kill Mark. Instead, K.C. was shot by Blaise, and died a short time after the rescue.
Wild Card Traits[]
K.C is a Jumper. The "jumper" power is an infused power, gained by having sexual relations with the ace, Edward St. John "Loophole" Latham. Once infused, a jumper gains the ability to swap minds with a victim, essentially stealing their body for a time. A jumper must be able to see a subject in order to switch bodies. The jump is indefinite unless reversed by another jumper. Jumpers can even do three-way jumps to switch the minds of two non-jumpers (jumping the first person, then the second, then jumping back to their own body, putting the first person’s mind into the second person's body).
When they jump an ace, they generally get the ace's powers, both physical and mental. Jumper victims often spend the duration of the jump in a catatonic state due to trauma and mental strain caused by the jump itself, but some retain consciousness in the borrowed body.
Appearance[]
K.C. Strange is a pretty teenage girl with short, punky, multi-coloured hair. She is typically dressed in an old bomber jacket and leather pants.
Personality[]
K.C. is notable for being the only jumper in possession of a conscience, allowing herself to die rather than switching places with an innocent person. This does not make her a hero however. She could justify many reprehensible acts to herself in the name of fighting the "combine," a phrase lifted from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Just prior to her involvement with Mark Meadows, K.C. was in a casual sex relationship with Blaise and well aware that her fellow jumper had raped and imprisoned Dr. Tachyon after jumping him into a female body.