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Dagger possesses the superhuman ability to generate an unknown form of luminescence. It is not known why Simon Marshall's drug endowed Bowen and Tyrone Johnson with unusual powers rather than killing them as it did others. There is apparently some unknown biochemical factor in the bodies of Johnson and Bowen that is responsible for the effects that Marshal's drug had on them.

The "light" that Dagger generates is a manifestation of the life force that exists within all living beings. Hence, Dagger's light is actually a form of psionic energy, rather than being ordinary light, such as is created by the sun or by an electrical lamp. Dagger generates far more of this psionic "light" within herself than ordinary living beings do, and therefore she can employ this extra "light" for various uses without depriving herself of the life energy she needs to exist.

Dagger's "light" responds to her mental commands, both conscious and subconscious. She can, for example, will herself to project her daggers of "light," but she might also release the daggers instinctively on seeing someone in danger without consciously intending to do so. Dagger's control of her "light" is limited by her own degree of understanding of her power and her degree of experience in using it.

Dagger can project her "light" around herself as a glow surrounding her body. She can also project her "light" from her fingertips, usually in the form of six-inch long wedge-shaped projectiles of pure "light" which she calls her "daggers of light" or her "light-knives."

When these projectiles strike a human target, they cause a biophysical shock reaction to the victim's nervous system by depriving him of part of his own life energy, or "light." If the victim is in poor physical condition to begin with, or is struck with more than one of these "light-knives." he or she may die. Dagger can also, by an act of will, generate "light-knives" with which she can kill even a victim in good health by depriving him or her of all of his or her life energy. Otherwise she can use the "daggers of light" to remove only part of the victim's life energy, leaving him or her temporarily paralyzed, usually for about five minutes, depending on the victim's metabolism. While thus immobilized, the victim feels frozen and ill, and fears he or she is going to die.

The paralysis has an additional effect on the victim's mind. While immobilized, the victim will have a vision of what he would be like if he or she fulfilled his potential for "good" (Dagger herself associates what she defines as moral "goodness" with the life energy "light.") However, if the victim is an "evildoer" who is set in his or her "evil" ways, he or she will return to his previous ways upon recovering from his paralysis. A victim who is not so determined to be "evil" might be inspired by his or her vision to adopt a more "moral" way of life.

The life energy that Dagger's "light-knives" remove from her victims flows into Dagger herself, increasing her own supply of "light." At times her stores of "light" grow so large that they threaten to overwhelm the young woman. She will then use some of this "excess light" to feed Cloak's "hunger" for projecting life energy into the dimension of darkness to which he is linked. She will "feed" Cloak "light" whenever she feels he needs it and he will allow her to do so.

Dagger has a certain amount of control over her "light-knives" while they are in flight She can, for example, make them alter their trajectories in mid-flight. She can, use them to seek out and strike victims who are far away from her. The exact limits of her range are unknown, but are probably confined to within the borders of a city. The further that the "light-knives" travel from Dagger, and the longer they are away from her, the weaker they become. Dagger can renew the life energy of the "knives" by mentally commanding them to strike living beings.

Perhaps because of the emotional bend between Cloak and Dagger, she can use her "light-knives" to locate him over an even greater range than she can use "light-knives" to locate her victims. In using her daggers of light to locate Cloak, however, she is limited by the amount of light within her own body. Once, after expending a great deal of "light" using her powers to search Manhattan for him. Dagger nearly exhausted her life energy and almost died.

Dagger can also use her "light-knives" to cleanse people of various kinds of physical "impurities" which threaten to diminish these people's "light" or life energies, and hence may even threaten to kill them. Such "impurities" include poisons and addictive drugs. When Dagger uses her "light-knives" to cleanse a person of impurities, she does not draw life energy from him or her, as she does with her victims. Rather, she projects some of her own life energy into the person (just as she projects life energy "light" into Cloak's dimension of darkness) The "light" that Dagger gives the person gives him or her the strength to overcome the harmful effects of the "impurity.'' However, using her light to purge the "impurities" of others can impose a great physical strain on Dagger.

When Dagger's "light-knives" strike a non-living solid object, they sometimes ricochet and at other times disperse, perhaps depending on the angle and force of impact. They do not have any apparent physical effect on the object themselves. Although the "light" projectiles are called "daggers" and "knives," they do not have the same effects on living beings that ordinary knives do: in other words, the "light-knives" penetrate the skin without cutting it physically.

To judge by the conservative manner in which she employs them, there seems to be a limit on the number of "light-knives" that Dagger can generate within a given period of time.

Due to the great amount of life energy "light" that she generates, Dagger is the only person known to be able to travel within Cloak's dimension of darkness, apart, of course, for Cloak himself, without suffering any ill effects to the body or mind. If she accompanies others within the dimension of darkness, she can use her "light" to protect them as well, although even then the people traveling with her will see visions within the dimension that may terrify them.

The great amount of "light" within Dagger increases her physical agility and swiftness, although not to superhuman levels.

Cloak can "teleport" Dagger from place to place through his dimension of darkness. She herself has no power of teleportation.