Secret origins of Mona Mantle
(Restricted access to personnel with security clearance Umbra)
File number: 10131
Real name: Mona Mantle (maiden surname: Whipple) aka Trudie Wallace, Georgia Liddle, Melissa Monroe
Date of Birth: November 14, 1891, Miami Florida (age 50)
Marital status: Widowed (1929), husband Frank Mantle, no children
Race: White
Family: Parents deceased, brother Abel (location unknown)
Occupation: in prison for fraud
Political affiliation: unknown
Nationality: American
Education: High School diploma
Appearance: 5'3, thin, grey hair, tanned skin
Distinguishing marks: appears to be a sweet old lady, glasses
Criminal record: See attached documents, very extensive, repeat non-violent offender
Social Security number: (See attached personal identification documents)
Security clearance: none, very untrustworthy
Background:
Mrs. Mantle seems to have made her living by scamming money and property off a variety of victims, ranging from selling property that she did not possess to conning people to purchase fake artwork and jewelry. She has been apprehended fourteen times for these offenses, and has been in prison since 1937. It should be noted that she has never resorted to violence and uses her appearance as a sweet elderly lady (sometimes claiming to sell family jewelry for the benefit of non-existent grandchildren) to great advantage. Her earlier crimes involved blackmail or swindles, but no evidence of outright theft.
On May 18th, 1942, Mrs. Mantle and two other inmates of the Tampa Bay Correctional Facility for Women attempted escape by manipulating a guard, Mrs. Helen Johnson. The details of this escape are pending further investigation. Her companions were easily apprehended but Mrs. Mantle slid into a sewer and squeezed between bars spaced approximately 4 inches apart. She was recovered two days later, at a small bakery where she was trying to purchase bread using a counterfeit gold bracelet. Her new talents were made clear the following night when she almost escaped again by sliding through the bars of her cell and slipping through the grips of the guards attempting to apprehend her. Agent Price's team was sent to investigate and report on her abilities.
Abilities:
Mrs. Mantle appears to have two main abilities: the ability to manipulate her body, by elongating and thinning it, to squeeze through almost any opening (the limit appear to be approximately 3 inches across) and the ability to secrete an oily substance with enzymatic properties (it causes a burning or itching sensation on contact and makes her almost impossible to hold). She can also use this substance to skate along smooth surfaces at great speed. These secretions have been compared to those of slugs or snails, a comparison that Mrs. Mantle herself did not appreciate.
If she uses these talents for prolonged periods, she risks dehydration and must drink great quantities of fluids to replenish herself. While elongated, she has little muscle control and relies mostly on the slipperiness of her skin to move.
Psychological profile:
Mrs. Mantle is not to be trusted, being a deceptive and cold-hearted woman who manipulates others without remorse. She seems eager to learn more about her powers and appears to be a charming, kindly lady, but underneath this facade, is completely obsessed with money and manipulation. In a rare unguarded moment, she has expressed the belief that she is performing a public service by taking money from those who are unwise enough to trust her, as a valuable lesson. Our psychiatrist, Dr. Anton, believes that she has only been kept from violent acts by fear of being caught, and that these talents may grant her freedom from even that hindrance.
Current assignment:
Mrs. Mantle is currently contained in the high security division of the Tampa Bay Correctional Facility for Women, not only to prevent her from repeating her escape, but because she has gained the animosity of fellow prisoners by using her new talents against them. It is unlikely she will be useful in our current global struggles at this time.
Status updates:
(See attached documents)