Lai and her twin brother, Ba Thein, were hunted down by the Laotian government after neighbours in their village informed on them. The twins had exhibited uberhuman powers during their early adolescence, and although the other villagers were initially tolerant, after an argument with a disgruntled farmer, the Inthavongs were betrayed. The Laotian government were ruthless when it came to uberhumans and death squads were common. A group of soldiers ambushed the Inthavong family on their way to a neighbouring village. Lai's mother and sister were killed immediately in the gunfire, but her father and twin brother survived and the three of them fled into the mountains.

Lai was always the introspective one of the twins and while she was in hiding she noticed how her father spent more and more time with Ba Thein. Her uber powers were also very limited while Ba Thein's were more impressive. At fifteen he was able to lift an ox over his head and had never been sick in his life. Lai, on the other hand, was able to make small breezes which she used to play the khaen. It soothed her father and brother but didn't bring any more attention.

The family survived for another few months before being caught by the government soldiers. Ba Thein was captured and taken to the capital, Vientiane. Lai and her father escaped again but news carried quickly from the capital and they heard that Ba Thein had been executed. Lai's father never recovered. She began to take care of him, gaining reserves of strength as she fought the elements and the occasional band of soldiers while surviving in the wilderness.

During the next two years Lai's father died, although the cause is not known and Lai never talks about it except in the broadest of terms. She joined with the martial arts trainer, Kha-Nyou, and the two of them organised a kind of underground railway to spirit fugitive uberhumans and other refugees out of the country.

At seventeen years old, Lai is still relatively optimistic about her future and that of her country, but she has seen some terrible things and is never able to stay in one place for very long. The government is determined to hunt her down and destroy her.

Lai is an orphan who was found herself growing up in a war zone. As an uber in Laos she is considered to be Public Enemy Number One, and in the past two and a half years she has had virtually no rest and is constantly fighting to stay alive. Her outward demeanour is still bright, however, and she will always put others' safety before her own - something which has led to her widespread popularity despite the government's propaganda campaign against her.

She works well with Kha-Nyou, although she is not particularly interested in the philosophy he has so completely embraced. She is intelligent and open-minded, and this sometimes leads her to become slightly frustrated with her lot in life. She has been tempted to flee across the border on many occasions, but something always stops her.

A part of her knows that her future is tied with the future of her country. If she left she would be condemning her homeland to despair.

"This should put the wind up them, and maybe give us a chance to get across that border."

Khaen is a low-level aerokinetic, able to manipulate the air around her for limited effects. The first manifestation of her power enabled her to play the khaen pipes without even blowing, and it is a skill she still wields whenever she can. She has expanded her powers to include limited flight, small hard-air shields and focussed air blasts.

However, it is her survival instincts which have kept her alive for so long in such a dangerous country. She is an accomplished hand to hand combatant, thanks in great part to the training of Kha-Nyou.

Lai Inthavong is a short, bright eyed young woman. She has beautiful eyes which still retain innocence despite the horrors she has been forced to witness or participate in. She keeps her shoulder-length hair in piggy tails and generally wears a singlet and shorts, with bare feet. She wears steel bracelets on her right wrist which she has used to deflect bullets (although she is hesitant to risk being hit and only uses them when she has no other options). She carries a three and a half foot long khaen pipe on her back. The khaen is her only real possession and she treats it with respect, although she has had to use it to beat back soldiers from time to time.