her an electron shield of her own and a new costume which also included sculpted male anatomy, convincing her that he knew the secret of her gender. Death While she accepted his offer, her tenure was brief. Soon after joining them, the team was on a mission to the planet Xanthcar, where another member of the JLTF was being put on trial. The cramped space-fairing pod proved to be too much for the extremely claustrophobic Mystek, and, after over two days of travel, she panicked, blasting her way into open space. She soon suffocated and died. Powers and abilities Mystek could manipulate energy at a subatomic level, using quarks to form high-tolerance elastic, proactive matter. This hybridized state of matter was not pure energy, and therefore could pass harmlessly through an immaterial foe. She could use any electronic device as a window for this matter, allowing her a range of abilities, including flight. She was also able to use this matter offensively, in the form of energy blasts, and to read magnetic signatures. Notes Her real name has never been revealed, but parts of her name are Seong and Barclay. Mystek's sudden death was actually the result of behind the scenes workings. Created by Christopher Priest to be a creator-owned character starring in her own miniseries, Priest was told to put her in Justice League Task Force to generate hype for her in advance. When the plans for the miniseries fell through, Priest simply killed off the character. He commented thus on the Usenet Newsgroups: Forum: rec.arts.comics.dc.universe Subject: Re: MYSTEK: DON'T KILL HIM/HER OFF Date: 1996/01/17 Author: Priest <cll24j90@rmii.com> The decision to croak Mystek ws *mine*. I did not get a raw deal, DC is not evil. It was a comedy of errors. I should *not* have written Mystek into DC continuity in advance of their decision whether or not to acquire the character. This was my fault. Me. Mine. [T]here's still about 90% of backstory and depth you haven't seen. But DC evaluated the concept fairly, and decided it does not meet their current needs. ... I'd probably have a seizure if Mystek came back anytime soon. Part of the reason M was so flat for so long was my treading water while waiting for a decision. What *was* published isn't really enough for me to take out a second mortgage to buy [her] back. Mystek is ™ and