The children’s father, Dr. James Power, sought a new means of deriving large quantities of energy inexpensively for peaceful purposes. He discovered a method of converting matter to antimatter without impractically large expenditures of energy. Dr, Power designed a machine that could open a small portal into another universe with different scientific laws from our own. The machine could then project a small amount of matter, held within a magnetic force field, into the other universe, where, through unknown processes, the charge and spin of the matter’s atoms would be changed, causing the matter to become antimatter. The machine would then withdraw the antimatter back into Power’s own universe, where he would remove the magnetic field, allowing the antimatter to contact matter under controlled conditions. Matter and antimatter annihilate each other upon contact, each being entirely converted into vast amounts of energy. Dr. Power called his machine, which was built under a government grant, a “matter/antimatter converter.”

Dr. Power’s discovery came to the attention of Aelfyre Whitemane, who went by the nickname “Whitey,” and who was a Kymellian, a member of a non-humanoid alien race that lived elsewhere in the Milky Way Galaxy. Whitey was a scientist whose field was the study of alien races, and his first assignment was the observation of Earth’s humans. He carried out this assignment by monitoring Earth communications transmissions and by tapping into Earth computers from his sentient starship, called a “smartship.” Both Whitey and his smartship developed a deep affection for humanity through studying Earth’s literature; indeed, the smartship named itself “Friday” after a character in Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe.

Upon learning of Dr. Power’s discovery through monitoring Earth computers, Whitey determined to do what he could to prevent its being used. In ages past the Kymellians had discovered the same process, but they tested it without realizing that they had not yet mastered all of the physics the process involved. As a result, they had unwittingly set off a chain reaction that destroyed their planet. However, there were still many Kymellians living on space stations and on planets they had colonized, so the race continued to survive. The Kymellians have since completely mastered this mater/antimatter conversion process, which is their main source of energy, but because of its dangers and destructive potential, they keep the process a closely guarded secret from other races. Whitey feared that the testing of Dr. Power’s matter/antimatter conversion might similarly destroy Earth, and he sent a message to the Kymellians telling them of Power’s discovery and asking permission to warn Power of the conversion process’s dangers despite Kymellian laws against interference with alien races.

The message was intercepted by the Z’nrx, a reptilian race from another galaxy whom Whitey called “snarks” after the monster in Lewis Carroll’s The Hunting of the Snark. The Snarks intended to use the matter/anti-matter conversion process as a weapon for conquering their own galaxy. Therefore, they jammed Whitey’s message, preventing it from reaching the Kymellians, and shot down Whitey’s smartship. The Snarks thought they had destroyed it, but actually they had only damaged the smartship, and it landed on Earth near Dr. Power’s home. The Snarks then kidnapped Dr. Power and his wife Margaret, intending to force them to reveal the formula for the matter/anti-matter conversion process.

Dr. Power’s four children found Whitey’s smartship, and two of them, Alex and Katie, met Whitey himself. Aelfyre Whitemane was a Kymellian “sorcerer.” He did not have any actual magical abilities, but all Kymellians are born with the potential for absorbing and projecting energy, for altering the molecular density of matter, for moving themselves at superhuman speed either through teleportation or flight, and for varying or reversing gravitational attraction. Whitey could exercise these powers to certain extents, but he had devoted his past life to science and therefore had not spent the years of continual training necessary for fully developing his powers. Whitey used his powers to rescue the other two children, Jack and Julie, from the Snarks, but in the process of doing so, Whitey was wounded by a blast from a Snark laser gun. Whitey took the children back to his smartship.

Alex told Whitey that Dr. Power’s lab intended to test the matter/anti-matter conversion the very next day. Later that night, the Snarks captured the smartship in a tractor beam. Whitey, who was dying from his wound, decided that there might be only one way now to prevent Earth’s destruction. A Kymellian can transfer his powers to another Kymellian. Whitey realized that Earth humans have highly adaptable structures capable of acquiring superhuman powers. Therefore, Whitey decided to try to divide his powers among the four children, so that they could escape the Snarks and stop the convertor from being activated. Aelfyre Whitemane initiated the transfer of power to the children and then died, vanishing from sight. The children soon discovered that they each now had one of Whitey’s superhuman powers, although the powers did not function in exactly the same way that they had for Whitey. Using their powers and their wits, the Power children escaped the Snarks, destroyed the converter, and rescued their parents. Alex called the four children the Power Pack.

The Power Pack are too young to act as professional adventurers, but they continue to have exploits requiring the use of their superhuman powers when the occasions arise.

Alex took the name “Gee” because of his power over gravity (“G-power”). Jack called himself “Mass-Master” because he could take gaseous form or compress his mass so as to become tiny. Julie called herself “Lightspeed” because she could fly fast, leaving a trail of colored light behind her. Katie became the “Energizer:’ because of her ability to store energy and fire it from her body.

Later, Franklin Richards, the son of Reed and Susan Richards of the Fantastic Four, became a member of the Power Pack without his parents’ knowledge. Franklin took the name “Tattletale” because he can foresee possible future events through visions he experiences. Kofi, a young Kymellian related to Whitey, became the ally of Power Pack, and is an unofficial member of their team.

Recently, the superhuman abilities of the Power children were transferred into the “super-Snark” Jakal by Snark technology. Jakal smashed the transfer machine and lost the powers, which returned to the Power children. However, now Alex possesses Katie’s Energizer power, Jack has Alex’s Gee power, Julie has Jack’s Mass-Master powers, and Katie has Julie’s Lightspeed power. As yet none of the children has regained his or her original superhuman abilities.