Erin Pearce is a singer/songwriter and former member of the rock band "Venom Riot". After a botched surgery left her mute, she adopted the moniker of Decibelle, becoming a gun-for-hire for various criminal organizations.
History
Early Life and Education
Erin Rose Pearce had a relatively normal childhood, having been born and raised in suburban Wisconsin before moving to Michigan in 2012, where she would meet her future bandmate Joanna Jackson. After high school, she attended Maple Park College to pursue a degree in creative writing, though she would drop out after her first year, choosing instead to move to California to chase her dreams of being a musician.
Venom Riot
In 2017, shortly after moving to LA, Erin reconnected with Joanna through Erin's roommate, Alex DeMarco. Alongside Alex's younger brother Tobias and his friend James Morgan, the pair would form the punk rock band Venom Riot. The group took their name from the so-called "venom riots" that had occurred in LA in 2011, and primarily wrote and performed music with a firm anti-establishment and anti-law enforcement tone. The band saw mild success, including a months-long tour along the West Coast and neighboring states in 2020.
Diagnosis and Surgery
Following a show on November 3rd, 2020, Erin found herself struggling to speak clearly. Her voice was hoarse and weak, an issue which persisted into the following day. A trip to a local urgent care facility confirmed her band's worries: she had developed nodules on her vocal cords, impeding her ability to speak and perform. The remainder of the band's tour was cancelled to allow Erin time to recover, though weeks with no improvement required her to seek a more direct remedy.
On March 8th, 2021, Erin underwent surgery to remove the nodules. Unfortunately, during the operation, a fight between a pair of metahumans broke out in a nearby apartment complex. One of the metahumans involved had created a sizable explosion, and the resulting shockwaves caused the unprepared surgeon to severely damage her vocal cords. Attempts were made to undo the damage, though the incident left her completely unable to speak.
Following the surgery, she and her bandmates attempted unsuccessfully to sue the hospital and the doctors responsible for the loss of her voice. A judge dismissed the, arguing that the circumstances were so unlikely that a hospital could not be held liable for injuries caused during the incident. With her rendered unable to perform due to the loss of her voice, she departed from Venom Riot and left Los Angeles.
Mister Doe and The Forsaken
Following her departure from Venom Riot, Erin was approached by a man who referred to himself only as "Mister Doe". Doe had heard of what happened to Erin, and wanted to offer her a new chance at life. As part of the offer, he was willing to give her power to take her revenge on the people who left her unable to speak. Still furious over the pain she was forced to endure, she accepted his offer, joining the ranks of his organization known as The Forsaken.
As part of her employment, she received training and equipment to transform her into a dangerous warrior. She adopted the moniker of 'Decibelle', creating a sound-focused persona utilizing advanced sonic weaponry. Her primary weapons are a pair of sonic blasters, non-lethal weapons that fire concentrated bursts of sound capable of deafening targets at close or medium range.
