Editing Echidna (section)

==History==
===Background===
Echidna is the codename of [[Noelle Meinhardt]], a member of the nomadic villain group known as the [[Travelers]], who were dimensionally displaced from [[Earth Aleph]] after being transported into [[Earth Bet]] during the [[The Simurgh|Simurgh]]'s attack on [[Madison]].

Noelle and the rest of her group found and drank several [[Cauldron vial]]s that they found in a briefcase, granting each of them powers. However, Noelle and [[Oliver]] split one of the vials, each of them drinking half. As a result, they received what are believed to be two halves of the same power - Oliver gained a power that adjusted his appearance to the local standard of attractiveness, and Noelle slowly became the monster that would later be known as Echidna.

Noelle was the main cause of the Travelers' nomadic lifestyle due to her occasional rage states and clones that resulted in dozens of deaths. They arrived in [[Brockton Bay]] after fleeing from [[Boston]], enticed by [[Coil]]'s promise to find a way to cure Noelle. Noelle was kept in a secure room underground in Coil's base, far away from other people, but could communicate via a microphone and loudspeaker installed in her room.

=== Post-[[Battle against Leviathan|Leviathan]] ===
When the [[Slaughterhouse Nine]] came to Brockton Bay, [[Crawler]]'s choice of nomination was Noelle, likely in hopes of finding a foe powerful enough to injure him. He visited Coil's base, to the vault where Noelle was being kept, but was unable to penetrate the thick metal doors due to Coil's foresight. After a period of frustration, Crawler eventually left.

===Post-[[Slaughterhouse Nine]]===
After the [[The Undersiders|Undersiders]] found out that Coil had [[Coil's Betrayal|betrayed]] them, the Undersiders managed to best Coil despite his best efforts. In the final standoff, Coil was killed by [[Taylor Hebert|Skitter]]. As his final act of spite, however, Coil made sure that Noelle heard his death over the phone. Her last hope of being cured gone, Noelle broke out of her cell and set out to kill the Undersiders for what they had done.<ref>We stopped when we reached Tattletale.  She stood facing the vault door.  The one that was used to seal Noelle within.<br><br>There were two vault doors, one set behind the other, and both were ruined, the one closest to us nearly folded in half, hanging by one hinge.<br><br>“A final act of spite,” Tattletale said.  She looked at the phone in her hand.  “He made sure she heard our conversation.” - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2013/01/05/monarch-16-13/ Excerpt] from [[Monarch 16.13]]</ref>

After escaping from her cell, Noelle tracked down and kidnapped [[Vista]], making multiple clones of her.<ref>[[Queen 18.3]]</ref> Accompanied by her clones of Vista, Noelle began a webcam call with the Brockton Bay [[The Protectorate|Protectorate]], lying about killing Vista and giving them an ultimatum of either killing the Undersiders or giving them to her. After the conversation, the PRT rated Noelle as an A-Class threat despite [[Tattletale]]'s efforts to persuade them to make it S-Class.<ref>[[Queen 18.4]]</ref>

Noelle then began rapidly moving across the city, facilitated by her Vista clones, in order to track down, capture, and clone [[Über]], [[Leet]], and [[Circus]]. She deployed several of her Vista clones across the city in order to distract and slow down the capes mobilizing against her.<ref name="18.5">[[Queen 18.5]]</ref> Eventually, she was confronted by [[Eidolon]], who tried to reason with her at first, likely promising to try to find a way to cure her. However, Noelle was aware that her mind was too far gone, rewired for aggression. She used one of her Vista clones to reveal an ambush against Eidolon, employing multiple clones of Über, Leet, and Circus.

===[[Battle against Echidna]]===
After Noelle was rated as a threat, a PRT member suggested the name "Echidna" for Noelle because he had a daughter with the same name and didn't want to associate the name with the monstrous equivalent. It is implied that this PRT member is the Earth Bet version of Noelle's father, as they share the last name Meinhardt.<ref name="Meinhardt">“Echidna?” Noelle asked.<br><br>“One of the PRT members coined it,” Eidolon said.  He was eyeing her minions warily.  “Said he had a three year old girl called Noelle, didn’t want to associate her with something like you.”<br><br>“What was his last name?”<br><br>Eidolon gave her a wary look.  “Meinhardt.” - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2013/02/16/interlude-18/ Excerpt] from [[Interlude 18]]</ref>

Echidna was finally killed by her former friend [[Sundancer]], who incinerated her and several capes still trapped inside of Echidna at the time.<ref name="19.7">[[Scourge 19.7]]</ref>