ABERRANTS NPC COMPENDIUM

Aberrants (Mutant X, Etc.).......................................................................................................................4 Bennet, Claire....................................................................................................................................4 Bennet, Noah.....................................................................................................................................7 Black, Frank.....................................................................................................................................11 deLauro, Emma................................................................................................................................12 Fox, Shalimar...................................................................................................................................14 Kane, Adam.....................................................................................................................................16 Kilmartin, Jesse................................................................................................................................18 McCain, Eden...................................................................................................................................20 Mulwray, Brennan.............................................................................................................................21 Nakamura, Hiro................................................................................................................................23 Palowakski, Fred...............................................................................................................................28 Parkman, Matt.................................................................................................................................29 Petrelli, Nathan................................................................................................................................31 Pierce, Lexa.....................................................................................................................................33 Sanders, Micah.................................................................................................................................34 Baselines.............................................................................................................................................36 Bassett, Earl....................................................................................................................................36 Calvin, Theodore..............................................................................................................................36 Fisk, Wilson.....................................................................................................................................37 Gummer, Burt..................................................................................................................................38 Hayes, Billy......................................................................................................................................40 Higgins, Jonathan Quayle III..............................................................................................................40 Knight, Garthe (NEED STATS)............................................................................................................41 Mach, Jesse.....................................................................................................................................41 Magnum, Thomas.............................................................................................................................42 McCall, Robert..................................................................................................................................43 Peck, Templeton...............................................................................................................................45 Reed, Tyler......................................................................................................................................46 Smith, John.....................................................................................................................................46 Wright, Orville Wilbur III...................................................................................................................47 Company (OWI, Proteus, The Directive)..................................................................................................48 Chain of Command...........................................................................................................................48 History............................................................................................................................................48 Developments..................................................................................................................................50 Facilities..........................................................................................................................................51 Bishop, Elle......................................................................................................................................52 Bishop, Robert.................................................................................................................................53 Eckhart, Mason................................................................................................................................54 Genomex.........................................................................................................................................59 The Haitian......................................................................................................................................62 Project Manticore..............................................................................................................................64 Rogers, Steve..................................................................................................................................69 Sanders, Niki...................................................................................................................................70 Sentinels.........................................................................................................................................73 Suresh, Mohinder.............................................................................................................................75 Twitchell, W.D..................................................................................................................................78 Weapon Plus Program.......................................................................................................................78 Xanatos, David.................................................................................................................................82 Foundation for Law and Government.......................................................................................................82 Knight, Michael.................................................................................................................................82 Knight Industries Two Thousand.........................................................................................................83 Other Knight Industries Vehicles.........................................................................................................87 Independent Inspired and Novas............................................................................................................91 Banzai, Buckaroo..............................................................................................................................91 Baracus, Bosco Albert.......................................................................................................................92 Bodine, Jethro..................................................................................................................................94 Brooks, Eric.....................................................................................................................................94 Bukowski, John................................................................................................................................97 Chase, Jonathon...............................................................................................................................97 Claude............................................................................................................................................97 1

Dinallo, Gloria..................................................................................................................................98 Graham, Will....................................................................................................................................99 Grimm, Ben...................................................................................................................................100 Guevara, Max.................................................................................................................................102 House, Gregory..............................................................................................................................104 Howard.........................................................................................................................................105 Jameson, Jennifer...........................................................................................................................107 Jones, Henry Junior.........................................................................................................................108 Kent, Clark....................................................................................................................................111 Lambert, Darien.............................................................................................................................131 Lincoln, Elvin..................................................................................................................................132 Luthor, Lex....................................................................................................................................133 MacGyver, Angus............................................................................................................................140 Marsciarelli, Arthur Herbert..............................................................................................................143 McAllister, John Peter......................................................................................................................144 Murdock, H.M.................................................................................................................................145 Murdock, Matt................................................................................................................................146 Parker, May...................................................................................................................................148 Parker, Peter..................................................................................................................................151 Pendergast, Aloysius X. L.................................................................................................................156 Petrelli, Peter.................................................................................................................................158 Queen, Oliver.................................................................................................................................161 Richards, Reed...............................................................................................................................163 Richards, Sue.................................................................................................................................166 Singh, Khan Noonien.......................................................................................................................169 Storm, Johnny................................................................................................................................170 Sullivan, Chloe...............................................................................................................................173 Thurman, Neena.............................................................................................................................181 Vincent..........................................................................................................................................182 Wayne, Bruce.................................................................................................................................183 Wayne, Logan (AU Crusader)...........................................................................................................190 Office of Scientific Intelligence..............................................................................................................191 Austin, Steve.................................................................................................................................193 Mason, Kate...................................................................................................................................196 Project Emerald..............................................................................................................................196 Sommers, Jaime.............................................................................................................................198 Other Species and Alien Races..............................................................................................................199 Graboid.........................................................................................................................................199 Perfection Valley.............................................................................................................................203 Department of Interior Report..........................................................................................................205 External Anatomy.........................................................................................................................205 Internal Anatomy..........................................................................................................................207 Ecology.......................................................................................................................................208 Evolutionary Overview...................................................................................................................208 Hypothetical Taxonomy..................................................................................................................212 Historical and Mythological References.............................................................................................213 Threat Assessment........................................................................................................................214 Nimue Locust.................................................................................................................................214 Predator........................................................................................................................................216 Species.........................................................................................................................................219 Xenomorphs...................................................................................................................................222 Teragen (The Brotherhood)..................................................................................................................229 Allerdyce, St. John..........................................................................................................................229 Ashlocke, Gabriel............................................................................................................................229 Banner, Bruce................................................................................................................................231 Creed, Victor..................................................................................................................................233 Gray, Gabriel..................................................................................................................................236 Grey, Jean.....................................................................................................................................242 Hellfire Club...................................................................................................................................243 LeBeau, Remy................................................................................................................................245 Linderman, Daniel...........................................................................................................................246 Magneto........................................................................................................................................248 Monroe, Adam................................................................................................................................250 Morbius, Michael.............................................................................................................................253 2

Mystique........................................................................................................................................254 Riddick, Richard B...........................................................................................................................255 Toynbee, Mortimer (Toad)................................................................................................................258 Xaviers School for the Gifted...............................................................................................................260 Braddock, Betsy (Psylocke / Kwannon)..............................................................................................260 Drake, Robert (Iceman)...................................................................................................................261 Howlett, James (Weapon X).............................................................................................................263 Kinney, Laura (X-23, Reluctant Daughter)..........................................................................................265 Lee, Jubilation (Jubilee)...................................................................................................................266 McCoy, Hank (Beast).......................................................................................................................267 Munroe, Ororo (Storm)....................................................................................................................269 Rasputin, Piotr (Colossus)................................................................................................................271 Rogue (Freedom Fighter).................................................................................................................273 Summers, Scott (Cyclops)................................................................................................................274 Wagner, Kurt (Nightcrawler)............................................................................................................276 Xavier, Charles (Mutant Activist).......................................................................................................277 Index................................................................................................................................................281 Notes on Future Modifications...............................................................................................................283 New Faction Labels.........................................................................................................................283

ABERRANTS (MUTANT X, ETC.)

Bennet, Claire Six months prior to the start of the series, Claire had just become cheerleader at her high school, with the help of her friend Jackie Wilcox. During a playful dispute with Jackie, Claire crashes into a glass case cutting her hand. When they show Claire's parents, Mrs. Bennet says that Claire might need stitches. After Claire, Jackie, and Mrs. Bennet leave for the hospital, the phone rings and Mr. Bennet answers. It is Chandra Suresh, a scientist who studies paranormal phenomenon, informing him of Claire's power. Several days later, Mr. Bennet asks if he can see her hand with the stitches. When they unravel the cloth around her hand they are both surprised to see not even a small scratch. Mr. Bennet remarks, "Well, that healed nicely." In the pilot episode "Genesis", set several months later, Claire has discovered her power. Frightened as to what it means, she confides in Zach, a high-school classmate who videotapes Claire testing her regenerative power by attempting to injure--and even kill--herself. Zach thinks Claire's power is the "coolest thing to ever happen in their town"; Claire believes it makes her a freak and is afraid of it being discovered. Her younger brother, Lyle, also discovers Claire's powers after finding the tape Zach filmed, Claire swearing him to secrecy. Despite wanting nothing more than a normal life, Claire has been through her share of harrowing experiences, including an attempted rape and reviving during an autopsy. Claire is also consumed with curiosity about her birth parents, having been adopted when she was a year old. After the first four episodes of the series, a story arc called "Save the cheerleader, save the world" begins. Claire's ultimate fate is implied to be tied to the fate of the entire world. A future version of Hiro Nakamura cryptically told Peter Petrelli: "Save the cheerleader, save the world." Isaac Mendez, a drug-addicted painter in New York experiences a vision of Claire being chased at her school. He also paints a picture of blonde cheerleader with the top of her skull removed. In the episode "Homecoming", Claire is elected homecoming queen after her friend Zach campaigns for her, persuading all of the school's "unpopular" students (who outnumber the "popular" ones) to vote for her. Claire punches Jackie after Jackie taunts Zach about his sexuality. Claire's father grounds her, ostensibly for punching Jackie, but really intending to keep her out of harm's way by preventing her from fulfilling Isaac's "prophecies." Zach persuades Claire to sneak out her bedroom window and go to the game anyway. At the game, Claire meets Peter, not knowing that he is her biological uncle or that he is there with the intention of saving her from Sylar. However, since he saw the newspaper article where Jackie took credit for the fire rescue that Claire did, Peter believes Jackie is the cheerleader he is there to save. Sylar catches the two girls in the locker room and cuts Jackie's scalp telekinetically. Claire is thrown against a wall when she attempts to intervene. Claire, splattered with blood, quickly recovers from her broken bones, gets up, and runs away from Sylar, who realizes he has made a mistake as Jackie dies from massive blood loss. In the hallway, she finds Peter and the two of them flee the building. Claire takes Peter's advice to run toward the stadium full of people, but then turns back to find him lying in a pool of blood. She is then astonished to see him heal himself just like her. As Claire goes to get help, she runs into the arms of her relieved father, who says the police will handle things at the school. He also says she is lucky to be alive, leading Claire to admit that her survival is not due to luck. When the story continues in "Fallout", Claire's father informs her that he has always known about her powers and has done things he is not proud of to protect her. He tells her Sylar has been taken care of, but warns Claire not to tell anyone about her powers, claiming there are others who would want to harm her. Claire recovers the remaining video tapes depicting her powers from Zach and destroys them. She warns Zach not to tell anyone about her healing abilities. Claire and her father are interviewed by law enforcement officials, but Claire tells them both she and Peter must have been "just lucky" to have survived Sylar's attack. Claire later meets with Peter alone and is fascinated when he tells her he risked his life to save her (as he was not sure in advance if he had adopted Claire's healing factor). She remarks that he is "totally [her] hero." Claire later discovers that both her brother and Zach no longer remember what they've seen regarding her unusual healing abilities. Claire panics and calls her father, extremely frightened. Mr. Bennet reassures her that he remembers and everything will be all right. The Haitian then appears out of the shadows and covers Claire's mouth with his hand. He tells Claire that Mr. Bennet sent him to wipe her memory of the preceding events, just as he has wiped the memories of Brody, Lyle, and Zach. The Haitian even states that he had to mind wipe Claire's mother "so many times" in the past. However, the Haitian then said that there is a reason Claire must remember and asks her if she can keep a secret. Two weeks later, Claire is struggling with being alone again since the Haitian did not wipe her memory. In front of her father, she pretends that she does not remember anything the Haitian was supposed to erase. She tries to reconnect with Zach, but between his lack of memory and resentment over the way their friendship ended in grade school, he's not interested. Desperate, Claire meets with the Haitian to discuss her options and the state of things. She mentions "save the cheerleader, save the world," wondering what it means and if she's even "saved." The Haitian states that she has been saved for the time being. He also rebuffs her request to see Peter, stating he is being watched by her father. She asks the Haitian to give Zach his memories back, as she does not want to be alone, but he tells her he cannot. Before leaving, the Haitian also recommends she respect 4

her abilities more, rather than see them as an affliction. Eventually, Claire takes Zach back to the spot where they filmed "attempt number six." After redoing the same stunt from "Genesis", she now says into Zach's camera, "This is Claire Bennet, and as far as you know, that was attempt number one." In "The Fix", Claire and Zach search for information on her biological mother. Their search leads them to Meredith Gordon, a woman reported to have died in a fire along with her eighteen-month-old daughter. They believe Claire to be Meredith Gordon's reportedly-dead daughter. When Claire contacts several people with the surname "Gordon," she finds a woman who identifies herself as Meredith. The woman is shocked to hear that Claire survived and is revealed to possess the ability of pyrokinesis. In "Distractions", Claire and Meredith meet, sharing their powers with each other. Later, Meredith telephones Claire's biological father, who is revealed to be Nathan Petrelli, informing him that their daughter is still alive. In the episode "Unexpected", Claire finds that her mother, Mrs. Bennet is showing signs of temporary memory loss, at one point even forgetting the family dog, Mr. Muggles, only to revert to her normal self a few minutes later. Later on, Mrs. Bennet collapses while in the kitchen and is rushed to the hospital. When Mr. Bennet arrives, Claire is unable to suppress her anger against him any longer and admits to knowing about the repeated memory wipes that Mr. Bennet has had done on her mother. After this, the family returns home, where they are confronted by Ted Sprague and Matt Parkman. In "Company Man", Claire and her family are held captive by Sprague and Parkman. After a botched attempt to free the family by Mr. Bennet, Claire and her father convince Matt to shoot her to get Sprague's trust. She attempts to free her family after she regenerates, but is captured by Sprague in the attempt. After Sprague is shot and his radiation powers go violently out of control, Claire uses her regenerative powers to get close enough to tranquilize him. However, Claire is seen healing from severe radiation burns by one of Mr. Bennet's superiors, who insist that Claire be turned over to their employers. In the end, Claire is given to the Haitian, who is to keep her safe from Bennet's company. In "Parasite", she is supposed to go with the Haitian to flee the country but manages to slip away from him by stealing his passport at the airport. She then goes to Peter Petrelli's apartment, regarding him as the only person she can trust in the current chaos her life has become. However, she finds his mother, Angela Petrelli, there instead, and Angela reveals that not only is she Claire's grandmother, but that she and the Haitian have been corresponding for some time in order to protect Claire. In ".07%", Claire learns that her grandmother, Angela Petrelli, knew of her existence all along, even though Nathan thought she had died in a fire as a baby. Mrs. Petrelli tells her that she still needs protecting and the two of them will be going to Paris until after the election. When the seemingly dead body of Peter Petrelli is brought to his mother's house, Claire comes downstairs to see Peter for herself. Claire finds a huge jagged shard of glass penetrating his skull. When she pulls it out, Peter comes back to life. Later, Nathan, realizing he cannot afford to have her in the city in the days leading up to the electionto avoid any scandalous issues and possibly to get her out of the way of Peter's nuclear explosionasks Claire to go to Paris. Claire reluctantly agrees to go with Angela, and the two of them embrace warmly. Two days before New York is to be blown up, Claire is still staying in the Petrelli Mansion. She watches as her father Nathan greets his wife, Heidi Petrelli, and their two boys, Monty and Simon, upon their return to the mansion, although Claire is not introduced to them. Later, Claire and her grandmother, Angela Petrelli, begin packing her bags for Paris. Peter walks into the room and talks to Claire about destiny, although she is convinced the best way for Nathan to protect her is to fly to Paris. Claire tells Peter about Ted Sprague, a man who can manipulate radiation after Peter reveals he will likely "go nuclear" and destroy half of New York. Peter and Claire confront Nathan about Ted; with someone else capable of manipulating radiation, Peter is hopeful the explosion can be prevented. Nathan remains doubtful, pointing out that Peter's vision was of his own explosion. Peter reminds Nathan that he had a vision of flying as well, despite the fact that it was Nathan who could fly - a fact that impresses Claire. Later, Peter and Claire go to the Petrelli campaign headquarters to meet with Nathan. Upon arriving, they see Nathan talking with Thompson, whom Claire recognizes as her adoptive father's boss and the man she is running from. Peter gives Claire a handgun, telling her she is the only person who can get close to him if he begins to explode. He instructs her to shoot him in the back of the head in a spot she knows will prevent him from healing. She reluctantly agrees to carry the weapon. The pair recognizes a location from one of Peter's drawings of Ted, and decides to look for him. While waiting for Ted to appear, Claire and Peter discuss how their powers have changed their lives. Claire then sees Mr. Bennet walking with Ted and Matt Parkman. She runs to her adoptive father as Peter and Matt acknowledge each other. Meanwhile, Peter notices his hands begin to glow as he absorbs Ted's power. In "Landslide", Mr. Bennet orders Claire to leave the city with Peter and Ted. They are making plans to make their way out of New York to Nebraska when Peter hears Sylar's thoughts and they hide in a building upon realizing he is nearby. When they re-emerge, Ted is arrested by the FBI. Whilst on his way to a holding facility, the FBI truck transporting him is made to crash by Sylar and Ted is subsequently murdered; his abilities having been absorbed by the villain. Upon receiving this news in "How to Stop an Exploding Man", Mr. Bennet requests that Peter stay with his daughter at all times and he agrees. Claire, however, feels betrayed when, instead of finding Sylar on their own, Peter drives them to a parking garage where Nathan is awaiting their arrival. Firm in her belief that they cannot trust him, Claire sneaks out when Peter leaves her in the car to speak with his brother, only for her to 5

run into her grandmother, Angela Petrelli. Angela and Nathan have plans to leave the city with Claire to Nantucket but when she finds out that they knew about the impending explosion all along and is willing to let it transpire, she jumps out of Nathan's office window after bluffing them that she has accepted the situation. Rapidly healing after her fall, she runs off to Kirby Plaza where she catches up to the scene just when Peter is about to explode. Mr. Bennet hands her a gun to shoot her uncle just as she had promised before but Claire hesitates, pleading with Peter that there must be another way. Nathan flies down in between them at that moment and agrees with his daughter. Claire and the others can only watch as Nathan flies away with his brother into the stratosphere where Peter then explodes, saving New York City but possibly sacrificing her birth father and uncle's lives in the process. As the first season ends, Claire reconciles with her adoptive father and they make plans to reunite with the rest of their family. Four months later, Claire and her family have moved to California, where Claire starts her first day of 11th grade in Costa Verde High School under the last name of "Butler". She quickly meets West, who nearly runs her over when she accidentally runs in front of his car. Following her father's advice "Be extraordinarily unextraordinary" she does nothing that makes her stand out. In "Lizards", Claire, curious about the extent of her abilities and whether they could be used to help others, cuts off her own toe to see if it grows back. It does, but West, watching through the window, catches her in the act. Claire tries to keep him quiet about it, so he reveals his power, the ability to fly, to her. When Claire notices a two-line scar on his neck, he explains that he was "abducted by aliens" just after meeting a man with "horn-rimmed glasses", revealing that he was one of many caught and released by Claire's father. In "The Kindness of Strangers", Claire pretends to make the cheerleading squad in order to have time to date West. She promises to her dad that she won't date in return. Though the cheerleading squad leader, Debbie, will not let her join, she and West manage to get Debbie kicked off the team by abusing their respective powers. In "Out of Time", West comes to Claire's house unannounced to bring breakfast. Despite her efforts, West discovers the identity of Claire's father and refuses to talk to Claire about it. At the same time, her father discovers the news report about the drunk cheerleader vague details of Claire and West's prank are given and insists on moving again. Claire strongly refuses, saying that she will not go with them. This ends badly as Bob finds her and abducts her. Her father takes Elle to make a trade but this ends up in his own death when Mohinder shoots him to save Bob. In "Truth & Consequences" a devastated Claire, who doesn't know that her father has been revived by the Company, scatters what she believes are his ashes at the beach. After doing so though, she quickly discovers Elle observing her. Claire runs up to Elle and tells her that due to what the Company did to her father, she will reveal her power. Claire then punches through Elle's car window and says," You guys will be the ones running from now on," and walks away. In "Powerless" Claire is confronted by both her mother and West about her decision to reveal her power to the world. She and West fight, and after West flies off, her father appears. In the alternate future of "Five Years Gone", Claire has been hidden from the world by Mr. Bennet due to the world's newfound awareness and fear of those with special powers, having been shipped from place to place in an effort to keep her identity and whereabouts secret from her biological father and his "hero"-hunting Homeland Security Department. She works as a brunette waitress in Midland, Texas, in the Burnt Toast Diner, under the alias of "Sandra". She discusses an upcoming wedding with her blond-haired fianc, Andy. However, upon learning that others are aware of Claire's existence, Mr. Bennet travels to Midland in order to once again erase Claire from the map. Although he succeeds in persuading her to pack up and leave, he is later betrayed by the merciless Matt Parkman, who telepathically discovers Claire's location and apprehends her at the diner. Claire is taken to the Petrelli Mansion in New York, where she is visited by Nathan Petrelli. Nathan explains the necessity of the sweeping presidential measures he's taken against the genetically-advanced of the world. Though simply disgusted with her father at first, the situation takes a turn for the worse when "Nathan" reveals himself to be Sylar in disguise. He has killed both Nathan and Candice Wilmer, using her power of illusion to masquerade as Nathan. Sylar telekinetically scalps Claire, killing her. Claire can spontaneously regenerate any tissue in her body, allowing her to recover from almost any injury within seconds to minutes, though she does need to have foreign objects, such as a branch or a shard of glass, manually removed from her body and bones pushed back into position for the wounds to heal properly. Various characters in the series imply that having her brain removed would permanently kill her. In addition to simple healing, Claire has been shown to regenerate extremities. In the second season episode "Lizards", she experiments with the limits of her powers, cutting off a toe. A new toe rapidly grows into place. Her blood, when injected into others, temporarily grants them similar powers. Series writers Joe Pokaski and Aron Coleite would only comment that she "feels pain, but not the way most of us do." Claire, describing her response to pain to West, says "I feel pain; I just get over it quickly." Between her tolerance for pain and seemingly unlimited healing potential, Hayden Panettiere compares her character to the X-Men character Wolverine, although she is "less hairy and without claws." Quantum 4; Quantum Pool 30 (Regenerate every 30 minutes); Willpower 5; Taint 0; Strength 3, Dexterity 4, Stamina 5 (3, Durability, Health, Regeneration), Manipulation 3, Charisma 2, Appearance 3, 6

Perception 2, Intelligence 3, Wits 3; Abilities: Arts 1, Athletics 3, Awareness 1, Brawl 1, Bureaucracy 2, Command 2, Computer 1, Drive 1, Endurance 4, Etiquette 1, Firearms 1, Intrusion 1, Investigation 2, Melee 1, Might 3, Rapport 1, Resistance 4, Science 3, Stealth 2, Streetwise 1, Style 2, Subterfuge 3; Backgrounds: Allies 5, Cipher 3, Mentor 3, Node 1, Resources 2; Quantum Powers: Healing 5; Soak: Bashing 8 dice, Lethal 4 dice (Heals rates are five times normal, ignore 3 points of damage penalty, one extra Bruised health level, Lifespan 180+ years). Bennet, Noah At first glance, Noah Bennet appears to be an ordinary businessman who works at the Primatech Paper Company and lives in Odessa, Texas with his wife and two children. However, he and his associates have actually traveled the world for a number of years investigating superhuman phenomena. Bennet claims that he assists them in learning to use their powers, although there are sometimes unintended consequences. One of Bennet's associates is a mysterious man known only as "The Haitian" with the power of wiping out memories. Others include Eden McCain, a doctor called "Hank," and a woman called "Lisa". In the past, he has also worked with Claude, the "Invisible Man". His true agenda and overall affiliation are still mysterious. In response to Matt Parkman's inquiries as to whether he works for the FBI or the CIA, Bennet said he doesn't work for "any organization that has initials." Bennet clearly loves his daughter, Claire, but is also overprotective of her. This sometimes leads him to use his authority and associates in ways more unsavory than usual. Past, present and future events all indicate that Bennet has lied about Claire's origin multiple times. This leads him to lose the trust of his daughter temporarily in the first season. According to his driving license, his previous address is 9 Juniper Lane, Odessa, Texas. Noah Bennet speaks Japanese, and also appears to speak at least a limited amount of Russian. Bennet is also proficient with firearms. Although he does not possess any powers of his own, his extensive experience in dealing with beings with superpowers makes him capable of handling them. In "Company Man", a flashback episode, it is revealed that Noah Bennet's former partner years ago was Claude, with whom he rescued Claire from the fire her biological mother caused by pyrokinesis. However, because Claude was hiding "one of them", Bennet was forced to kill him but Claude later turned out to be alive as he used his powers to become invisible when Bennet shot him, disappearing from view. In "Six Months Ago", an episode that takes place six months before "Genesis", Bennet turns the wanted criminal and mind controller Eden McCain into one of his operatives. At about the same time, he is contacted by Chandra Suresh, who has found Claire's picture on her high school's web site after identifying her as having potential powers. After Chandra leaves, Bennet orders Eden McCain to become a neighbor of Chandra Suresh and remove Claire's name from Chandra's list of super powered humans. Noah Bennet first appears in "Genesis", the first episode. He is found in the apartment of Chandra Suresh in Madras, India. Chandra's son Mohinder enters the apartment, but leaves quickly after realizing Bennet is there as well. Bennet seems to notice Mohinder, and later follows him to New York. There, Bennet is one of Mohinder's afternoon passengers during his job as a taxi driver. Bennet begins pleasantly referencing his travels, and stating that he'll be happy to see his family again. The conversation turns as he mentions personal facts about Mohinder, ultimately resulting in Mohinder fleeing his own cab. Finally, Bennet comes home to Odessa and greets his family. The next morning in "Don't Look Back", Claire states her desire to meet her biological parents. Bennet is reluctant, but doesn't outright say "no." After Claire gets home from school, Bennet says he'll start contacting the adoption agency and look for her biological parents. After a happy Claire leaves the room, Bennet is seen watching a video tape of Claire demonstrating her healing abilities. In "Collision", Bennet is first seen standing over Matt Parkman, who is strapped to a gurney. Bennet calmly converses with Matt, advising him to relax. Bennet also checks the readout of a machine used to gauge when Parkman is trying to read Bennet's mind. Bennet explains that the Haitian is blocking Matt's powers. Nevertheless, Matt is able to pull the name "Claire" from Bennet's mind. Bennet is impressed by Matt's growing ability, and then tells the Haitian to "go deep" with Matt, who is last heard screaming. That morning, back at the Bennet house, Bennet finds that a distraught Claire has just come home. Bennet assumes from Claire's bare, mud-covered feet that she was out all night. Bennet has to get to work, but states that they'll talk later. He is then seen monitoring Nathan Petrelli, who has just had a one night stand with Niki/Jessica Sanders. Bennet tells the Haitian to kidnap "just the one" (Nathan). In the next episode, "Hiros," Bennet and the Haitian attempt to force Nathan into a car, but he escapes by flying away. Bennet is then seen at Texas hospital visiting Claire. Claire explains that Brody is a rapist and attempted to force himself on her. After speaking to one of his victims, Claire was motivated to do something. She only wanted to "scare" Brody, but as he sat in the passenger seat and said he wouldn't stop raping girls, she ultimately crashed his car intentionally. Claire begs her father not to tell anyone, and Bennet merely says he'll take care of it. Bennet then appears in Brody's room, followed by the Haitian. He says that she is going through 'a confusing time', telling that he knows of her powers. Bennet tells the Haitian to "hollow him out" and "take everything" (erase all of Brody's memories, including that of his own name); afterward, he tells the boy that he is being given a chance to start over in life. Finally, in "Better Halves", Bennet has set up a meeting between Claire and his two associates, Hank and Lisa. Bennet presents the two as Claire's biological parents. While carefully watching the two with his wife Sandra, Bennet receives a call from Eden McCain, his spy in New York. Eden relays information about Mohinder, 7

Isaac Mendez ("the precog") and the message "save the cheerleader, save the world." Bennet is disturbed by the last part, but regains his composure. Bennet tells Eden to prevent Mohinder from leaving New York and to "bring in the precog." After Hank and Lisa exit the Bennet home, Noah Bennet follows the two outside and thanks them for their service. At this point his wife, Sandra, lets slip to Claire that they'd had problems finding her parents in the past and that she was surprised that Noah Bennet managed to do it now. Bennet asks Isaac, whom Eden "persuaded" to come with her, to help him to prevent Claire from being murdered by Sylar at her homecoming game the next night. Bennet has collected three previous paintings Isaac created depicting a terrified Claire close-up, running up the bleachers in a football stadium, and lying dead on the ground with the top of her skull removed. When Isaac is unable to paint without the use of heroin and resists taking the drug, Bennet orders Eden to use her powers to make Isaac believe he wants to use the drug. Bennet becomes frustrated after Isaac is unable to paint something that makes sense to him. When Eden protests his actions, Bennet shows her a series of photographs depicting Sylar's dead victimsall with their brains removed from their headsand says he is determined to save his daughter from such a fate. He orders Eden to go to the homecoming game and look for Sylar and grounds Claire to prevent her from being killed. Bennet discovers later, however, that Claire snuck out and worriedly runs to the school to find her. When he arrives, he is too late to stop Sylar from attacking the cheerleader in the pictures. Bennet soon discovers that the victim was not Claire; rather, it was Jackie Wilcox, one of Claire's fellow cheerleaders. A relatively relieved Bennet soon reunites with his daughter and insists they go home while the police handle things. Claire says that she has something to tell her father regarding her uncanny survival. In the episode "Fallout", Claire's father reveals that he knew about her powers long before she was aware of them. He acknowledges doing things he was not proud of to keep her safe, and tells Claire that Sylar had been taken care of, but that she must keep silent about her powers because she is in danger from others like him. Bennet later meets with Sylar, confined in a prison cell, and tells him that the cell is keeping his powers suppressed. Sylar taunts Bennet telling him that Bennet is just like him. In their next confrontation Bennet turns the taunt back at Sylar telling him how they plan to study him to determine what makes him "tick." Sylar boasts that he would escape and kill Claire, taking her healing abilities. Eden suggests using her powers to persuade Sylar to kill himself, but Bennet declines (though briefly tempted), as he takes orders from someone higher up. Bennet later takes Claire to the police station, where she is interviewed about Jackie's murder. Officer Parkman is unable to read the thoughts of Claire or her father, since the Haitian is hiding behind a nearby corner. Afterwards, Bennet orders the Haitian to wipe the memories of his son and Claire's friend, Zach. When Claire finds out that the two of them have lost all memory of her powers she rings her father in a panic. It is left open whether it is only then that he orders the Haitian to wipe Claire's memories or whether he has already done so. In "Godsend", Bennet believes Claire's memory has been erased. Claire acts as if it has, as well. However, Bennet and Claire are slowly drifting apart. At Primatech Paper, the FBI investigates the building as well as Bennet and his associates. Though they find nothing, Officer Parkman knows Bennet's up to something and has realized that Bennet kidnapped him. Bennet is unfazed, however, and simply tells Matt "good luck" in regards to his vendetta. Next, Bennet shows up at the apartment of Mohinder Suresh in New York. Mohinder is defensive, recalling Bennet's past actions. However, Bennet means him no harm, and even mentions Eden. Soon, he makes a proposition. Bennet tells Mohinder that together they could make a difference, and asks Mohinder to join him. Mohinder says he isn't interested, but Bennet leaves his card anyway. Bennet returns to Sylar's holding area in "The Fix". There, he finds Hank telling him that Sylar's vital signs are highly irregular and he may be dying. Bennet tells Hank to keep him alive, referencing orders from his superiors to that effect. Furthermore, he states that Sylar will "die on [Bennet's] terms," not his own. At home, Bennet finds Claire and Zach are "working on a school project" together, according to Claire. Claire also acts as if she'd rather not spend time with Zach. Bennet, however, tells her that she had been friends and encourages her to see if they might not find something in common. After Zach and she go upstairs, Bennet gets a call from Hank. Hank states that Sylar has died, which Bennet replies is "less than ideal." Bennet then tells Hank to prepare Sylar "for shipping." Back at Sylar's cell, Bennet finds the body of a dead Hank where Sylar should be. Bennet then turns around to find Sylar calmly standing in front of him. Sylar asks about Claire, then states his intentions to kill her. After telekinetically throwing Bennet against a wall and playing with the lights, Sylar leaves Bennet trapped in the cell. Later, at the Bennet home, he and the Haitian narrowly save Sandra from Sylar. Although Sylar escapes, Bennet is confident he will catch the killer. After the Haitian wipes Sandra's memories yet again, Bennet is called by Isaac Mendez. Mendez is revealed to be working with Bennet, as he relays information about Peter Petrelli. In "Unexpected", Bennet and the Haitian manage to track down Peter and Claude. They fire Tasers at Claude, but Peter unexpectedly utilizes his powers to stop the electrodes and fly away from them. Bennet is then called by Claire, who tells him that Sandra has collapsed for unknown reasons. Bennet heads back home, and is confronted by Claire in the hospital, where she reveals that she remembers everything that the Haitian was supposed to erase. Afterwards, the Bennet family returns home, where they are confronted by Ted Sprague and Matt Parkman. The episode "Company Man" begins with the hostage-taking of the Bennet family by Sprague and Parkman, who are in search of answers. Noah Bennet has revelations about his company during this situation, showing that he initially came to work for "The Company" under the supervision of a man named Thompson, 8

and partnered with Claude. He is eventually ordered to kill Claude, because Claude apparently was hiding "one of them" from The Company. During the confrontation with Sprague, Thompson comes through the back door and shoots Ted, who goes into an uncontrolled radioactive state. Noah Bennet and Matt escape the house, while Claire tranquilizes Sprague. After this, Matt and Ted are taken to the paper factory. Thompson asks Bennet when Claire should be showing up at the factory. It is at that moment that Bennet realizes he's too attached to Claire. The graphic novel "Family Man" reveals that, at this point, Noah Bennet decides that he must do what he can to save Claire and "bring down the people [he] work[s] for." Having noticed that he is being followed by someone from The Company, Noah Bennet drives to a cybercaf and sends a message to Hana asking for help, which she agrees to do. The episode ends with Noah Bennet taking Claire to the same bridge on which he shot Claude so many years ago. The Haitian shows up, and Bennet instructs the Haitian to shoot him in the stomach, then "Go deep" and wipe anything out of his memory that could lead "them" to Claire. The Haitian follows the order, then takes Claire away to protect her, as instructed. In "Parasite", Bennet is questioned by Thompson; he claims that the last thing he remembers is driving home Sandra from the hospital. Later, before Noah Bennet is about to leave on business, Sandra tells him that she is only pretending to have had her mind wiped, as he told her to do; and that he had told her everything about what he really did, who he works for, and what happened to Claire. She gives him a note that he left for himself, warning him not to look for Claire because she is with friends. Then, Bennet and Candice travel to New York to "clean up" Isaac's mess. Upon his return home, Bennet tells Sandra that they both have to pretend that they have no idea what has happened, and that Primatech has to be stopped for good to ensure Claire's safety. "Sandra" then transforms back into Candice, and other members of the Company, including Thompson, enter the room behind her. In ".07%", Bennet is now in the custody of Primatech, in a solitary cell. His will to protect Claire is challenged by Candice, who shape shifts into Claire's form; Bennet recognizes the ruse right away and tells her and Thompson that he does not know where Claire is and will never give her up to them. Thompson threatens to kill Bennet, but Bennet notes that if they really wanted him dead, they'd have killed him by now. Thompson tells Bennet that he is merely waiting on orders to do so. Realizing that the only hope of stopping Thompson and his superiors will be to escape from Primatech, Bennet telepathically gives instructions to Matt Parkman, who is also being held prisoner, on how to break out of his cell. Matt is then told to fetch Sprague from his cell so that Sprague can generate an EMP to shut down the power at Primatech, which will then allow them to break Bennet out of his cell. Matt is reluctant to go along with the plan, and Sprague doesn't trust Bennet, but eventually the three of them work together to escape. Over breakfast at the Burnt Toast Diner, Bennet reveals that the only way to stop Thompson is to get to New York City to destroy the tracking device that tracks heroes tagged with the neck tattoo, and he produces bus tickets to take them there. When Matt asks if Mr. Linderman is in New York, Bennet seems surprised by Matt's knowledge of the name. Matt guesses correctly that Bennet was "middle management" and is somewhat incredulous that Bennet seems not to know who was signing his paychecks all those years. Bennet tells Matt to forget about Linderman and that it is more important that they get to New York and destroy the tracker. Sprague casts the deciding vote to go to New York City, and Matt reluctantly agrees to join them on their destination. After escaping from Primatech Paper with Sprague and Parkman, the three of them head for New York to destroy the tracking system and the company. In "The Hard Part", Bennet, Parkman and Sprague steal a car and head for New York. Bennet reveals that the Company has a new tracking system called the Walker system. He reveals that this system doesn't need radio isotopes or tracers to find you; it just knows where you are. Unbeknownst to Bennet, the Walker tracker system is later revealed to be Molly Walker, who has the ability to mentally find anyone in the world, just by thinking about them. The three arrive at Kirby Plaza, which is the same plaza that holds Micah Sanders and Molly Walker. When they arrive, Bennet is reunited with Claire. Peter then notices his hands beginning to glow. Bennet realizes that Peter is absorbing Ted's power, and Peter and Claire look at each other. After Peter controls himself, the group splits in two, with Peter, Claire, and Sprague going to a remote town in Nebraska, and Parkman and Bennet continuing with their mission to destroy the tracking system. Bennet knows where they need to go, but he needs Parkman's powers to allow them access. Matt confronts a security guard and convinces him that they know each other and had spoken outside of work the previous night. Upon revealing an embarrassing secret of the guard's, the man lets them in without hesitation. While waiting for the elevator, they bump in Jessica and D.L., with Jessica surprised to see Matt still alive. The four go up in the elevator together, with Bennet telling them where to find Linderman. Bennet and Parkman then get off at the floor where the tracking system is, only to find Thompson waiting for them. Parkman saves Bennet from getting shot, only to have Bennet leave him defenseless against Thompson. Thompson then comes up behind Parkman, puts a gun to his head, and asks him, "What am I thinking now, Parkman?" Bennet comes from the side and says, "Your last thoughts," killing Thompson with two point blank gunshots to the head. The two then proceed to find the tracking system, where both are surprised to find it's a young girl though only Matt is completely surprised: Bennet claims he knew it was a person, just not a little girl whom Matt had previously rescued from Sylar, and who thought of Matt as "my hero." Matt protests killing her, but Bennet says it must be done in order to save the others. The two continue to argue until Matt is suddenly 9

knocked out by Mohinder from behind. The episode ends with Mohinder pointing a gun on Bennet while the latter points his gun on Molly, both men threatening to shoot. Parkman wakes up, ending the standoff. Bennet asks Molly to locate Sylar, which she does - he's nearby. In the climax of "How to Stop an Exploding Man," Peter, Bennet, and Parkman confront Sylar in the plaza. Bennet is immediately thrown against a wall, rendering him incapable of stopping Peter if he explodes. Four months after the incidents in New York, the Bennets have gone into hiding, having moved to Costa Verde, California, and assumed the last name of "Butler." Noah takes a subordinate job at a copy store called Copy Kingdom, and makes it very clear that he won't stand for his younger superior's megalomaniacal management style. Despite going into hiding, he is still working to take down the "the Company" with the help of Mohinder Suresh. In "Lizards", Noah tells his wife about a series of eight paintings done by the late Isaac Mendez, each depicting the death of a single person. He possesses the first, which predicts the death of Kaito Nakamura, and intends to locate the other seven. At the end of the episode, Noah is reunited with the Haitian; the accompanying graphic novel shows that Mohinder directed the Haitian to Bennet. In "Kindred", Mohinder finds the last of the eight paintings, this one depicting Noah's death. He is laying on the ground with a bullet hole through the left lens of his glasses. A girl resembling Claire is in the background, apparently being held by someone. In "Fight or Flight", Noah and the Haitian travel to Odessa, Ukraine, to find the remaining paintings. While there, he receives a call from Mohinder explaining that Molly Walker has fallen into a catatonic state and he wishes to take her to the Company for observation. Noah is unable to talk him out of it, though he warns that they'll have Mohinder as soon as he relinquishes that which he cares about. In "The Line", Noah tracks down his old mentor, Ivan. He has the Haitian remove precious memories (marriage day, kids being born, etc.) from the old man one by one until Ivan succumbs and reveals where the paintings are. Knowing that his method of interrogation, as well as trying to use the Haitian to cover his tracks, will alert the Company, he instead opts to kill his mentor, making the affair appear to be a simple home invasion. In "Out of Time", Noah and Suresh attempt to make sense of the paintings Noah and the Haitian have just found. The one in question is a painting of Suresh holding a Company-issue gun that has just been fired. Noah takes pictures of the paintings in an effort to send them to Suresh, but Suresh refuses stating his life may be in danger. Afterwards, Noah and the Haitian burn the entire collection and Noah returns home. West has dropped by without notice that same morning and made breakfast for Claire. As Noah walks into the house, West sees Noah and remembers who he is. West runs outside and abruptly flies away without being seen by Noah. Having left behind a newspaper detailing the incident with the drunk cheerleader, it ends up in hand of Noah, who sees it as a threat to the family. He confronts Claire and tells her she is putting the life of their family in danger. Furthermore, he tells her and the family to pack their things, and they are leaving immediately. Claire then calls her father out, stating that he was not being honest about his "trip" he took for "management training". Claire defiantly tells her father that she is not moving anywhere else and walks out of the room. In "Cautionary Tales", Bob, Elle, and Mohinder arrive in Costa Verde to take Claire. Though they are eventually successful, Noah manages to capture Elle. Noah brokers a trade with Bob, getting his daughter back in exchange for Bob's. When Elle breaks free and tries to kill West and Claire, Noah shoots her in the arm. He then prepares to execute Bob, citing that Claire will never be free so long as the Company survives. But Mohinder shoots Noah, mimicking Isaac's painting exactly, and Noah is struck in the left eye and dies. While his family believes him to be dead, the episode ends with Noah in a Company facility, strapped to a gurney and being given a transfusion of Claire's blood; his destroyed eye subsequently regenerates and he returns to life. In Truth & Consequences, Mohinder tells him that he was revived with Claire's blood and that Claire is at home, thinking he is dead. During the episode, with Noah still in the hands of The Company, Bob visits the Bennet's home with an urn telling them that it contains Noah's ashes. In Powerless, Noah returns to his family, clearly shocking them all as he is allegedly dead. He tells them that he was brought back using Claire's blood, and that he made a deal with The Company which will allow his family to lead a normal life with one conditionhe must stay with the company. Noah then leaves his family. In "Five Years Gone", Noah Bennet (who is not wearing his trademark horn-rimmed glasses) works together with Hana Gitelman to protect people with superpowers from being persecuted by a now fearful government. It is revealed that he is trying to keep Claire hidden from the registry. Though he is estranged from Claire, he visits her at the diner to warn her to get away. When he arrives back at work, he discovers Hana has been killed, and Matt Parkman, now head of the Department of Homeland Security, and his men are waiting for him. He does not realize Parkman has murdered Hana and broken their agreement, and hands Parkman a picture drawn by his son. Parkman holds a gun to him and demands to know where Claire is. Bennet refuses to answer, so Parkman reads Bennet's mind to extract Claire's location. Parkman then shoots Bennet in the head. Noah Bennet is initially introduced as "the man with Horn-Rimmed Glasses," based on his distinctive eyewear, and Jack Coleman is even credited as such. The glasses Coleman wears in most scenes are actually browline, not horn-rimmed, but none of the characters seem aware of the distinction. In the third episode, "One Giant Leap", his name was confirmed as "Mr. Bennet" and he has been occasionally referred to as such since. Still, "Horn-Rimmed Glasses" (or a variant of it) is the more often used name by the characters, albeit indirectly. 10

For example, characters who don't know him personally usually describe him as "the man with horn-rimmed glasses."With regard to Bennet's given name, Coleman has admitted that it was intentionally avoided. This is evident in "Distractions", where Mrs. Bennet remarks that she is amused that everybody called him "Mister", and almost states his first name before being interrupted. His driver's license, displayed by Sylar in the same episode, did not show a first name. According to Coleman, the character's first name was written out of a draft script because "it stopped the scene cold." In the final episode of season one, "How to Stop an Exploding Man", Mr. Bennet tells Peter Petrelli to call him "Noah." Ironically, likely in a nod to the character's inaccurate name, Bennett tries on an actual pair of hornrimmed glasses in a flashback sequence at the end of "Company Man". He decides not to wear them when Claire describes them as "grandpa glasses." Claire subsequently selects the browline glasses (declaring that he now looks "like my dad"), which he then wears from that point forward. Nickname: HRG; Known power: None; Gender: Male; Age: 44; Date of birth: August 6, 1962; Home: Odessa, TX; Occupation: regional manager, Primatech Paper Co. (cover); agent of "The Company"; Significant other: Sandra Bennet (wife); Children: Claire Bennet (adopted daughter), Lyle Bennet (son) Strength 3, Dexterity 4, Stamina 4, Charisma 3, Manipulation 5, Appearance 3, Perception 3, Intelligence 4, Wits 4; Abilities: Athletics Dodge) 2, Awareness 3, Biz 4 (Paper Industry), Brawl 4, Bureaucracy 4 (Covert), Command 4, Computer 2, Drive 3, Etiquette 2, Firearms 4, Interrogation 3, Intimidation 3, Intrusion 4, Investigation 3, Legerdemain 4, Linguistics 1, Melee 2, Science 1 (Nova Lore), Stealth 2, Streetwise 3, Subterfuge3, Survival 2; Background: Allies 4, Backing 2, Cipher 3, Contacts 3, Influence 2, Rank 3, Resources 4; Willpower 7 Black, Frank 1910 Ezekiel Drive, Seattle, WA 98924 Frank is a serial killer profiler with a background in Behavioral Science. He used to work for the Seattle Police Department but moved his family to Washington, D.C. to work with the FBI. Ten years later in 1996 when a serial killer posed a threat to his family, Frank returned to Seattle to live in an old yellow Victorian house with his wife, Catherine and their young daughter, Jordan. While in Seattle, Frank collaborates with a man named Peter Watts and a shadowy organization known as the Millennium Group to hunt down serial killers and other pervasive evil possibly related to biblical prophecy. Group members (including Frank) were inoculated with a special virus so that their members could be protected from the ultimate plague. Frank later discovered the "Millennium group is not concerned with any single individual in life...our responsibility is with the whole of mankind." The group's real purpose was about control not salvation. They used Bible prophecy as a cover for their insane deeds. After the Millennium Group engineered an Ebola-like virus outbreak that killed Franks wife, he returned to Washington D.C. with his daughter, Jordon and bought a house in Falls Church, Virginia. He joined forces with the FBIs Critical Incidents Response Group and old friend Asst. Dir. Andy MacLaren, and Agents Barry Baldwin (later killed) and Emma Hollis (who betrayed Frank by cutting a deal with the Millennium Group in exchange for a cure for her fathers Alzheimer disease). Frank finally quit the FBI and started his own campaign against the Millennium Group. He is presently in hiding with his daughter. FBI agent Frank Black retired from the service because of the damage he was doing to his psyche and his family every time he put himself in the mindset of the killers he was tracking. However his old life wouldn't leave him alone, and he eventually agreed to help the Millennium Group, who claimed their goal was to bring to justice the predators who preyed on the innocent. Frank eventually discovered that they were actually trying to bring about the apocalypse, and turned against them. Frank Black is a character on the acclaimed TV show Millennium created by Chris Carter of The X-Files fame. Frank is a retired FBI agent who specialized in criminal profiling. It was a profession he excelled at due to his unique ability to literally "see inside the mind of a killer." After moving to Seattle with his wife Catherine Black and daughter Jordan Black, he offered his services to the local police department via the Millennium Group, an organization that said pre millennial fever was responsible for the increase in crime. As a result of his submersion into the Group he separated from his wife. He eventually came to the realization that the Millennium Group were dangerous people who eventually would unleash a deadly virus that would kill both his wife and his friend, Lara Means. After Catherine's death, Frank and Jordan moved to Falls Church, Virginia, where he resumed work for the FBI and was teamed with the inexperienced Emma Hollis. Emma eventually betrayed his trust and joined the Group. Soon after Frank left his job and his home with his daughter, the reason probably linked to a folder full of information given to him by Peter Watts. After leaving the FBI for a second time, Black became embroiled in a custody battle (with his wife's family) for Jordan. He had himself admitted to a psychiatric institution for assessment, to counter their claims that he had a "millennial obsession" which would make him an unfit guardian. Around Christmas, 1999, he was approached by two FBI agents, Dana Scully and Fox Mulder, who wanted his help on a case involving the Millennium Group and the seeming reanimation of group members who had committed suicide. Initially refusing to get involved, he lent them cryptic clues and eventually helped save Agent Mulder, who was trapped in a basement with the walking dead. Real Name: Frank Black; Occupation: (formerly) FBI Profiler; Affiliations: FBI; Enemies: The Millennium Group; Known Relatives: Catherine (wife, deceased), Jordan (daughter); Base of Operations: U.S.A. 11

Quantum 4; Quantum Pool 28 (Regenerate every 30 minutes); Willpower 7; Strength 3, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3, Charisma 2, Manipulation 3, Appearance 2, Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 3; Abilities: Academics (Politics) 1, Athletics (Dodge) 2, Awareness 3, Brawl 3, Computer 1, Drive 3, Endurance 3, Firearms 3, Investigation 4, Melee 2, Resistance 3, Stealth 2; Backgrounds: Allies 2, Backing 2, Cipher 1, Contacts 4, Dormancy 2, Influence 2, Node 1, Resources 3; Quantum Powers: Pretercognition 1, Telepathy 1; Soak: Bashing 3 dice, Lethal 1 dice (Heals rates are two times normal, Lifespan 150+ years). deLauro, Emma Emma deLauro was born and grew up in Seattle. She was the daughter of two eccentric hippies who believed in magic. Through most of her childhood Emma was not exposed in great length to technology, and still has a slight aversion to it. It was also revealed that her parents once lost her at a concert, and by using her powers Emma found them again. Emma's childhood revolved around the occult and she said that when she was small her parents would contact spirits with their Ouija board and she could often communicate with said spirit. Because of this her parents thought she was some kind of messiah and this is one of the reasons Emma left home and never looked back. She is a mischievous knockout in her early 20's - a telempath who can communicate her own feelings and receive the feelings of others around her. Emma can't read thoughts, but she can sense in great detail an emotional state of mind - and learn an awful lot about another person from it. When these gifts combine with her party girl personality, fun and trouble are a double guarantee. Throughout Emma's tenure with Mutant X she has been through many trials and tribulations. The first was before she was even recruited to Mutant X and was being chased by Thorne and his men. She felt isolated by her powers, and used them on unsuspecting shoppers, in order to have them buy more merchandise. She reveled in her powers and used them for her own gains until she met Adam, and put them to better use in the Mutant X team. She has also been visited by friends like Michelle Bigilow who wish more then a trip down memory lane. Michelle used Emma to gain access to Sanctuary, and was only brought down by Emma's actions. This started a pattern of betrayal in Emma's life that has never abated. Emma has also been killed [almost] by a mutant named Caleb. Caleb needed mutant energy to survive and Emma soon found herself a victim of his seductive charm. She survived only through the combined efforts of the Mutant X team. Emma has also had her powers mutate from an invisible telempathic intrusion, to "psionic blasts", and it was revealed [in Whose Woods These Are] that she has depths unexplored by even Adam. This is shown when she goes "broadband" and creates a black wave of fear which makes enemy soldiers run in terror, and when she "mind wipes" Jesse to keep him from remembering her use of the "broadband wave". In "Sign From Above" Emma met a young man named Kyle. She could sense nothing from him and finally felt free of the burden which she holds in many relationships, the ability to sense whatever someone is feeling good or bad. Yet at the end of the episode it is revealed that Kyle is a mutant-spinal-fluid drinking alien and he leaves her. Emma now thinks that she would rather rely on her powers than trust anyone. Emma met her "soul mate" in a young precog in "At Destiny's End", Tyler was her true love and Emma was willing to risk everything including her life to save him. Sadly Tyler sacrificed himself for Emma, but not before professing his love. Emma was deeply scared by that experience, and has resentment towards Brennan because of his continued betrayal of their [Tyler and Emma's] relationship. Emma's powers continued to grow, and her full mental abilities were not shown to her teammates, only to those she had to stop with them. Emma was killed at the end of Season Two, the exact reasons are unknown and all viewers see is her hand flop out of a body bag and her comm-ring fall off. There is speculation that she may not be dead at all, or that Adam killed her because she knew too much. Emma's parents had been willing guinea pigs for Genomex and it was when she was five that she realized she was different. She was separated from them at a rock concert and used her Telempathic abilities to locate them. They abandoned Emma when she was ten, leaving her with a foster family. She now has very little contact with anyone outside Mutant X. The GSA tracked Emma down and would have captured her had Mutant X members Shalimar Fox and Jesse Kilmartin not intervened. Emma was taken to Sanctuary, and it didn't take long for her to decide that joining Mutant X was the best thing to do. Her limited medical knowledge and positive personality are invaluable assets to the team. She is also a skilled martial artist. Emma is killed during the beginning of the third season. Emma grew up in Seattle, Washington. Her parents were two hippie "flakes" who taught her a respect for the spiritual and a distrust of mechanical things. She first discovered her psionic abilities at the age of five when she was able to find her parents telempathically after they had lost her at a rock concert. She was 10 when her parents left her, and she was transferred to a foster home. Emma attended Sloman High School with fellow psionic Michelle Bigelow. She and the telecybernetic Michelle would go shopping together, play pranks on the local coffee shop owner, steal furniture from the dean of students' office, and have long philosophical debates. Emma occasionally used her powers to make dates jump through hoops for her, and learned to speak Finnish from a foreign exchange student she dated in high school. After graduation, she lost touch with Michelle and worked at a Leverman and Stokes boutique selling Misses and Petites. The GSA found her and chased her 12

literally into the arms of Mutant X. During her time with the team, the youngest member of Mutant X learned to hone her telempathic gifts and expand to telepathy, mind control, illusions, and precognition. The most socially conscious member of Mutant X, Emma's abilities gave her occasional migraines. She developed her psionic blast at the end of her first year, and her personality darkened as she became more powerful and less trusting of Mutant X's leader, Adam Kane. Emma was killed in an explosion at Shalimar Fox's father's plant, Naxcon (see What happened to Emma?). She had been with Mutant X for about two years. As a child, Emma once communed with the ghost of a small girl during a sance of her mother's. Emma's biggest fear is of being blind. According to early casting breakdowns, Emma's character was originally named Emma DeSalvo, codename "Rapport." Her initial new mutant ability was telepathy (akin to X-Men's Jean Grey), and she was to have a romantic relationship with Brennan. Her codename was discarded and ability changed to telempathy--emphasis on the "m"--after the Fox Studios vs. Marvel lawsuit discouraged similarities to the X-Men film. Throughout the first season, Adam calls Emma a telempath, one who can sense and manipulate the emotions of others. She does indeed have this gift, but her range has always exceeded this one facet of psionics, since the very first episode. She demonstrates her ability to cast illusions on Allison Turner in Shock of the New, by making two harmless dock workers look like GS agents. In "Russian Roulette" and "The Meaning of Death," she makes Sonya and Jesse respectively feel as though they are choking. Fear and panic are emotions. Suffocation is not. Neither is blindness, which she accomplishes with the GS agents in "In the Presence of Mine Enemies," and with Adam in "Double Vision." In "Fool for Love," she displays telepathy after enhancing a witnesss memory of a license plate number. No one should be surprised, therefore, that her teammates are unaware of Emmas growing proficiency as the second season wears on. Emma DeLauro is in her early 20s, a beautiful, charming and saucily sexy young woman seemingly gifted with a wisdom beyond her years - an apparent wisdom that's a direct result of her mutant ability - a telempathic linkage with other people. Emma can communicate her own feelings, and receive those of others around her - powers that often leave her psychically exhausted and emotionally wrung out. She can also, with some effort, manipulate the way others feel, think and react by planting powerful emotional suggestions in her unknowing subject's deep unconscious. Emma is a sunnily happy young woman with a sense of mischief totally at odds with her slinky new age persona - a prankish nature that come out in using her abilities to her own advantage in personal matters. As much as she'll categorically deny it, she's not above using her capacity to manipulate those around her - like clerks in retail stores, who frequently find unadvertised discounts on just the items Emma's looking for - or using the same gifts to encourage the attentions of someone she finds attractive - some guy, for example, whose taste runs more into the cheerleader type, as opposed to this breathy and sensitive beauty - who's actually no shrinking violet. Emma's parents were baby boomer hippies, living an itinerant life, travelling from commune to commune in the late 1970s - unwilling to acknowledge that the lifestyle they'd chosen for themselves was rapidly vanishing. When her mom became pregnant with Emma, the young couple, broke as always, answered an ad in an underground newspaper, which offered to pay all health expenses plus a living bonus of $10,000 to pregnant mothers willing to participate in a new form of prenatal care and childbirth. No secret where that lead. Emma's mom and dad were interviewed by a crew of young sympathetic doctors - precisely the sort of countercultural types they had spent their lives with, in free clinics and workshops. Along with the other similar pregnant girls at the workshop, Emma's mom filled out a questionnaire. She revealed she hoped to have a little girl who would be caring and sensitive to the feelings of others - to counter the hard shell the world seemed to be growing. Emma was everything her parents hoped she might be - a lovely, caring child that seemed to know what would make people happy - because, since her New Mutant abilities were there from birth, even before she could talk, Emma could anticipate people's needs and feelings - becoming a bit of a people pleaser before she even understood the concept. Unfortunately Emma's parents never grew up enough to actually become adults, so they dumped her with friends, hit the road in the latest of a long string of VW buses, and disappeared - never to be heard of again. As each year passed, and she moved from foster home to foster home, her powers grew exponentially lateral with her abilities to speak and reason. Emma can't read minds, but she can sense in great detail an emotional condition - and learn an awful lot about another person from it and by the same token , she can transmit suggestions, alternative thoughts, ideas and implicit commands. From Genomex.net, GENOMEX SECURITY FILE: MX999PDE DeLauro, Emma, Priority Clearance Only UPDATED 5/30: The subject profiled is a member of the outlaw faction Mutant X. This is the most recent recruit to Adam's crew of terrorists (see file #MX999AAA). She is a Psionic in her early teens/late twenties with the power of telempathy. DeLauro can read emotions and plant or manipulate them in others. While there are many in this classification, her abilities surpass the majority. DeLauro is the child of two college students who were paid percipients in Genomex DNA experiments (via the Breedlove Institute). The result was a New Mutant offspring that neither had the responsibility to raise. Fostered or cared for by relatives, the Psionic was carefully tracked by the GSA throughout her youth and 13

approached as an agent candidate when her empathic condition had matured and could be honed as a weapon. Once again, Adam's intervention kept her from becoming part of Genomex's security force and instead one of its more prominent foes. Unlike her cohorts, DeLauro is not characterized as being aggressive or a dangerous physical threat. She is often employed in the background of an attack or as a tracker. This aside, HER MENTAL CAPABILITIES CANNOT BE UNDERESTIMATED. Many a GSAgent has fallen prey to this misconception and allowed themselves to be controlled by her psionic invasions. Research has shown that the best method of felling a Telempath is to assault where they strike. Diseased images conjured in one's head should cause a ricochet effect, crippling them emotionally. There is a known vulnerability in all Psionics that causes them to tread a line thin between sanity and madness. As the subject has already demonstrated an inclination to separate contrasting aspects of her personality (see Dr. Harrison's file on the "DeLauro Split") it is suggested that a psychological counterattack may be the most effective way of subduing her. DeLauro has little or no contact with her immediate family and use of close friends to turn her (see Personnel file on deceased GSAgent Michelle Bigelow) has proved futile. As it appears the Psionic's strongest emotional ties are with fellow Mutant X activists, injury to any of them should prove to be a powerful way to strike and disable her. Mr. Eckhart has ordered that, above all Mutant X members, DeLauro is the most valuable and should be brought in with as little damage as possible. This mandate remains in place UFN. Affiliation: Mutant X; Mutant Classification: Psionic Telempath / Illusionist / Precog; Relatives: None known; Quantum 4; Quantum Pool 40 (Regenerate every 30 minutes); Willpower 7; Taint 2; Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Manipulation 4, Charisma 3, Appearance 3, Perception 4 (1, Fourth Dimensional Scan*, Quantum Sense), Intelligence 2, Wits 3 (3, Group Awareness, Natural Empath); Abilities: Academics (Occult) 2, Arts 2, Athletics 1, Awareness 4, Brawl 3, Bureaucracy 2, Command 2, Drive 3, Endurance 3, Etiquette 2, Firearms 2, Interrogation 3, Intimidation 2, Melee 2, Perform 3, Rapport 5, Resistance 3, Science 1, Stealth 2, Streetwise 2, Style 3, Subterfuge 2; Backgrounds: Allies 5, Backing 3, Cipher 3, Contacts 4, Followers 2, Influence 1, Mentor 5, Node 3, Resources 3; Quantum Powers: Disorient 4, Empathic Manipulation 5, Holo 5, Hypnosis 4, Invisibility 5, Pretercognition 2, Stun Attack (Mental Pain Bolt) 5, Telepathy (Memory Removal Only) 4; Soak: Bashing 3 dice, Lethal 1 dice (Heals rates are two times normal, Lifespan 150+ years). *Fourth Dimensional Scan is equivalent to the Spirit Sphere 1 power Spirit Sense / Sight, attuned to the Shadowlands. Fox, Shalimar Shalimar Fox is in her late twenties. She has feline feral capabilities, which according to Genomex sources maybe either Cougar or Lynx. Her feral capabilities make her wild, unpredictable, territorial and protective of her pack, which is the Mutant X team. Nicholas Fox, Shalimar's father and the owner of Naxcon, believed there was something wrong with his daughter due to her New Mutant abilities. At age 10, Shalimar's parents locked her in a mental institution where she was subjected to various beatings for behavior modification, in hopes that it would cause her feral abilities to go away. While at the institution her feral powers began to grow. One day when the guards came to give her daily treatment, she was strong enough to fend off their attack and escape the institution. She never spoke to her parents again for years, until a mission for Mutant X required her to do so. At age 15, Shalimar was living on the streets until Dr. Adam Kane found her. However, this new home was only temporary. After living with him for only a few days she ran away. The ever-persistent Dr. Kane found her a few days later in a rundown motel, she hadn't eaten in a few days, and her feral abilities were running wild. Her new life with Dr. Kane at Sanctuary was very different from her life prior to this point. Adam Kane helped her learn to control her feral side and a close father-daughter bond formed between the two of them. When Shalimar first arrived at Sanctuary she wasn't the only one to be living with Adam. Another feline feral by the name of Nikki Rogers shared a room with Shalimar and the two became as close as sisters. The two of them were to become the beginning of the current Mutant X team, however, Adam soon realized that he would need a mix of New Mutant talents in order to create the perfect team. Unfortunately Adam had to choose between the two girls, feeling that Shalimar would be more capable of controlling her feral abilities, he decided to keep her as the first member of the Mutant X team. Some point during her late teens, Shalimar left Adam and life at Sanctuary for an unspecified period of time. During this time away from Adam, Shalimar got involved with some criminal activity. Her boyfriend at the time Zack Lockhart, who was also a New Mutant, framed Shalimar for one of his criminal heists. The details behind how Shalimar was able to clear her name is unknown, however, it was most likely due to the help of Adam Kane. After her brush with the law, Shalimar returned to Sanctuary where she has continued to live till today. Shalimar helps rescue and relocate New Mutants, maintain the Underground, go out on missions for Adam, and teach her team members techniques that Adam taught her to help them control their New Mutant abilities. Shalimar Fox is one of the genetically engineered individuals called "New Mutants", who possess superhuman abilities. Shalimar Fox has a difficult relationship with her family, forming one of the subplots of the show's early seasons. She is currently a member of the organization Mutant X, which attempts to see to the welfare of New 14

Mutants, as well as preventing them from abusing their powers. Shalimar was called by the hero name Shadowfox in early drafts of the show before they decided not to use hero names. She is also romantically involved with the mutant Brennan Mulwray. Shalimar is the daughter of Nicholas Fox, the head of Naxcon Corporation. Shalimar frightened away her friends in school, due mostly to the fact that she forced an ex-boyfriend to eat his math textbook. Hoping to counter her wild and unpredictable behavior, Nicholas placed Shalimar in a psychiatric ward when she was 10 years old, where she was repeatedly beaten by the orderlies. Her parents split up shortly after she left. Shalimar escaped from the hospital as soon as she was strong enough to fight back and lived on the streets with another feral, Gia Duchamps, until she was 15. Adam Kane found her holed up in an old motel and brought her live in Sanctuary with him and another 15 year old feline feral, Nikki Rogers. She remained a part of Mutant X after Adam chose to send Nikki away to a foster home. At some point in time during these early years, Shalimar had a romantic affair with the unscrupulous thief Zack Lockhart; Shalimar recalls that he once stashed his stolen loot in her freezer, leaving her to face some time in jail. As a feline feral, has glowing cat's eyes and enhanced senses of smell, sight, and touch. Because of her enhanced hearing, loud sounds can cause her to have migraines. Her heightened strength and reflexes allow her to make magnificent leaps and powerful combat moves. Like all feline ferals, Shalimar is very territorial and has an intense fear of fire. Unlike her animal counterparts, however, Shalimar does prefer her meat medium well done. Shalimar taught Jesse to hack into the NuJack GPS system. According to the Mutant X comic book Dangerous Decisions, Shalimar did attend some high school. In an interview, actress Victoria Pratt stated that the character of Shalimar was initially supposed to be very tough and bitchy, with a combative attitude towards Emma. Having played a similar role in her acting career (Sarge in the television show "Cleopatra 2525"), Victoria asked that her character be made softer and friendlier before taking the part. According to early casting breakdowns, Shalimar's codename was "Shadowfox." The character's codenames were deleted after the Fox Studios vs. Marvel lawsuit, thus breaking some of the similarities to the X-Men film. Shalimar Fox is in her late 20s, a fiery and feral beauty utterly in touch with her primal nature. Shalimar is a little wild and completely unpredictable breathtakingly sensual the kind of woman what man and frankly an awful lot of women too throw themselves at, damning caution to get next to her outrageous sexiness all of which are the natural outgrowth of her mutant abilities, drawn from the splicing and crossindexing of human and animal genetic traits. Shalimar possesses the strength, speed and relentlessness of the animal kingdom. Uncannily fast, inhumanly agile, sensually cat-like, wickedly guileful, and incredibly sexy a beautiful, reckless, kittenish, flirtatious and funny woman. Shalimar was born and raised in the south-west the only survivor of a special branch of the Genomex project a division experimenting with splicing the genetic makeup of a broad spectrum of the animal kingdom with fertilized human eggs. Like all the various functions of the project, it was maintained in complete secrecy and shut down immediately as a total disaster when all but one of the test subjects died in many cases taking their mothers to the grave with them in childbirth. Shalimars parents fled the facility, and her mother gave birth to her little girl in the desert. She was raised as a normal child, and grew into a striking beauty who kept her secret deeply buried. Shalimar, like all the children of Genomex, knew from her earliest moments that she was special. As an infant she fell from a crib and landed cat-like on her feet. When she was three she could out run and out climb her tabby. It was her fear of exposure, of embarrassment, of shame a feeling she shared with so many other children of Genomex - that kept her from sharing these secrets with anyone. Like all the children of Genomex she was continuing to evolve. Shalimar developed an instinctual ability to read people and she acted recklessly on what she learned, without restraint or regard for any consequences. And it was on one of these reckless adventures that she found herself face to face with Adam the first man she couldnt "read". Adam told Shalimar her own story right back to her with sympathy, empathy and understanding. Adam knew all about her feeling frightened, isolated, alone and frankly inhuman. He shared his own secrets with her, and then explained the danger she was in from Mason Eckhart and his security division and together with the blessings of her parents, who have no idea of their beautiful and loving daughters secrets they left her old life behind, disappearing into the night. GENOMEX SECURITY FILE: MX999FFS Fox, Shalimar. Priority Clearance Only UPDATED 5/30: The subject profiled is a member of the outlaw faction Mutant X. Fox is a Feral in her late twenties. She falls into the classification of Feline, most common of the New Mutant breed. Her heightened senses, strength, agility and prowess are all on par with a female cougar or lynx. If she possesses cat claws or fangs, they are retractable and have not surfaced in any recorded GSA encounter (making their existence unlikely). Raised by her natural parents in the American southwest, Genomex lost track of the subject when the Agency's original tracking database became corrupted during Incident X (SECURITY RED FILE, no general access). The current location and status of her family have yet to be retraced, although it is an educated deduction that their true surname is not "Fox". 15

History files on this Feline begin with police records as a teenage runaway and then an accomplice to petty theft with fellow New Mutant Zachary Lockhart, a Psionic Illusionist (file #EOG62PLZ). Located by renegade activist Adam (files #MX999AAA, #EOG85AAA and #0154A896, among others) before Genomex could apprehend her, Fox descended into a deeper life of criminal activity as part of his terrorist task force. To date, she has the longest tenure of any New Mutant he has employed. While the Feline has considerably honed battle skills and a highly developed aggression, she does fall victim to the most common of Feral vulnerabilities: a fear of fire. GSAgents confronting Fox are recommended to employ this weakness against her. Like all Ferals, she may be highly susceptible to hypnotic influence or suggestion, although it is presumed that Adam has taken measures to counteract the flaw. Fox is always to be treated as a HIGHLY DANGEROUS ENEMY; however, the directive from Mr. Eckhart's office is firm on her being captured alive and reasonably unharmed. This mandate remains in place UFN. Affiliation: Mutant X; Mutant Classification: Feral Feline; Relatives: Nicholas Fox (Father); Quantum 2; Quantum Pool 24 (Regenerate every hour); Willpower 7; Taint 4 (Hormonal Imbalance Lust); Strength 4 (2, Crush, Quantum Leap), Dexterity 3 (3, Catfooted, Enhanced Movement, Physical Prodigy), Stamina 3 (2, Regeneration), Manipulation 2, Charisma 4, Appearance 4, Perception 3 (1, Bloodhound, Electromagnetic Vision, Hyperenhanced Hearing), Intelligence 2, Wits 4; Abilities: Academics 1, Athletics 5, Awareness 3, Computer 3, Drive 1, Endurance 4, Engineering 2, Firearms 2, Interrogation 2, Intimidation 4, Intrusion 3, Investigation 3, Legerdemain 2, Linguistics 3, Martial Arts 4, Melee 3, Might 4, Rapport 5, Resistance 4, Science 2, Stealth 4, Streetwise 3, Style 4, Subterfuge 3, Survival 4; Backgrounds: Allies 5, Backing 3, Cipher 4, Contacts 3, Mentor 5, Node 4, Resources 3; Quantum Powers: Premonition 3; Soak: Bashing 5 dice, Lethal 2 dice (Heals rates are four times normal, ignore two points of damage penalty, one extra Bruised health level, Lifespan 150+ years). Kane, Adam Adam Kane was born the clone of The Creator, an ancient geneticist who needed an heir to carry on his lifetime goal of manipulating human evolution's course. The people Adam believed to be his parents, Michael and Kara, were actually The Creator's loyal employees. The Creator surreptitiously guided Adam's progress as he began college at the age of 12, won honors for genetics research at Stanford, obtained his medical degree, and became a head researcher at Genomex under Dr. Paul Breedlove's mentorship in October 1978. Failing to impart a conscience upon the first new mutant, Gabriel Ashlocke, the young Adam focused instead on curing childhood disease through DNA manipulation. Once Adam discovered that several children had developed superhuman abilities as a result of these experiments, he continued to work on selected mutations in secret before finally ceasing his work altogether. One of Adam's research subjects was the stealth mutant Danielle Hartman, with whom Adam fell in love before she left him for his friend Mason Eckhart. Mason and Adam would later become bitter enemies; Mason blamed Adam for the destruction of his immune system due to the mysterious "Incident X." Adam's professional rivalry with Genomex's star geneticist Dennis Malone continued until Dr. Malone left Genomex. Adam also made an enemy of his closest professional colleague, Benjamin McTeague, by having a brief affair with his wife Lucy. Another lover, Christina, turned out to be using him to gain Genomex contacts to further her own career goals. Christina did, however, connect Adam with the powerful financial backers who made it possible for Adam to flee Genomex and build Sanctuary and the mutant underground network. Using the mutant database he had stolen from Dr. Breedlove, Adam recruited the Mutant X team members to help him protect new mutants from Genomex capture. The team recently found out that Adam has been working for a shadowy group known as the Dominion since before he founded their group. Though he appeared to have died in the same explosion that killed Emma, Adam recently revealed himself to be alive and anonymously aided Shalimar on missions for the team. Adam also created at least one other Mutant X team before the current one. Though Lexa was a member of this team, the fate of its other members is uncertain. Comments: Adam is played by John Shea. When a young version of him was seen in the time travel episode Time Squared, the part was played by Christopher Jacot. Possibly the worlds most intelligent person, Adam Kane is also a man caught between his deep morality and the pressures of a world that few could imagine. A genius who entered college at the age of 12, Adam was soon enmeshed in the cutting edge of genetic science, manipulating DNA to save lives with a company called Genomex. After learning that his discoveries were being used without his permission, he left Genomex to pursue a new goal of protecting the New Mutants that his research had helped create. Fashion Sense: Really likes to wear black. Adam wears black shirts, pants, suits, jackets, shoes, socks, etc. Its all black when it has to do with Adam. He once wore a white lab coat in The Meaning of Death. He wears other colors when undercover as GSA Agent or insurance inspector, for instance. Also, he wore khakis and a light green shirt on No Man Left Behind. Why? Beats us. Yet, if you were to look into his closet 95% of the clothing within that closet will be black. Adam Kane was born the clone of The Creator, an ancient geneticist who needed an heir to carry on his lifetime goal of manipulating human evolution's course. The people Adam believed to be his parents, Michael and Kara, were actually The Creator's loyal employees. The Creator surreptitiously guided Adam's progress as he began college at the age of 12, won honors for genetics research at Stanford, obtained his medical degree, and became a head researcher at Genomex under Dr. Paul Breedlove's mentorship in October 1978. Failing to impart a conscience upon the first new mutant, Gabriel Ashlocke, the young Adam focused instead on curing childhood disease through DNA manipulation. Once Adam discovered that several children had developed superhuman 16

abilities as a result of these experiments, he continued to work on selected mutations in secret before finally ceasing his work altogether. One of Adam's research subjects was the stealth mutant Danielle Hartman, with whom Adam fell in love before she left him for his friend Mason Eckhart. Mason and Adam would later become bitter enemies; Mason blamed Adam for the destruction of his immune system due to a mysterious accident labeled "Incident X." Adam's professional rivalry with Genomex's star geneticist Dr. Dennis Malone continued until Dr. Malone left Genomex. Adam also made an enemy of his closest professional colleague, Dr. Benjamin McTeague, by having a brief affair with his wife Lucy. Another lover during Adam's latter days at Genomex, Christina, turned out to be using him to gain Genomex contacts to further her own career goals. Christina did, however, connect Adam with the powerful financial backers who made it possible for Adam to flee Genomex to build Sanctuary and create the new mutant underground network. Using the mutant database he had stolen from Dr. Breedlove during his escape, Adam recruited the Mutant X team members to help him protect new mutants from Genomex capture. Adam can play chess and poker simultaneously....and successfully. Adam has a scar on his left chest where Shalimar attacked him at their first meeting. Actor John Shea revealed in several interviews that Adam was a 19 year old Stanford biogenetics prodigy working in agricultural cross-fertilization/animal husbandry when he was recruited by Genomex (then, a branch of the CIA called the American Industrial Complex). Shea also stated that the source of some of Adam's wealth was "clever investing" in technology stocks in the 1990s while working at Genomex. GENOMEX SECURITY FILE: MX999AAA ADAM Priority Clearance Only UPDATED 5/30: Genomex's association with the demagogue known as Adam begins long before his formation of the criminal Mutant X. At one time, the youthful genetics prodigy was an integral part of this organization. His scientific genius brought forth many of the breakthroughs in New Mutant development and control that are still applied in practice today (see files on subdermal governors, stasis pods, Subject 1.0, Section Nine, etc...). These contributions must all be disregarded in light of the fact that Adam grew into a maniacal, power-thirsty betrayer to the entire Genomex cause. His actions beginning with "Incident X" (classified as TOP PERSONNEL ONLY) have been a destructive threat not only to our own security, but the human race in general. This factor coupled with his considerable knowledge of operation modes and upper echelon staff makes him Genomex's NUMBER ONE ENEMY (PRIORITY RED). Due to working procedure (since reversed by Mr. Eckhart following "X") Adam's background, like many of the early Genomex staff, was deliberately obscured. What can be pieced together is the certainty that he was brought to Genomex by Dr. Breedlove as a teenage phenomenon who had already obtained several advanced science degrees. Whether he was a blood relation, mere recruit or even early clone of the doctor himself has never been determined. No records of actual surname, parentage or schooling exist. Mandatory mental health exams by then staff psychologist, Dr. Peter Van Hobson (since replaced by Dr. Varady) indicate that Adam himself might not have been aware of his true origins; a victim of chronic amnesia or brainwashing. Mr. Eckhart has since stated, however, that Adam's intelligence was completely capable of deceiving the most astringent of psychic evaluations as well as any lie-detecting devices incorporated at the time. During his time at Genomx, Adam grew close to many of the New Mutant subjects he treated. Security tape archives have revealed that one of these relationships was of a romantic nature. The female involved was Molecular Danielle Hartman (see Security file #XS668X), a Stealth being trained for espionage assignments. This short-lived indiscretion seems to be an isolated incident and as Hartman has since gone AWOL it is doubtful whether she can be used as leverage against him. Among the staff only Dr. Breedlove and Mr. Eckhart gained any true confidences from Adam, trusts that injured them both. No other strong Genomex alliances were formed during his tenure. Many GSagents have speculated that Adam himself was some kind of mutant, possibly a natural Psionic. Mr. Eckhart would like it made clear that this theory is dangerously incorrect. Adam's gifts (and weapons) are of a freakishly evolved human brain and cannot be diminished or treated as a New Mutant variant. This is exactly the reason he is so lethal to the patriotic community and why he and Mutant X must be brought down dead or alive. "Weaknesses of character, such as compassion, guilt and generosity towards the unhuman are the sole chinks in Adam's armor and must be exploited to end his menace to mankind." (Eckhart, permanent directive. Undated). This mandate remains in place UFN. Genomex.net Mail-Pseurver Document RE: ADAM: Sir, as you surmised, the data requested on the subject known as Adam was completely eradicated from our files. I have doubts to its existence before incident X, but all our sources draw a complete blank. I have taken the liberty of employing several background specialists to research the matter. To my astonishment, they turned in separate reports that bore no resemblance to each other. I have summarized them for you below: 1) Submitted by Investigator Hawley. The former Genomex scientist called Adam was in fact the illegitimate child of Eleanor Singer, becoming Dr. Breedlove's stepson upon their marriage. The Singer fortune and well-placed connections kept the boy a secret, raising him in secluded east coast schools throughout his adolescence. Adam's sudden emergence as a vital part of Genomex can now be explained as mere nepotism. This also accounts for the Breedloves' passive attitude toward him after Incident X. Candidates for Adam's father are difficult to pinpoint. Eleanor Singer concentrated on her medical career for most of her youth with no noticeable gaps in time from her education and subsequent practice. Therefore, the baby was conceived and 17

born in her teenage years. She was courted by various Kennedys, Hearsts and Posts, but it is wise not to rule out any attractive male members of the Singer household staff, several of which bore striking resemblances to the adult Adam from photos provided. 2) Submitted by Sara Stein-Glock, Glock Investigations. It is this agency's opinion that Adam is a kidnapped son of European royalty, most likely fathered (or grand-fathered) by the noted scientist, Albert Einstein. This well-kept secret and placement within a powerful American-based organization covers all bases: his unreliable temperament, documented genius and later hostile actions toward Genomex. His focused interest in genetics and perfecting bloodlines also become clear. DNA tests will confirm our data, but we feel 85% certain, the unstable Rostov line is his lineage with 10% in favor of Medici and 5% for Windsor. 3) Submitted by J.D. McCaulay & Assoc. Adam is not a human being, but an early product of the Breedlove laboratory. Based on notes and early university lectures of the noted scientist in the late 1950's, the idea of combining genetics and robotics was often discussed. Thus, Adam is an android, a hybrid of human DNA (probably Breedlove's own) and computer technology. It all fits: he is an artificial man with an unreasonably high IQ and no emotional reasonability; his history begins and ends at Genomex; and finally, the eerie connection he shared with Paul Breedlove fits into place. Therefore, it is this firm's suggestion that the doctor created a Frankenstein monster that is even more dangerous than previously cited. If Genomex wishes assistance in eliminating the subject, McCaulay & Associates would gladly stay on the payroll to finish the job. Who, or perhaps more apply, what is Adam? Despite knowing him more than two decades, and making careful investigations of every possible source of information about him, Adam remains a mystery. From available records, he seems to materialize one autumn day in 1971 at Stanford, slide rule clipped to his belt. (Not a guess on my part, but an actual recollection from a classmate who recalls seeing him wear a slide rule until acquiring one of the bulky early calculators sometime early in 1972. This was the style among serious geeks of the time.) The story persists that Adam lived with Breedlove and Singer as a child. There are no first person accounts, photographs, or school records to substantiate this story, but with Adam, most anything is possible. This would explain Adams special relationship with them both, and Paul Breedloves willingness to cover almost any of Adams crimes. Curiously, during the time I knew him, Adam never once mentioned his childhood or parents. After years of financial irregularities (well into 8 figures) and the diversion of controlled substances from the Genomex infirmary, Adam left the company after a particularly heated argument with Paul Breedlove in 1998. Amusingly, Adam now describes this as an escape, but all he did was walk out the door, drive away, and leave his keycard with the security guard on the drive out. Adam was never one to let the simple truth get in the way of personal drama. Shortly thereafter, stories reached Genomex that Adam had some kind of bunker in the hills, and that he had put together a kind of gang that he called Mutant X. This was the first Mutant X team; there were others, each unaware of the previous members killed while serving Adam on missions. Adam carefully selected individuals with few ties to the outside world, preferably from dysfunctional families. He set himself up as a father figure and created a kind of family for them; their loyalties would be to Adam and each other. For a detailed discussion of Adams cult-like Mutant X teams, refer to Agent Hoelzels enlightening report at http://www.masonesque.net/html/daddy.html. The loyalty Adam inspires from Genomex mutants is truly amazing when one considers that he is the person responsible for creating their problems, and creation of the two devices, the subdermal governors and stasis pods, that he paints as the bane of their existenceas peculiarly mine, which they are not. Real Name: Adam Kane; Identity/Class: Normal human (apparently); Occupation: Leader of Mutant X, works for the Dominion; Affiliations: Mutant X; former Genomex scientist; Danielle Hartman (ex-girlfriend); Known Relatives: None known; Aliases: Adam Xero Quantum 9; Quantum Pool 90 (Regenerate every 5 minutes); Willpower 9; Taint 5; Strength 3, Dexterity 4, Stamina 3, Charisma 4, Manipulation 4, Appearance 3, Perception 4, Intelligence 5 (7, Eidetic Memory, Enhanced Memory, Medical Prodigy, Scientific Prodigy, Speed Reading, Taint Resistance), Wits 4; Skills: Academics 5, Athletics 1, Awareness 3, Command 4, Computer 5, Disguise 3, Drive 2, Endurance 3, Engineering 3, Etiquette 3, Firearms 3, Intrusion 2, Investigation 3, Martial Arts 4, Medicine 5, Melee 2, Might 2, Pilot 3, Rapport 2, Resistance 3, Science 5, Stealth 1, Streetwise 3, Subterfuge 4, Style 2, Tactics 4; Backgrounds: Allies 4, Backing 5, Cipher 4, Contacts 4, Dormancy 4, Node 3, Resources 4; Merits: Concentration, Devotion, Lightning Calculator, Iron Will, Jack of All Trades, Taint Resistant; Flaws: Enemy 3, Hunted; Quantum Powers: Luck 4; Soak: Bashing 3, Lethal 1 (Healing rates are doubled. Lifespan 150+ years.) Kilmartin, Jesse Little is known about Jesse's background, except that he came from a high-profile east coast American family, is the grandson of famed industrialist Noah Kilmartin, and that his father, Noah, worked in covert ops. He has a strained relationship with his father, who he idolized yet was barely around when he was growing up. Due to unexplained circumstances, Adam found him when he was still young, and apparently took him in as the second member of Mutant X. Jesse is highly skilled in technology, dependable and willing to learn. He is an asset to the team as the only person other than Adam who is capable of taking over as the team's tech guru, and bearing powers that were ready-made for both infiltration and defense. 18

Jesse tends to gravitate towards Shalimar rather than Adam when it comes to comfort and familial love, possibly because of his past with his father. He occasionally seems to lack in confidence yet he strives to be useful in missions. Jesse Kilmartin is the son of manipulative covert operative Noah Kilmartin. Both his wealthy father and his grandfather William had won medals for their military service, but Jesse rarely saw his grandfather because of animosity between the two men. Though Noahs work habitually kept him far from home, Jesse remembered occasional pizza parlor visits and yearly father-son martial arts competitions until his parents divorce. Jesse first discovered his abilities in high school, while engaged to Alisha Keary, the daughter of the wealthy industrialist family with whom he used to spend summers. Fleeing from a life where he could not fit in, Jesse joined Mutant X to find a new family and sense of purpose. Jesse led a sheltered childhood and as he got older he learned to adapt to the world around him. He always sees the good in people and often finds trouble accepting their bad points. He suffers from claustrophobia, a fear derived from the fact that his powers would not usually allow him to be restrained. He joined Mutant X not long after Shalimar Fox, and forged a tight bond with Brennan Mulwray, despite their incredible differences. He is highly proficient in using Sanctuary's technology and can figure out how to use almost any computer system. Like the rest of Mutant X, Jesse is skilled in martial arts and his high I.Q. makes him a great researcher. Jesse is the only mutant to surpass his "expiration date". Jesse Kilmartin is the son of manipulative covert government operative Noah Kilmartin. Both his wealthy father and his grandfather William had won medals for their military service, but Jesse rarely saw his grandfather because of animosity between the two men. Though Noahs work habitually kept him far from home, Jesse remembered occasional family outings to the pizza parlor Giorgio's and yearly father-son martial arts competitions until his parents divorce. Jesse was a good student in school, though he often froze during exam time. He first discovered his molecular abilities in high school, while engaged to Alisha Keary, the favored daughter of the upscale industrialist family with whom he used to spend summers. Fleeing from a life in which he felt could not fit, Jesse joined Mutant X to discover a new family and sense of purpose. As an intangible/impervious molecular, Jesse can alter his bodys density to intangible enough to walk through walls (phasing) or dense enough to stop bullets and cars (massing). By the end of the third season, Jesse can also phase and mass other objects and people by touch. Jesse can only remain massed for as long as he can hold his breath, and if he remains phased for more than 30 seconds, he may dissipate into thin air. Jesse is a computer geek who actually hates video games. He's responsible for creating Genomex ID cards and comlink rings for the group. Jesse's favorite food is pizza, his drink of choice is gin and tonic, and he loves action flicks... though horror movies give him the creeps. He is fluent in Italian. Jesse's biggest fear is being buried alive. In the original casting breakdown, Jesse Kilmartin--whose code name was to be "Synergy"--was supposed to be able to split into three different personalities as well as change his physical appearance to resemble other people (similar to Mystique in X-Men). Actor Forbes March added in an interview that the three personalities had different defining characteristics: one was effeminate, one was macho, and one was logical. By the time Forbes returned for his callback, however, the character had already been simplified. Also according to the early casting breakdown, Jesse's father was going to be a corrupt senator antagonistic to Mutant X, rather like Senator Kelly in X-Men. His father's identity was modified after the Fox Studios vs. Marvel lawsuit which accused Mutant X's creators of copying elements from the X-Men film. All of the Mutant X team members undergo a growth spurt in their abilities at the end of the first season. Of the four, it is Jesse's new ability which represents the least amount of change. At the new mutant safe house in I Scream the Body Electric, Jesse phases as Brennan shoots through him, and then falls through the floor. Since Jesse does not instantly fall through the floor every time he phases, he must have been able to phase the floor beneath him at will. It's also clear that whenever Jesse phases, his clothes, shoes, and comlink ring phase with him, presumably because he is in close contact with them. Thus, the supposed growth spurt that occurs in A Breed Apart, allowing him to phase other objects by touching them, is really nothing new. Yet, when Jesse is holding the Rafflesia pricei plant at Tricorp Botanicals in "Dark Star Rising, he must toss it through the window while he phases through the wall, and catch it on the other side. No idea why. Jesse Kilmartin is in his early 20s and one hell of a complex boy. Unlike many of the children who emerged from the Genomex project, his childhood was charmed and blessed; at least on a first and superficial glance. He's the son of Noah Kilmartin; a self-made multimillionaire who amassed a fortune larger than many countries by selling weapons to the third world; and used his connections in an attempt to buy himself the presidency, until his alcoholic wife, Elinor, went public with some of Noah's more antisocial behavior, and kyboshed that. Noah's loss of the big brass ring turned Jesse's boyhood into a complex emotional maze that had to be navigated daily. No wonder Jesse, from his earliest childhood, found his solace in solitary fantasy. Jesse's mother was barren, his father was sterile. Noah Kilmartin needed a child in his life; to sell himself as the kind of family man the nation elects to its highest office. Noah's checkered but thoroughly white washed life as a munitions manufacturer has also made him one of the very few power brokers who knows the secret of the Genomex Project; and sees no contradiction between having a test tube baby who will be secretly genetically engineered with skills that might very well make the child an effective covert operative the perfect legacy for this sick man. 19

The biotechs caved and Jesse Kilmartin was born and within a few years, he knew he could become intangible and impermeable at will, with effort and knew instinctually that it wouldn't be healthy to tell anyone especially his parents. Instead, he did everything possible to convince his father that whatever had been done to his fetal DNA it hadn't worked. His mother drank herself into a stupor on a daily basis, while his father, for whom Jesse was no more than an accessory, paid him no attention whatsoever until Noah's political career was ruined by his wife's blurting her story of his private indiscretions. Noah blamed his political crash and burn on his wife which soon spread out to include his eight year old son. And that's when Jesse began to earnestly work on learning to control his phasing and massing abilities anything to escape the life he lived in the big mansion on the hill. Jesse can both throw off the density of his own molecular structure making him intangible and draw molecular density from the world around him making him impenetrable. From a hard science perspective, this is physically impossible. But his genetically enhanced DNA maintains a distinct corporeal memory which enables Jesse to revert back to his original molecular structure at will. If, however, he remains intangible for over thirty seconds, he will dissipate. It took a while for Jesse to master his abilities, and the process continues to require effort, training and finesse. Adam is convinced Jesse can master his newfound powers to ultimately control individual parts of his body phasing and massing out arms and legs at will. But that's for tomorrow. Right now, Jesse's having the time of his life having finally found a family that loves him just the way he is smiling, joking and laughing his way through some of the most hair raising adventures a New Mutant could ask for. GENOMEX SECURITY FILE: MX999MKJ Kilmartin, Jesse. Priority Clearance Only UPDATED 5/30: The subject profiled is a member of the outlaw faction Mutant X. A Molecular in his early twenties, this New Mutant's case is unusual in that he comes from a high-profile east coast American family. He is the grandson of famed industrialist Noah Kilmartin. His father, Noah Jr., is a known soldier-of-fortune and corporate saboteur (see file #EOG21HKN and the CODE ORANGE jacket on Nexxogen & Martez). Yet, despite a level of public visibility, the powerful Kilmartins have proved an inaccessible GSA route to apprehending their son. In light of many failed efforts, ALL PLANNED CONTACT OR NEGOITATIONS WITH THE FAMILY SHOULD BE ABORTED. Jesse Kilmartin's mutated DNA enables his body to physically fluctuate between states of intangibility and imperviousness. GSAgents have yet to find weapons that can hold or pierce him, respectively. Mutant X will often incorporate the Molecular as a defensive guard or a spy in subversive maneuvers. Possessing an above average intellect, he serves them in a diagnostic capacity as well. Known vulnerabilities are the limited amount of time Kilmartin can maintain each unnatural state of density (timed at 7-12 seconds). Overindulgence can be fatal. He also has a psych work-up that marks him as being overly sensitive, nave and immature. These vulnerabilities and a romantic link to Psionic Telekinetic Toni Quintana (file #EOG73PQT) have been effective in handicapping his advantages in past confrontations. As with all members of Mutant X, Mr. Eckhart wishes Kilmartin be brought in alive, although he is to be handed over to the Research branch immediately after surface interrogation. SUBJECT IS A PRIORITY RED and DANGEROUS. This mandate remains in place UFN. Affiliation: Mutant X; Mutant Classification: Molecular Intangible / Impervious / Gravitative; Relatives: Noah Kilmartin (father); Quantum 3; Quantum Pool 30 (Regenerate every hour); Willpower 6; Taint 3; Strength 3, Dexterity 4, Stamina 4, Manipulation 3, Charisma 3, Appearance 2, Perception 2, Intelligence 4, Wits 3; Abilities: Academics 3, Arts 2, Athletics 2, Awareness 3, Brawl 3, Bureaucracy 3, Command 2, Computer 4, Drive 1, Endurance 3, Engineering 3, Firearms 2, Intrusion 1, Investigation 2, Linguistics 1, Melee 3, Might 2, Rapport 2, Resistance 3, Science 3; Subterfuge 1; Backgrounds: Allies 5, Attunement 5, Backing 3, Cipher 3, Contacts 4, Mentor 5, Node 5, Resources 3; Quantum Powers: Density Control (Full Control, Affects Others) 5, Psychic Shield (Linked to Density Increase) 5; Soak: Bashing 4 dice, Lethal 2 dice (Heals rates are two times normal, ignore ? points of damage penalty, ? extra Bruised health level, Lifespan ?+ years). McCain, Eden Eden McCain was born as Sarah Ellis and raised in a small town. Her father frequently argued with her stepmother and left them when she was young. She was forced to do housework immediately after school for most of her childhood by her stepmother, a stereotypically cruel woman. Over time, her stepmother began to blame the girl for her father abandoning them and even called her worthless. After years of this treatment, in response to a particularly violent tantrum, Sarah shouted "I wish you'd just die!" and caused her stepmother's heart to instantly stop beating. The house then caught on fire as a result of her stepmother's cigarette falling to the ground. After escaping, Sarah asked a passerby to take her west, and later adopted the name "Eden McCain".[9] Afterward, about six months before most of the series' events, Eden was a criminal doing any selfish thing she wanted. This changed when she was taken in by Noah Bennet. Bennet and his partner the Haitian pacified Eden's powers so that Bennet could persuade her into working with them. Her first assignment was to move in near Chandra Suresh and befriend him, so that she could remove the name of Bennet's daughter from a list of superhumans Chandra had made. At the end of "Homecoming", Eden uses her power to put Sylar to sleep with the Haitian present. Later, in "Fallout", she suggests killing Sylar by using her power to make him kill himself. When Mr. Bennet disagrees, Eden takes matters into her own hands. She approaches Sylar outside his holding cell with a gun, then explains that she's going to give him the gun and he's going to commit suicide. During their conversation, Eden reveals 20

that she was the next door neighbor of Chandra Suresh. Before she has a chance to invoke her power of persuasion, Sylar telekinetically jerks Eden through the glass wall of his cell, breaking her concentration. He then grabs hold of her throat and begins to choke her while she struggles to try and shoot him. Sylar claims that a gun won't work on him and that he will kill her and take her power. Eden quickly decides to put the gun to her own head and fire, taking her own life before Sylar can steal her power. Her body is later found in Sudbury, Ontario, having been dumped into Lake Ramsey. Quantum 3; Quantum Pool 40 (Regenerate every hour); Willpower 6; Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2, Manipulation 3, Charisma 3, Appearance 3, Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 3; Abilities: Awareness 1, Brawl 2, Bureaucracy 2, Command 2, Drive 2, Endurance 3, Etiquette 3, Firearms 2, Interrogation 4, Intimidation 2, Intrusion 2, Investigation 3, Melee 1, Perform 2, Resistance 3, Streetwise 2, Style 2, Subterfuge 3; Backgrounds: Allies 2, Backing 1, Mentor 2, Node 2, Resources 3; Quantum Powers: Domination 5; Soak: Bashing 2 dice, Lethal 1 dice (Heals rates are two times normal, Lifespan 150+ years). Mulwray, Brennan Brennan Mulwray grew up to be a trouble maker. Son of a soldier dead in the last days of the Vietnam war, Brennan soon assembled a long juvenile record listing a wide range of offenses. Later, he graduated to grand robbery and auto-theft and breaking and entering. As a loner, with no surviving family, a con-man and wiseguy, and a known womanizer, Brennan fit the GSA profile for recruiting. His free spirit rebelled against the forceful draft and he accepted Adam Kane's invitation to join Mutant X. He has proven to be an asset to the team. A born leader, accomplished martial arts fighter and a crack shot with various types of weapons, including his own electric discharge ability, Brennan has succesfully tackled many missions. His criminal days left behind, he has strived to protect the life and freedom of his fellow new mutants. Brennan can short circuit if he uses his electrical power in contact with water. Brennan's trouble-making began early. He knew how to hot-wire cars at the age of 10, and from there went on to assemble a long juvenile record with a range of offenses. He tells two stories about his father, both of which cannot be true, but that is consistent with his con artist and womanizing nature. Incapable of any discipline, he resisted forced inclusion in the GSA, and accepted Adam's invitation to join Mutant X, where his criminal skills were put to positive us. He has never repented or disavowed his crimes. In addition to his ability to throw electricity, Brennan is capable also of jet propulsion. His vulnerability in water causes him to short circuit. Brennan Mulwray is one of the genetically engineered superhumans called "New Mutants". Brennan was the son of a Vietnam War fighter pilot who was imprisoned and killed after his plane was shot down behind enemy lines. Brennan and his stepfather never got along. He had begun using his abilities to boost cars by the time he was 10 years old. He and his buddy Cole Thatcher pulled crazy stunts like racing stolen cars on icy lakes; Brennan almost died once when his car went through the ice. In high school, faced with the courtappointed choice between juvenile detention and counseling, he chose to see psychologist Dr. Victor Palance, the first person he trusted enough to tell about his new mutant abilities. After high school, Brennan lived in a small apartment with his high school sweetheart, Becky Dolan, until she conned him out of money and left him. Brennan continued his life of petty crime and grand theft auto. He felt guilty after recommending his friend Dennis "Denny" Logan for a bank job which turned out to be a set-up, getting Denny thrown into prison. Brennan had just moved his gang up to armed bank robbery when he encountered Emma deLauro running from the GSA. While attempting to protect her, he was captured by GS agent Frank Thorne. Brennan chose to join Mutant X after they rescued him from Genomex's employ. In later seasons of the show he was also given the ability for low grade flight (high jumps/hover). Brennan was a former thief but later became a member of the benevolent organization Mutant X. Brennan also has a romantic history with fellow mutant Shalimar Fox that developed in later seasons. Brennan was the son of a Vietnam War fighter pilot who was imprisoned and killed after his plane was shot down behind enemy lines. Brennan and his step-father never got along. He had begun using his abilities to boost cars by the time he was 10 years old. He and his childhood buddy Cole Thatcher pulled crazy stunts like racing stolen cars on icy lakes; Brennan almost died once when his car went through the ice. In high school, faced with the court-appointed choice between juvenile detention and counseling, he chose to see psychologist Dr. Victor Palance, the first person he trusted enough to tell about his new mutant abilities. After high school, Brennan lived in a small apartment with his high school sweetheart, Becky Dolan, until she conned him out of money and left him. Brennan continued his life of petty crime and grand theft auto. He felt guilty after recommending his friend Denny Logan for a bank job which turned out to be a set-up, getting Denny thrown into prison. Brennan had just moved his gang up to armed bank robbery when he encountered Emma deLauro running from the GSA. While attempting to protect her, he was captured by GS agent Frank Thorne. Brennan chose to join Mutant X after they rescued him from Genomex's employ. As an electrical elemental, Brennan ("Sparky") can throw tesla coils from his fingers, allowing him to jump-start cars and cardiac arrests, open electronic locks, and electrocute enemies. Brennan needs a period of rest between voltage uses, and cannot use his abilities when he gets wet, lest he short out or electrocute himself. Brennan can be grounded by wrapping his arms in chains, or holding something that's touching the ground. Brennan reads Walt Whitman to help him relax, bounces tennis balls to help him think, and spends about 50 dollars a week on coffee. Brennan's a sucker for vintage cars, like Cutlasses and Camaros. He plays the 21

electric guitar (somewhat). Brennan's biggest fear is having his powers used against him. If you're going to the movies with Brennan, don't make him miss the previews! According to early casting breakdowns, Brennan's codename was initially going to be "Fuse," and he was to have a romantic interest in Emma. The character's codenames were deleted after the Fox Studios vs. Marvel lawsuit, thus eliminating some of the similarities to the X-Men film. Brennan Mulwray is a street-smart guy in his late 20's, a fast talking cavalier with an ingratiating grin -with enough power coursing through his body to power a small city or short-circuit a power grid. Like all new mutants his electrical abilities have been with him since birth. Brennan's embraced his abilities since he was a knockabout kid of 5 -- but like so many Children of Genomex, he's kept them a secret -- ashamed and embarrassed to appear different. As a result of overly charged positive ions in his cellular structure, Brennan can generate and conduct electricity. He can toss off lightning bolts with the ease of a smart-ass comeback, and short out a security system by merely touching a wire. A kiss from Brennan can create sparks -- literally knocking a girl off her feet... and should he get even a bit over-amped, he can black out a city's power grid. Brennan is a good-natured urban roughneck without a care in the world - there's nothing whatsoever guarded about this guy. Brennan's abilities are directly related to his physical, emotional and mental well-being. He has to control his temper -because any explosion of rage can set him off out of control -- depleting himself completely of any charge. He needs at least an hour to regain his powers during which he has to rely on his considerable skills as a streetfighter to survive. In addition water can be a big problem for Brennan. If the guy gets drenched, he can't use his powers -- for fear of self-electrocution. Brennan's condition is the result of genetic splicing to cure a defective gene inherited from his mother, a sad-faced woman who'd lived her entire life with a chemical imbalance that systematically devoured her physical energy. At 19, she found herself pregnant, and deserted by the child's father. It was her terror that she might transmit her own illness to the child growing within her that brought her to the attention of the GSA. They discovered she was carrying fraternal twins, a boy and a girl and that it was highly likely that both twins would inherit her defective genes. Alice immediately snatched at the glimmer of hope afforded by the project. The twins were genetically engineered, leaving Alice with a new and terrible choice. Barely subsisting on welfare, she hadn't considered exactly how she was going to afford to raise one child, let alone two. Alice gave the girl, who she named Arabella, up for adoption and kept the boy, Brennan. In her heart she knew the right thing to do was to give up both children, but she so wanted to have a child of her own. Alice died when Brennan was barely ten -- and after bouncing around from foster home to foster home, the kid found himself on the street. Brennan had always made it through life skirting the edge of ethical ambiguity -- and since the world had never done him a bit of good what was the point of clean and honest living? So Brennan did what any wise-guy who controls electricity would do. From that point on he secretly used his abilities to short out alarm systems, posing himself of to his cronies as a master of breaking and entering but never wielding his electrical powers against another human being until his first adventure with Mutant X. GENOMEX SECURITY FILE: MX99EMB Mulwray, Brennan. Priority Clearance Only UPDATED 5/30: All GSA personnel may regard Mulwray as a CODE BLUE capture. It is NOT mandatory that he be brought in alive. He is the ONLY associate of Mutant X that this flexibility of policy applies to. Agents are advised to use their own discretion when confronting him. The subject profiled is a member of the outlaw faction Mutant X. Mulwray is an Elemental in his late 20's/early 30's. He channels electricity through his body and can wield it as a weapon. In addition, the New Mutant is tall, agile, proficient in several forms of martial arts and a crack shot with most weaponry (including self-generated voltage). He is often placed in the front line of attacks and has taken down many an agent. A secondary use of his powers involves reducing current to a small enough flow to disable electronic locks, encoded computer systems, etc Once a GSA recruit, Mulwray hailed from a criminal background and seemed a natural candidate for the position. With no surviving family, few ties to civilian life and a inclination to womanize, he fit the GSAgent profile perfectly. In addition, he has accumulated a long, incriminating police record that dates back over a decade beginning with multiple juvenile offenses. Adam (see file #MX999AAA) either brainwashed or blackmailed Mulwray out of the fold. He has been a destructive force for Mutant X ever since. Like all Electric Elementals, Mulwray can be short-circuited with water. It is his primary weakness. GSAgents are advised to use this advantage during confrontations. Rubber and wood have also been effective materials in battle against him. BE WARNED: Mulwray is a confident fighter, ruthless in regards to whom and what he harms. There is a street smart, hair-trigger quality in his assaults that make him more lethal than his fellow terrorists. He has a history of deceit and robbery and is not above substance abuse. Consider him a TOP PRIORITY THREAT to all Genomex staff and activity. This mandate remains in place UFN. Affiliation: Mutant X; Mutant Classification: Elemental Electrical; Relatives: None known; Quantum 5; Quantum Pool 40 (Regenerate every 15 minutes); Willpower 5; Taint 3 (Hormonal Imbalance: Rage); Strength 3, Dexterity 4, Stamina 3, Manipulation 2, Charisma 3, Appearance 3, Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 4; Abilities: Arts 3, Athletics 3, Awareness 2, Bureaucracy 2, Command 3, Drive 3, Endurance 3, Engineering 3, Firearms 3, Interrogation 2, Intimidation 4, Intrusion 4, Investigation 3, Legerdemain 2, Martial Arts 5, Melee 4, 22

Might 2, Resistance 3, Stealth 3, Streetwise 3, Style 2, Subterfuge 4, Survival 3; Backgrounds: Allies 5, Attunement 2, Backing 3, Cipher 3, Contacts 5, Influence 1, Mentor 5, Node 2, Resources 3; Quantum Powers: Cyberkinesis (Control, Overload) 2, Elemental Mastery (Electricity, Blast, Lethal Blast, Propel, Sphere, Storm) 5, Magnetic Mastery (EMP) 1, Quantum Conversion (Electricity) 5; Soak: Bashing 3 dice, Lethal 1 dice (Heals rates are two times normal, Lifespan 150+ years). Nakamura, Hiro Hiro Nakamura is an office worker, specifically a level 3 programmer at Yamagato Industries, living in Tokyo, Japan who one day discovers he has the power to manipulate time and space (The Crane). An otaku, Hiro is an avid fan of superheroes and science fiction. Nave and over-eager, Hiro is both the series' comic relief and the one character that aspires to the pure heroism of comic book crime fighters, shouldering the responsibility to use his powers for good. His best friend is the skeptical and somewhat less geeky Ando Masahashi. At the start, Hiro is only able to speak Japanese, relying on Ando to be his translator, but as the series progresses, his English slowly develops. Hiro also turns out to be his own childhood hero, the "real" Takezo Kensei. Hiro's Blog, maintained by NBC and written from Hiro's point of view, is updated after each new episode is aired, usually about the events of the episode. Thirteen years before the start of the series, Hiro's father, Kaito Nakamura, puts Claire into the hands of Mr. Bennet. In the background, a ten-year-old Hiro plays his Game Boy, not paying attention to them. At the start of the series, Hiro's power is developed enough for him to turn the second-hand of his clock back one second. It is later discovered that this same power made a train fourteen seconds late. Ecstatic at these accomplishments, Hiro confides in his friend, Ando, who is extremely skeptical of Hiro's new abilities. At Ando's suggestion, Hiro teleports himself into the women's bathroom of a local club, though Ando is not looking at the time. Seeing Hiro dragged out of the bathroom, Ando states that this only proves that he is a pervert, and a crestfallen Hiro walks away as Ando yells sarcastically that he is a "Super Hiro!" As Hiro returns home on the train, he sees a vacation ad for New York City. At this point Hiro's power inadvertently activates, teleporting him to Times Square. Hiro appears extremely happy to have successfully used his ability. He soon discovers a comic book called 9th Wonders! in a nearby newsstand that shows himself standing in Times Square with his hands up and yelling, "I did it!", an incredibly accurate depiction of Hiro's arrival in New York. Although he attempts to purchase it, he possesses only Japanese yen, and is forced to resort to stealing the comic book. Hiro then discovers that the story includes what has already happened between himself and Ando, and his discovery of his abilities. Hiro decides to find the artist and writer, Isaac Mendez, by visiting his loft. Hiro visits Isaac's loft, discovering the artist's dead body, partially decapitated with the brain removed. Hiro is arrested by the police and during the interrogation discovers he has traveled not only through space, but through time as well. It was October 2 when he left Tokyo, and he arrived in New York November 8. Just as Hiro discovered this, he witnessed a cataclysmic explosion. Before the blast reached him, Hiro turned back time to the exact moment he left Tokyo and teleported himself back to the train he was standing on, still holding the comic he picked up in the future. After going to the future, Hiro decides that he must save the world by preventing the explosion. Hiro then persuades Ando that his powers are genuine by saving a young girl from an oncoming car (as predicted by the comic book from the future). They take a plane to Los Angeles but go the rest of the way by car, because that is what the comic book says they do. Hiro and Ando then have several misadventures in Las Vegas, starting when Ando decides to hit the casinos. Ando convinces Hiro to use his powers to cheat, stopping time to give Ando winning hands in poker games. The two make a lot of money but are later thrown out of the casino and then beaten up by a player they had cheated. After an argument, Hiro and Ando go their own separate ways. Hiro ends up in a diner near Las Vegas where he sees Nathan Petrelli literally fall from the sky like a meteorite. After Nathan enters the diner, Hiro briefly talks with the man, and Nathan decides to give Hiro a ride back to the casino, where he and Ando are reunited. Their attempts to call Isaac Mendez are finally successful, as Peter Petrelli answers the phone, relaying a message from Hiro's future self, and tells them to come to New York City. However, the pair are detained further when the same player they cheated earlier forces them to play a poker game to make money to repay what they gained before. Ando and Hiro manage to escape shortly before the other players are slaughtered by Jessica Sanders. Hiro is crestfallen that he is unable to prevent their deaths but is comforted by Ando, who claims Hiro is still beginning his journey to become a true hero. Hiro exercises his power as a hero again when he and Ando run across D.L. Hawkins and his son, Micah, at the scene of burning car wreck with a passenger trapped inside. As D.L. frees the passenger, the vehicle explodes and Hiro freezes time to save them. Hiro complains about not having super strength when he is forced to drag the pair away from the explosion. After he unfreezes time, he shows the future edition of 9th Wonders! to Micah and speaks to him in English about his space-time manipulation powers. Continuing their journey to New York, Hiro and Ando stop at a diner in Texas and meet a waitress named Charlie, who recently developed powers of her own. As Hiro talks to Charlie, who finds him to be "sweet," Sylar watches them talk. Charlie is later found murdered in the diner's storeroom with her brain removed, just 23

as Hiro had found Isaac's body in New York. Not wanting to fail to save someone like he did in Las Vegas, Hiro goes back in time in an attempt to prevent her murder, promising Ando that he'll return in five seconds. Hiro's attempt to teleport to the day before Charlie's death goes awry, landing six months in the past, on the day of Charlie's birthday. Though he considers another time-travel attempt, the possibility of being eaten by a dinosaur dissuades him. Hiro tries to warn Charlie and protect her from the "very bad man", but ends up forming a close relationship with her after his attempts to convince her fail. Eventually, he asks her to come with him to Japan. As the date of their departure gets closer, Charlie reveals that she has a blood clot in her brain and will die no matter what. She says she was going to give up before Hiro came and that she has fallen in love with him. Just as they are about to kiss, Hiro inadvertently teleports to Japan some time after he and Ando had left for the United States. Unable to return via his own powers, he is forced to make his way back to the diner through normal means. Ando, happy to see Hiro again, assumes Hiro used his powers (not least because Hiro now appears in a photograph on the Diner's wall taken with Charlie six months previously) and was successful, but Hiro explains that he failed and made his way back through public transportation. After this incident, Hiro's powers appear to weaken. In "Fallout", Hiro and Ando find their way to Claire's high school, but arrive after Sylar's attack and believe her to have already been killed. Ando tries to be optimistic about the situation, claiming that "save the cheerleader, save the world," is just a progression of events save the cheerleader and then save the world and not a conditional statement. Hiro doesn't accept the claim, believing that he would have meant it as a conditional statement. While thinking about their next move, Hiro is called by Isaac Mendez, who arranges a meeting with them in Texas. Once they meet, Hiro shows Isaac the future 9th Wonders! comic, much to the artist's surprise, then asks him to paint the future. At first, Isaac isn't convinced he can do so without drugs, but once he realizes that some of his rough sketches depict Hiro traveling back to save Charlie, he tries again. Hiro recommends that Isaac concentrate, using the same face he makes when activating his own powers, and Isaac manages to activate his power successfully. Isaac's painting depicts Hiro brandishing a sword while encountering a carnivorous theropod dinosaur, seemingly confirming Hiro's earlier fears. Hiro remarks, "I really need to find that sword." Two weeks later, at the beginning of "Godsend", Hiro and Ando go to the Museum of Natural History looking for the sword that Hiro saw in Isaac's painting. They find it in a glass case on the back of an ancient warrior, Takezo Kensei. On the hilt of the sword is the symbol that appears in various points throughout the series. Hiro recalls a story his father told him of Kensei and how the sword was believed to have benefited him. He decides to steal the sword, believing it will help him control his powers. While doing so, he brandishes it against a model dinosaur in the museum, mimicking the picture Isaac had drawn earlier. However, the museum's version of the sword is only a wooden replica made by the Linderman Group. He returns to Isaac's loft, where he meets Simone Deveaux. Hiro also happily re-encounters Nathan (whom he addresses as "flying man"). After introductions and brief discussions, Simone recommends Hiro go back to Las Vegas with the dinosaur painting and see Mr. Linderman, an avid collector. In "The Fix", Hiro and Ando are chased by unknown men. Eventually, they are captured by the men, and Hiro is told that the men work for someone "truly powerful." Hiro and Ando are then told to stop their quest. Hiro declines, even after being offered first class plane tickets back to Japan. The men state their boss won't be happy and bring the two to him. Hiro then realizes the men work for his father, Kaito. In "Distractions", Hiro's father tries to convince him to go back to Tokyo, admitting that it was a bad idea to start him off at the bottom and offering him a job as Executive Vice President of the company. After Hiro's initial refusal, his father rips up Isaac's painting. Kimiko, Hiro's sister, admits to him that, though his father is too proud to admit it, the company has gone through hard times. Ando reminds him that his powers are declining and it might not be a bad idea. Hiro eventually convinces his father that his sister is a better candidate to take over the company. Mr. Nakamura then lets Hiro continue with the mission. In "Run!", Hiro and Ando are again sidetracked by a weeping Las Vegas showgirl named Hope. Hiro and Ando get separated while trying to retrieve a bag for Hope. Hiro is locked in a closet by Hope, then later freed by a Gaming Commission agent, who is looking for her. After watching Ando get shot during a firefight between the agent and Hope in "Unexpected", Hiro feels his mission is too dangerous to bring Ando any further. He leaves the Versa with Ando and boards a bus alone (greeted by comic icon Stan Lee playing the bus driver). In "Parasite", Hiro tries to enter Linderman's casino, but becomes aware that he has been red flagged and is not to enter the casino. As Nathan Petrelli enters the casino to meet with Linderman, he uses his influence to help Hiro get inside. Hiro delivers the painting to Mr. Linderman's vault, where the vault curator accepts it. While the curator is in another room, Hiro locates the sword and steals it, with the help of Ando, disguised as a security guard. Hiro teleports them both out of the building to escape the other security guards, but they find themselves on top of the Deveaux building, in a post-apocalyptic New York five years after the explosion. In ".07%", Hiro decides to learn as much as he can about the future to know what went wrong with his attempts to stop the bomb. He and Ando enter Isaac's apartment, but find it netted with newspaper articles suspended on strings, each article relating to the explosion and even the heroes themselves. Just then, Hiro and Ando hear a sound, and Hiro takes out his sword to confront whoever it is, but is shocked when he comes face to face with his future self. In "Five Years Gone", Hiro learns from his future self that the bomb still went off. The younger Hiro in turn reveals to his future self that their present day Claire was rescued and Sylar got caught, but Sylar himself 24

wasn't killed yet. This gives Future Hiro hope, but before they can do anything about it, Matt Parkman and his Homeland Security team break into Isaac's loft and begin a raid. Ando and Future Hiro manage to escape but present day Hiro is apprehended by Matt and the Haitian. Hiro is brutally interrogated by Matt, who doesn't believe he is telling the truth about time travelling. Mohinder Suresh is called in to investigate Isaac's loft, where he is convinced about Hiro's story but fails to convince the President, Nathan Petrelli (who is in fact Sylar in disguise). The President orders Mohinder to kill present day Hiro, but Mohinder finds he can't bring himself to do it. In the meantime, Ando and Future Hiro enlist the aid of future Peter Petrelli and they break into the building Present Hiro is captured in. They defeat all the guards and with the aid of Mohinder manage to rescue Hiro. Unfortunately, before Hiro and Ando manage to travel back to their time, Future Hiro is shot by Matt Parkman, who is in turn stopped by Peter, who uses telekenesis to close the door on Parkman. Hiro is shocked to see his future self die, but when Ando confides he believes in Hiro now and shows him a copy of the 9th Wonders comic book in which Hiro stabs Sylar with his sword, Hiro gets his confidence back and travels back to the time from which they came. In "The Hard Part", upon their return to the present timeline, Hiro proudly vows to New York City that he'll do his best to save it. However, he does realize it will be the hard part of his destiny. Hiro and Ando return to Isaac's loft, hoping to fill in the gaps of the futuristic comic book. However, they arrive to find that Isaac has been killed by Sylar. When Hiro and Ando hear Sylar in the bathroom, they hide behind a painting. Sylar hears their heartbeats and uncovers their hiding spot. However, Hiro teleports Ando and himself to safety before they are found. Hiro and Ando continue to follow Sylar and watch him meet with his mother, attempting to reconcile with her. After Sylar's mother is accidentally stabbed, Hiro stops time and approaches Sylar, sword drawn. However, as he swings, time resumes and Sylar grabs Hiro's sword. Sylar begins to freeze the sword, and - as Hiro teleports to safety with Ando - it breaks in two. In "How to Stop an Exploding Man", after Ando looks in the Yellow Pages for someone who can repair the sword, he finds an ad bearing the helix symbol seen throughout the series. Upon arriving, they encounter Hiro's father Kaito, who tells Hiro that he is worthy of the family destiny. He also trains Hiro to fight and kill with a sword. When Hiro is done training, he and Kaito discover that Ando, thinking that Kaito had convinced Hiro to return to Japan, bought a sword and has left to confront Sylar alone. Hiro teleports to Isaac's loft to find Ando about to be killed by Sylar, but manages to teleport them both out of danger and back to Japan. Hiro returns with Ando's sword, leaving the Kensei sword with Ando, telling Ando that it is "so you know I'll be back." Upon returning he stabs Sylar. Sylar uses the last of his strength to send Hiro flying toward a building, forcing Hiro to teleport to save himself. In doing so, however, he sends himself three centuries into the past to Kyoto, Japan, circa 1671. Upon collecting himself, he finds himself caught in the middle of a battle between a small group of samurai about to attack a figure on the horizon, who appears to be Kensei, the original owner of Hiro's blade. Before the battle begins, however, an eclipse shadows the scene. In "Four Months Later...", the premiere episode of Season 2, Hiro freezes time as the archers from the battle scene at the end of "How to Stop an Exploding Man" are about to kill him. He then teleports who he believes to be Takezo Kensei away from the battle and into a small forest. There, he learns that the man is a decoy, and that the real Kensei, an Englishman in samurai armor, had been hiding in a tree in order to snipe the enemy with a crossbow. After some conversation, Hiro realizes that, by interfering in the battle, he has changed the past, and Otsu is razed. The swordsmith's daughter, a woman named Yaeko, who Kensei was supposed to wed according to the legend, grows angry at Kensei and takes back her father's sword given as payment, saying that she will go fight the bandits herself. Kensei reacts to this with general apathy. In "Lizards", Hiro impersonates Kensei by donning his armor in order to make sure the bandits don't kill Yaeko and to prove to her that Kensei is a hero. Scaring off the bandits using his abilities, Hiro as Kensei wins the heart of the Yaeko. Encountering the real Kensei afterwards, Hiro manages to convince him to help Yaeko rescue her father. However, as they are about to leave, the bandits return and fire arrows at Kensei, seemingly killing him. However, once the arrows are removed, Kensei regenerates in a fashion similar to Claire Bennet. With Kensei's newly discovered power, Hiro realizes how he became the hero of legend. Since Kensei isn't quite ready to accept his destiny, Hiro forces him to play out another of his legends, this one the retrieval of the "fire scroll" from 90 angry ronin. The task convinces Kensei to take up his own mantle, and he likens Hiro to his conscience except he pays attention to Hiro. Believing his task to be done, Hiro initially decides to return to his own time, but during the attempt suddenly stops and returns to Kensei. Hiro, determined to preserve the timeline, decides to remain in feudal Japan until Kensei defeats White Beard and saves Japan. They locate White Beard's army camp and Hiro helps Kensei rescue Yaeko's father. However, in a moment of weakness, Hiro gives into his own desires and confesses his love to Yaeko and they kiss, unaware that Kensei is watching them. Hiro tries to apologize, but Kensei reverts back to his old ways and knocks Hiro unconscious and turns him, Yaeko, and her father over the White Beard's soldiers. According to Hiro's note to Ando, this causes a currently unknown alteration to the timeline. Hiro is kept prisoner in White Beard's camp where they use opium to dull his senses, preventing him from using his powers. Yaeko manages to free herself from her shackles and removes the opium. Hiro is able to focus just enough to teleport them to safety. Later, Hiro returns to White Beard's camp to destroy the guns. Before he can set the gunpowder cache on fire, Kensei confronts him and the two engage in a swordfight. Hiro tries to persuade Kensei to join him to stop White Beard, but Kensei refuses, and vows to Hiro that as long as he 25

lives he will destroy everything he holds dear. Hiro teleports out right before the guns explode. He meets Yaeko under the cherry blossoms one last time, and tells her the final tale in the legend of Kensei, where he is forced to cut his heart out. Yaeko vows that as long as she has a breath in her she will tell his story as the story of Takezo Kensei. Hiro then teleports back to the present day, effectively fulfilling the final task by leaving Yaeko behind, and he learns from Ando that his father has been killed. Hiro attempts to go back and prevent his death in "Cautionary Tales", but his father convinces him that they cannot play God with their gifts. Hiro accepts this advice, but uses the opportunity to learn that Kensei was the one responsible for murdering his father. In "Truth and Consequences", Hiro is able to learn more about Kensei and his new name, Adam Monroe. He travels back in time to 1977 and learns that Adam was imprisoned by his father after he almost releases a virus that could kill everything. He learns that the virus will be kept in the Primatech facility in Odessa, Texas. Determined to avenge his father's murder, he teleports to the facility with his sword and stops time. There he sees Peter Petrelli for the first time since "How to Stop an Exploding Man". Hiro declares his intentions to Peter, but Peter refuses to let Hiro harm Adam. Peter's hand crackles with electricity as Hiro lets out a battle cry and charges with his sword drawn. In Powerless, Hiro confronts Peter, but is knocked unconscious. Later, he is reunited with Nathan Petrelli and Matt Parkman, who are there to stop Peter and Adam from getting the virus. Hiro teleports into the vault and confronts Adam for the first time since the tent in White Beard's camp. Hiro tells Adam he should not have let Adam live long ago, then grabs Adam and teleports him away. Hiro later reveals to Ando that Adam will not hurt anyone ever again. The scene cuts to Adam locked in a casket, buried alive in a Japanese graveyard. Another Hiro Nakamura, this one claiming to be from the future, first appears in "Collision". When he appears to Peter Petrelli in a subway, he freezes time in order to speak with Peter privately. He urges Peter to "save the cheerleader, save the world" and "to be the one we need," but doesn't elaborate for fear of causing a rift in the space-time continuum. He also mentions that Peter looks different "without the scar." The future Hiro appears to be much more fit, confident, and experienced than his present self. He sports a soulpatch and ponytail, no longer wears glasses, wears a black overcoat, carries a katana on his back, and speaks fluent idiomatically-correct English. Future Hiro's fluent accent is in fact Masi Oka's real voice, deepened for dramatic effect. He is also completely different from the current-day Hiro; he is much more serious, focused, calm, and his sense of humor appears to be diminished. The future Peter Petrelli speculates that it was Ando's death (he died in the explosion) that changed Hiro. He appears again in the episode ".07%" when he meets with present Hiro and "Five Years Gone" which tells a side story about himself. Future Hiro also appears on the graphic novel Heroes #30 "String Theory" in which he acts as a nightwatcher who watches over people with powers getting hunted down by normal, human police officers. In this issue, Hiro rescues a girl named Sparrow and the two seem to know each other. He also explains a bit what happened in the future after the bomb went off. The issue ends with the final scene of ".07%". Before "Five Years Gone" takes place in the graphic novel series "Walls" Parts 1 and 2, Hiro and Peter break other people with special abilities out of a prison, though Hiro and Peter aren't able to stop time, because one of the others block the ability, though Hiro does draw his sword. In "Five Years Gone" the scene starts again with Hiro and Ando meeting Hiro's future self. He tells them how they aren't supposed to be there and asks why the future hasn't changed. Future Hiro learns that present day Hiro has not had the chance to kill Sylar yet. He decides that he must get present Hiro back to the past so that he can stop Sylar, but before Future Hiro can do so, Matt Parkman, his Homeland Security squad, and the Haitian raid the loft. Future Hiro and Ando are able to escape, but present day Hiro is captured. Future Hiro begins recruiting people so that he can free present day Hiro and goes off to Las Vegas to seek Peter's help. Ando and Future Hiro encounter Niki, who is currently in a relationship with Peter. Niki tells them nothing about Peter, but when prompted, tells them that she knows that Mr. Bennet is in Texas, helping those with abilities to establish new identities and hide from the government. Once there Future Hiro asks Bennet for help, specifically requesting D.L. Hawkins, Candice Wilmer, and Molly Walker. While at first Bennet doesn't want to help, he agrees when he hears that they know Claire is alive. Future Hiro and Ando then begin talking about what happened to Ando in the future. Right when Hiro is about to tell Ando something important, he is shot with a tazer by Matt. Before they are about to be captured, Peter comes and by utilizing Hiro's power, is able to help them escape. With Peter's help, Future Hiro and Ando are able to enter the building where present day Hiro is being held and make it to him. Right after they free present day Hiro, future Hiro tells them he will take them back to their time since present day Hiro still doesn't have full control of his powers, but before he can do it he is shot and killed by Matt Parkman. Before Future Hiro dies he gives Ando Isaac's incomplete comic book. Hiro discovers in "Genesis" that his power is related to the control of the space-time continuum, giving him the power to manipulate time relative to himself, travel through time, or teleport to any location at will. The first noted occurrence is when Hiro inadvertently made a subway train late using this power. In "One Giant Leap", he also froze time relative to himself. He could not hold time in this state for very long, but has since duplicated the feat repeatedly. He also freezes time long enough in "Six Months Ago" to fold 1000 origami cranes, which would have otherwise taken much of Hiro's time. 26

Although stressful events and active use have helped Hiro to develop his abilities, Hiro has had trouble with the more complicated teleportation and time travel abilities. For example, when he attempted to teleport to New York, he ended up inadvertently traveling five weeks into the future as well. Although he was able to travel back to the same time and place from which he left, he was only able to do so when his life was in danger from a nuclear explosion. Later, when he attempted to save Charlie's life by traveling to the day before her death, Hiro accidentally ended up six months in the past. He also inadvertently teleported to Japan from Texas just as he and Charlie were about to kiss and then could not teleport back, no matter how hard he tried. After obtaining the sword, Hiro exhibits the ability to teleport other people along with himself, which he uses to rescue himself and Ando from an impending attack by casino guards in "Parasite", though this too resulted in an inadvertent trip five years into the future, after the explosion had occurred. The episode "Five Years Gone" marks his first successful use of teleportation and time travel. By "The Hard Part", Hiro has seemingly mastered teleportation, as he uses it twice without traveling any discernible distance through time. After the incident with Charlie, Hiro's powers began slowly decreasing for unknown reasons, to the point that even excessive concentration would produce no results. Two weeks later, in "Godsend", Hiro has seemingly reverted to the level of control and power he had in "Genesis". He seeks out Takezo Kensei's sword in the hope that it will focus his failing powers. While searching, it takes two tries just for him to slow time down, rather than bring it to a full stop. By "The Fix", it seems he has lost control of his power completely, having failed to even move time back by one second. However, in "Unexpected", Hiro reflexively regains his power momentarily when a would-be murderer fires a pistol at him, and indeed develops a new aspect to his power; not only does he freeze time around himself as usual, but he simultaneously reverses the flow of time local to the bullet fired at him at point blank range, effectively forcing it back into the barrel. Having his eyes closed, though, meant that he didn't know that he had his power back, attributing his survival to the gun misfiring. This new aspect of his power may have been previously used when he traveled back in time to save Charlie, seeing as Ando's memories were not affected by the change in the timeline. Hiro's trips have given Hiro his own unique timeline, which is reflected in some of Isaac Mendez's paintings of Hiro. Along with the existence of an alternate future version of himself, Hiro has come across or induced a few time paradoxes or alterations in the series. In "One Giant Leap", Hiro travels with Ando to the United States even though Ando was still in Japan when he had previously traveled to New York City five weeks into the future. When directly questioned about this by Ando, Hiro says they are changing the future. Between the episodes "Seven Minutes to Midnight" and "Six Months Ago", Hiro traveled six months into the past in Texas. There, he changed history again by forming a close relationship with Charlie in the past. This change was most noted by a picture which had originally shown only Charlie at her birthday party now showing both her and Hiro. At one point, Hiro accidentally gives himself a phone call from Texas to Japan, while trying to contact Ando, though he immediately hangs up after he realizes it was the Hiro in Japan who had answered, afraid of coming into contact with his past self. In "Seven Minutes to Midnight", Charlie said that someone had given her a Japanese phrasebook on her birthday. In "Six Months Ago", it is Hiro who gives her the phrasebook. Ironically, in general, the future shown in "Don't Look Back" seems to be even more certain, as changes that have been or intended to have been made have been made futile: In "Six Months Ago", Hiro accidentally travels back in time six months to prevent Charlie from dying, only to find out that she has a blood clot in her brain and will die anyway. In "Unexpected", Isaac received a gun from Mr. Bennet - the same gun Hiro found in Isaac's apartment when he traveled forward five weeks. As of ".07%" Sylar has killed Isaac in a similar manner to his original death. In "String Theory", it is revealed that Future Hiro tells Peter to "Save the Cheerleader" so that the failed attempt to stop Sylar from exploding might prove successful. However, the future has proven itself to not be entirely certain, as the characters were able to stop the explosion from destroying New York City in "How to Stop an Exploding Man". Starting at the end of Season 1 and through the beginning of Season 2, Hiro has been in 1671 Feudal Japan. There he becomes personally entwined in the history and events surrounding the warrior, Takezo Kensei. Recognizing the man is not as history portrays him, Hiro works to help Takezo fulfill his 'destiny'. This results in Hiro personally influencing many major events. In "Lizards", Hiro impersonates Takezo and uses his powers to disarm 10 bandits ("The Battle of Eleven Swords") and gains the gratitude and admiration of Yaeko, the swordsmith's daughter. In "Kindred", Hiro forces Takezo to face 90 angry ronin in order to retrieve the 'Fire Scroll', fulfilling another part of Takezo's 'legend'. In "The Line", Hiro helps Takezo rescue Yaeko's father and discovers how Takezo will 'save' Japan, destroying the illegal firearms that White Beard's army are planning to use to overthrow the Emperor. However, Hiro gives into his own desire for Yaeko, causing Takezo to side with White Beard. Hiro destroys the guns by himself. Yaeko later asserts that Hiro is the person the "Takezo Kensei" legends are about and vows to spread the legends under that name. To fulfill the final part of the legend, cutting out his own heart, he leaves Yaeko behind and returns to the present. Hiro's katana first appears in "Collision", strapped to Future Hiro's back. The sword later appears in one of Isaac's paintings depicting Hiro confronting a dinosaur. The sword has the appearance of a traditional katana with a black hilt and black sheath. The most notable feature is a golden emblem of the symbol attached to the hilt. 27

In "Godsend", Hiro and Ando find the sword in a New York Museum, which also has information on the sword's origins. According to an ancient Japanese scroll, the sword belonged to an ancient samurai warrior named Takezo Kensei. According to the scroll, the warrior possessed strange powers but had no control over them. One day he discovered the sword frozen in ice and, after claiming the sword, suddenly discovered that he had mastery over his abilities. With this control and wielding the sword, the warrior became a powerful leader and hero. Hiro believes that the sword somehow helped focus the samurai's powers, and with it in his possession he may be able to finally master his own abilities. However, after stealing the sword from the museum, Hiro discovered that the sword was actually a replica only used for display. The real katana was in the hands of Mr. Linderman. In "Parasite", Hiro tries to sneak into Linderman's hotel but is stopped by security, until he meets Nathan Petrelli. Nathan tells the guards Hiro is there to deliver a package to Linderman and they let him pass. Hiro gives the vault curator the ripped painting of Hiro and the dinosaur. When the curator leaves the room temporarily, Hiro finds the sword in the computer system. As he is about to take it, the curator returns and calls all the guards in the hotel to come help. Ando, dressed as a guard, responds first and knocks out the curator. He tells Hiro he had been following him for some time. They take the sword and Hiro teleports himself and Ando to escape the rest of the hotel's security. In "Five Years Gone", Hiro travels to the future where his sword is confiscated by Parkman. When Future Hiro is killed, Mohinder takes the sword from his dead body and hands it to the remaining Hiro. In "The Hard Part" the blade of Hiro's sword is broken by Sylar with his freezing ability. The damaged sword doesn't seem to affect his power, as he teleports away with Ando moments later, still holding both pieces of the sword. In "Landslide", Hiro's father explains that he had known of Hiro's powers from the beginning and that the sword was not the source of his increased powers; rather, it was the journey that restored them. In "How to Stop an Exploding Man", Hiro saves Ando from Sylar and takes him back to Japan. Though Ando wants to return to New York with Hiro, Hiro tells Ando the next part of his journey must be traveled alone, to protect him. Hiro thanks his friend for teaching him the true meaning of bravery; Ando reminds Hiro of how his whole life he's obsessed over and talked about the heroes he wished he was, but that now one day people will tell the story of Hiro, and assures his friend that he "looks badass." When Hiro goes to leave to fight Sylar, he leaves Ando with the sword, saying that he does not need it, and that this way Ando knows he'll come back. He then takes the nagamaki Ando had bought and teleports to Kirby Plaza. When Peter and Sylar face off Hiro stabs Sylar in the chest and is thrown towards a building by Sylar. Before impact Hiro teleports to 1671 Japan, right at the beginning of an ancient battle. It is then seen that the leader of one side is the samurai Takezo Kensei, wielding Hiro's katana as the original owner. In the episode "Four Months Later...", Hiro learns that Kensei did not discover the sword encased in ice, as the legend told. Instead, the sword was created by a swordsmith in the town of Otsu, and given to Kensei by the man's daughter in order to protect the town from bandits. When Kensei failed to keep his side of the bargain, the swordsmith's daughter took back the sword. In the episode "Kindred", Hiro leaves messages for Ando in the hilt of the sword, which Ando (in possession of the sword in present day Japan) receives hundreds of years later. In an interview with writers Joe Pokaski and Aron Coliete it is revealed "the Kensei legend is, 'Absolute fiction inspired by the vague recollections of various swordsman legends (Including Mr. Musashi)' by our own Michael Green." In "Don't Look Back", Hiro's wallet was shown to contain a membership card for the Merry Marvel Marching Society, a Marvel Comics fan club which has not distributed membership cards since the 1970s. Quantum 8; Quantum Pool 50 (Regenerate every 5 minutes); Willpower 6; Taint 5; Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Manipulation 3, Charisma 3, Appearance 2, Perception 2, Intelligence 4, Wits 4; Abilities: Academics 3, Athletics 2, Awareness 2, Biz 3, Bureaucracy 3, Computer 2, Drive 1, Endurance 3, Etiquette 3, Intimidation 2, Intrusion 1, Investigation 1, Linguistics 1, Martial Arts 3, Medicine 1, Melee 3, Might 1, Perform 2, Rapport 2, Resistance 3, Science 2, Stealth 2, Streetwise 1, Subterfuge 2 ,Survival 3; Backgrounds: Allies 3, Contacts 3, Dormancy 3, Mentor 4, Node 3, Resources 3; Quantum Powers: Crosstime Travel 3, Teleport (Combat, Safe Blind) 5, Temporal Manipulation (All, Sliding Time) 5, Time Travel 4; Soak: Bashing 3 dice, Lethal 1 dice (Heals rates are doubled, Lifespan 150+ years). Palowakski, Fred Stan Gables sidekick, Ogre was the muscle of the Alpha Beta goon squad. He physically beat on the Adams College geeks for his own enjoyment. While no doubt a top tier bully, Ogre loses points in my book simply because, throughout the movie, he is built up to be the beer drinking king, yet never actually takes a drink of his beer. He just carried it around in a huge trophy and spit it all over people. There was a name for a guy like Ogre in my circles and it was meathead, but I suppose when you are dubbed Ogre one can expect that sort of behavior. Still, the sleeveless letter jacket, the wild hair, the constant shrieking at the Neerrrddddssss!!! has to place him among the best. Quantum 2; Quantum Pool 24 (Regenerate every hour); Willpower 5; Strength 4 (1, Quantum Leap), Dexterity 2, Stamina 5 (1, Durability), Manipulation 3, Charisma 2, Appearance 2, Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 3; Abilities: Academics 1, Athletics 3, Awareness 2, Biz 4, Brawl 3, Computer 1, Drive 1, Endurance 3, Engineering 2, Etiquette 1, Interrogation 3, Intimidation 3, Intrusion 1, Melee 2, Might 3, Rapport 2, Resistance

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3, Streetwise 2, Survival 2; Backgrounds: Allies 4, Contacts 2, Node 1, Resources 4; Soak: Bashing 6 dice, Lethal 3 dice (Heals rates are three times normal, ignore one point of damage penalty, Lifespan 150+ years). Parkman, Matt Matt Parkman is a police officer with the LAPD. He tried to become a detective, but has flunked the exam three times due to dyslexia. Parkman is a mind-reader; he can hear the thoughts of people around him. He first realizes this after hearing the thoughts of Molly Walker, a girl who was hiding from a serial killer named Sylar. Not able to explain how he knew where Molly was hiding, Matt is arrested. After proving his ability to his FBI partner, he is offered a position in the investigation. Things turn dangerous when a man who appears to be Sylar shows up. Stopping the man from harming Molly, Matt tries to comfort her while Audrey, the FBI agent, gives chase. Ultimately, the man escapes, but not before displaying apparent telekinesis and standing after being shot. Later, Matt comes home to his wife, Janice, with whom he is going to couples therapy. Matt escapes to a bar after a heated argument with his wife and hears the thoughts of the various patrons. However, when he encounters a patron, a tall silent black man, whose mind he cannot read, the other voices fade out. The man sits and stares at Matt until Matt falls unconscious. Matt wakes up strapped to a table with Mr. Bennet standing over him. Bennet explains that they had to drug him, and that he works for a secret company. Matt tries to read Bennet's mind, but is unable to due to The Haitian, who was the man at the bar. Matt is still able to discern the name of Bennet's daughter, Claire impressing Bennet with his developing power. The Haitian then wipes Matt's memories. Matt wakes up a day later, suffering from what he thinks is a hangover. His wife, Janice tells him he has been missing and was worried. He uses his ability to listen to her thoughts and give her everything she wants, healing the rift between the two of them. The following day, at work, Matt and his partner at the FBI run down a possible lead on Sylar after discovering a charred corpse with a fingerprint. Instead of Sylar, they find a man with radioactive powers. In a stand off, Matt defuses the situation by allowing the man to speak with his comatose wife. At the end of the day, Matt is informed by his old partner that he was being given another chance to apply for a detective position. Matt reads the man's mind, discovering that he is sleeping with Janice. Matt punches his former partner and is consequently suspended. Unaware of this, Audrey asks Matt for assistance in interviewing Ted Sprague, the man who radiates nuclear power. Matt talks with him and discovers that, like himself, Ted was abducted from a bar after seeing the Haitian and woke up later with amnesia. He further discovers similar marks on their necks. Then, Homeland Security takes Ted into custody before Matt can learn more, but Ted tells Matt to "find the Haitian." Audrey later notifies Matt that Ted has escaped. Matt and Audrey then investigate a crime scene at Union Wells High, in Odessa, Texas where they suspect Sylar was intercepted by two people nearby. They don't consider Peter Petrelli a suspect in Jackie's death, but interrogate him and learn that Sylar's target was the cheerleader Claire. Matt later attempts to read Claire Bennet's mind when she is being interviewed. However, he is unable to hear anything except static, which also happened to him before he was abducted. Suspicious, he and Audrey stake out Primatech Paper and Matt recognizes The Haitian. He attempts to overhear Mr. Bennet or the Haitian's thoughts and is able to pick up just one word: "Sylar." For the next two weeks, Matt keeps a close watch on Primatech Paper, but he is seen on cameras. Finally, in "Godsend," Matt and Audrey organize a raid of Primatech. When they find nothing, their boss is very upset and threatens to fire Audrey. Fearful of losing her job, she tells Matt their partnership is over. Matt confronts Bennet, telling him he knows he was kidnapped and will make Bennet pay. Matt faces a review board that questions his details of the past few weeks. They find his references to a "super-powered serial killer" almost insane. Matt recants his statement after hearing it will save his job. However, Matt is suspended for six months. At home, Matt takes a job as a bodyguard for money. His assignment is Aron Malsky, a man who stole $2 million from Linderman as restitution. Upon learning the jeweller is on Linderman's payroll, they try to run, but Jessica, comes to kill Aron for Linderman. After a fight, Jessica throws Matt out of a window and onto a sign girder; then proceeded to tear Aron in half. Malsky had hidden diamonds in the ceiling shortly before he died. Matt finds them and keeps them. In "Unexpected", Matt receives a call from Ted, who wants to meet Matt along with Hana Gitelman. Hana informs Matt of Primatech and the connection to their abductions and the markings on their necks. Ted wants to confront Mr. Bennet, but needs Matt's help. Matt agrees. Both Matt and Ted confront Mr. Bennet and his family at gunpoint as the family was coming home. However, things turn sour and Matt is soon captured again. In "Parasite", it is revealed that Matt is a prisoner of Thompson and his associates. Then in ".07%", Bennet helps Matt and Ted escape. Then over breakfast, they solidify their plans to travel to New York City to knock out a tracking system. In "The Hard Part", Matt, Bennet and Ted continue their mission. They later are shown walking at Kirby Plaza in New York City, where Bennet and Claire are reunited. The group then splits in two, with Peter, Claire, and Ted going to a remote town in Nebraska, and Matt and Bennet continuing with their mission to destroy the tracking system. Matt gets them where they need to go.

29

While waiting for the elevator, they bump into Jessica and her husband, D.L. Bennet and Matt then go off where the tracking system is, only to find Thompson waiting. Matt saves Bennet from death, and then Bennet kills Thompson. The two then find the tracking system, surprised to find Molly Walker. Matt protests killing her, but Bennet says it must be done. They argue with Bennet until Matt is knocked out by Mohinder from behind. In the finale, "How to Stop an Exploding Man", Matt finds Sylar and shoots him. However, Sylar reverses the bullets and gravely wounds Matt. He is brought to a hospital, upsetting Molly. In "Four Months Later...," it is revealed Matt divorced Janice and that he is now a detective for the NYPD, and is taking care of Molly Walker in Mohinder's apartment. He learns Molly is having nightmares of a dangerous man who can see her when she thinks of him. In "Lizards", Matt is investigating the murder of Kaito Nakamura. He interrogates Angela Petrelli and learns that someone may have murdered Kaito for revenge; but Angela refuses to be interrogated further. Matt later saves Angela from a mysterious attacker. In "The Kindness of Strangers, Matt finds out that his father is part of The Company. He then has Molly find where he is, placing her in a coma. In "Fight or Flight" Matt and Nathan track down Matt's father. When they find him, he reveals he is also a telepath, and is also about to be murdered. At first he seems sorry for having left Matt as a child but ends up tricking Matt and Nathan in separate illusions. Matt is trapped in jail, confronted by his ex-wife and the baby she gave birth to after the divorce. It is indicated that while she said that the baby she was having wasn't Matt's, he knew that this wasn't true. Matt is able to telepathically talk to Nathan and escape the illusion, finding that Bob is set to be killed. In "Out of Time", Matt discovers he is able to manipulate people and uses it to find the last unknown survivor of the photograph by "interrogating" Angela Petrelli. In "Powerless", he goes with Nathan to intercept Peter and Adam Monroe, in hopes of stopping them from releasing the a deadly virus that would kill 93% of the world's population. Before leaving to confront them, Angela warns Matt that if they cannot stop Peter, that he'll have to kill him. Upon meeting Peter at Primatech, Matt attempts to compel Peter to stop Adam. Though this proves unsuccessful, Nathan is later able to convince Peter that Adam has tricked him. Together, they manage to stop the virus, and resolve to reveal their secret, and the Company, to the world. Nathan enlists Matt's help to use his powers in convincing the media to hear him out. At the conference, Matt is present when Nathan is gunned down before he can reveal their secrets, but is unable to locate the assailant immediately after the attack. In "Five Years Gone", Matt is seen working as Director of the Department of Homeland Security and is in direct contact with the now President Nathan Petrelli (who is actually a disguised Sylar). He is ruthless and misguided, hunting down those with abilities and arresting them. He kills Hana Gitelman, Mr. Bennet and Future Hiro. He still cares about his family however, asking and has a much greater deal of control over his powers, being able to "rip out" memories instead of passively overhearing thoughts. Matt is a telepath, though he lacks complete control over his power. He originally could not activate it at will, and often hears other people's thoughts accidentally. He gradually learns to elicit specific thoughts from people, starting with the name "Claire" from Noah Bennet. Though Matt learns to read minds at will, his powers can be defeated through various methods. The Haitian's power is able to nullify Matt's, protecting himself and those in his vicinity. Matt overcomes this twice, accidentally the first time; in the second instance, he is only barely able to overcome the Haitian's power, but the strain causes Matt to have a severe nosebleed. Since then, he generally hasn't been able to get past what he describes as "white noise" caused by the Haitian. As demonstrated by Peter Petrelli and his father Maury Parkman, Matt has trouble reading the minds of other telepaths, and usually creates uncomfortable feedback in the attempt; he also states in "Nothing to Hide" that he has trouble discerning individual thoughts in large groups of people. In the episode "Out of Time", Bob states that Matt, like his father, should be able to control all aspects of the mind, including thoughts and senses, with practice. This is demonstrated when he is able to telepathically communicate with Nathan Petrelli and Molly Walker at various points. When Maury traps him inside Molly's "nightmare world", Matt is able to bring his father in with them and subsequently leave with Molly, trapping Maury in his own nightmare. In the episode "Cautionary Tales", Matt discovers that he can place suggestions in others through telepathic commands as a form of mind control. In the episode "Powerless", he tried to use his abilities to make Peter fight Adam Monroe, but the attempt failed as Peter's own telepathy allowed him to resist Matt's commands. Quantum 3; Quantum Pool 25 (Regenerate every 30 minutes); Willpower 6; Taint 0; Strength 3, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3, Manipulation 3, Charisma 2, Appearance 2, Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 3; Abilities: Athletics 1, Awareness 3, Brawl 3, Bureaucracy 2, Command 2, Computer 1, Drive 3, Endurance 3, Etiquette 2, Firearms 3, Interrogation 3, Intimidation 2, Intrusion 1, Investigation 4, Legerdemain 1, Melee 1, Perform 1, Rapport 2, Resistance 3, Science 1, Stealth 1, Streetwise 3, Subterfuge 2, Survival 2; Backgrounds: Allies 4, Influence 1, Node 2, Resources 3; Quantum Powers: Dominate (Telepathic) 4, Immobilize (Permanent) 5, Mirage (Permanent Duration) 5, Psychic Shield 3, Telepathy (Surreptitious, Channeling) 4; Soak: Bashing 3 dice, Lethal 1 dice (Heals rates are doubled, Lifespan 150+ years).

30

Petrelli, Nathan Nathan is the son of Angela and "Dallas" Petrelli, a Vietnam veteran whose life was once saved by a medic codenamed "Austin" Linderman. Nathan joined the U.S. Navy as a pilot and served in Serbia, Bosnia, and Rwanda. Nathan was a lawyer working with the District Attorney's office. The District Attorney wanted to expose the Mafia connections of his father's client, Mister Linderman. As he was driving his wife home from a party in a convertible, another vehicle repeatedly struck his car. Nathan inadvertently flew from his car after one of the strikes, causing the car to lose control and veer off the freeway. The resulting crash caused his wife, Heidi, to suffer a significant spinal injury. Since then, Nathan has blamed himself for the incident. Six months later, Nathan is running for Congress. In the pilot episode, he was approached by his brother Peter, who told him that he'd been having strange dreams and believed he could fly. Nathan claimed to be unconvinced. The following morning, Nathan watched from an alley as Peter jumped off a building in an attempt to fly. As Peter fell, Nathan flew into the air and grabbed his hand. They descended for a few seconds, but then the brothers lost their grip on one another. The next day, Nathan denied that he flew and tried to explain away what happened as if it were simply a failed suicide attempt by Peter. Much later that night, Nathan was called to another rooftop, where Peter threatened to jump unless Nathan admitted that he flew. Nathan eventually admitted that he did fly. Still more focused on his campaign and his family, Nathan held a press conference where he broached the subject of depression. He revealed that his father suffered from it, and that it was the cause of his death. Nathan then claimed that Peter's attempt to fly was actually a suicide attempt, to satisfy the press. Peter stormed out of the press conference, later cursing Nathan out and assaulting him, but went along with the story in public. On his way to Las Vegas to meet with Mr. Linderman, Nathan encountered Mohinder Suresh, who attempted to warn him that his life may be in danger. Nathan mistook Mohinder for his recently murdered father, Chandra, assumed that Peter sent him, and ignored the man. In Las Vegas, Nathan encountered Jessica Sanders and the two slept together. The one-night stand turned out to be a blackmail attempt masterminded by Linderman. Afterwards, Mr. Bennet monitored them and had the Haitian kidnap Nathan. Barefoot and in pajamas, Nathan escaped when Bennet was distracted. Flying away, Nathan broke the sound barrier in the process. Nathan landed outside a diner in the desert outside Las Vegas and called an aide for help. While waiting for his ride, Nathan met Hiro Nakamura, who enthusiastically announced that he too had powers. Nathan was skeptical, but humored Hiro, who said he could teleport and manipulate time. Nathan asked about the upcoming election; Hiro said he won by a "mudslide". When Nathan's ride arrived at the diner, Nathan agreed to give Hiro a ride back to the city. After dropping Hiro off, Nathan went back to meet with Linderman, only to run into Niki on the way. Niki confessed her alter-ego Jessica's role in the blackmail attempt, saying that she had been blackmailed herself. When Nathan met with Linderman's associate again, he worked out a deal with her: Though their original deal was for two million dollars, Nathan became more certain than ever of his victory and negotiated for four million, saying, "for two million, you got a congressional candidate in your pocket; for four, you'll get a congressman." After Nathan returned to New York, he and his family had brunch with a newspaper reporter. During the brunch, the reporter questioned Nathan about his connections to the reputed mobster Linderman, and Nathan's meeting with a blonde woman in Vegas. Peter covered for Nathan, telling the reporter that Nathan was arranging a private clinic to treat him for his mental health issues. Before leaving, Nathan told Peter about the failed kidnapping attempt, and warned his brother to be careful, saying that people would want to lock them up if they realized the two brothers had powers. At home, Nathan enquired about a painting by Isaac Mendez which Linderman had purchased and Peter wanted. Linderman sent it "straight to Simone's gallery". When the painting arrived, Nathan viewed it with Simone. The image depicted a man resembling Peter, dead under a homecoming banner and a clock. After seeing it, Nathan destroyed it, telling Simone that he was protecting Peter from getting himself killed. Nathan later appears to bail Peter out in "Fallout". As they walk away from the jail, Peter collapses. Eventually, Nathan watches helplessly as Peter is comatose for two weeks. Finally, Nathan becomes tired of waiting and goes to the loft of Isaac Mendez. There, Nathan finds several of Isaac's finished "future paintings". Nathan is especially thoughtful about the "exploding man" image, which he and Issac both worry is Peter. Soon, Hiro appears, and happily greets Nathan. Nathan and Hiro talk about their role in stopping the "bad man" who may blow up New York. Later, Nathan returns to Peter's bedside only to discover that Peter has revived and checked out. In "The Fix", Nathan goes to Mohinder to find out where Peter is, but neither has heard from Peter in days. Mohinder tells Nathan about a list made by Mohinder's father and explains to Nathan how Peter's DNA causes him to absorb and mimic other people's abilities. Nathan initially refuses to let Mohinder help find Peter, but Mohinder convinces him by stating that if he can study Peter, he may be able to find a cure. They go to Peter's apartment, where Peter is preparing to leave town. Without fully hearing them out, Peter says he doesn't have time to be Mohinder's "guinea pig". Peter then tricks the two and gets away. At the end of the episode "Distractions", Nathan receives a telephone call from Meredith Gordon, a woman in Texas with whom he once had a relationship. She informs him that their daughter Claire is still alive. Nathan assumes that her timing the call right before his election means that she wants money, and offers $100,000 to stay quiet, which she accepts;she later lies to Claire saying the amount is only $50,000 and Claire is entitled to half. In "Run!", Nathan shows up to visit Meredith and deliver the money but states he does not 31

want to get too involved with Claire. Claire was secretly listening to the conversation which, due to lies Meredith told her, did not portray Nathan in a very positive light. At the end of the episode, back in Vegas, Jessica gets a call from Linderman saying that he wants Nathan assassinated. The FBI, who is investigating Linderman, gives Nathan a wire to wear so that they can gather evidence. Just before Nathan goes to meet Linderman, Niki Sanders confronts him and tells him that Linderman's people know of his plans, including that he wears a wire, and plan to kill him. She advises him to either accept a deal with Linderman or run with his whole family. Nathan refuses, suggesting instead that he should kill Linderman. Niki gives him her gun and tells him to knock her out, to prevent her more ruthless alter-ego, Jessica, from seizing control. Nathan takes the gun and punches Niki. A nervous Nathan goes down to the kitchen to shoot Linderman. Linderman, anticipating Nathan's actions, calmly reasons that if Nathan were to shoot him, his men would kill Nathan within moments. Linderman then tells Nathan that he can give him answers, stating that he knows about his abilities. He offers him the seat in Congress, suggesting that it will lead eventually to the White House, "a heartbeat away from the Presidency." Nathan, wavering at this point, puts down the gun. In ".07%", Linderman shows Nathan a painting of Nathan standing in the Oval Office. Linderman tempts Nathan with the prospect of being President and informs him that it will happen the day after Peter blows up. While Nathan is troubled that he will lose his brother and is devastated when he sees the dead body of Peter at his mother's house, he believes that it is Peter's destiny to explode. Later, Nathan meets his biological daughter, Claire, for the first time. Though he tells her that he can't deal with her in his life right now because of the election, he does add that he wants her to return after the election is over so they can be a family. After Claire talks to Peter about Ted, Peter and Claire confront Nathan about Ted. With someone else having the ability to explode, Peter is hopeful that the explosion can be stopped. Nathan is doubtful, and points out that Peter's vision was of his own explosion. Peter responds that he had a vision of flying as well, despite the fact that it was Nathan who could fly - a fact that impresses Claire. After Peter and Claire leave, Nathan makes a phone call, saying "Mr. Linderman, we have a problem." It is revealed that Nathan may play a bigger role in the company than expected when, Peter and Claire go to Petrelli Campaign Headquarters to meet with Nathan. Upon arriving, they see Nathan meeting with Thompson, whom Claire recognizes as her adoptive father's old boss. She identifies him to Peter as the man she is running from. Thompson and Nathan, meanwhile, discuss the planned explosion, and Thompson tells Nathan not to worry or have second thoughts. Thompson tells Nathan that Mr. Linderman has a grasp on the situation and that they are aware of who Sprague is. Nathan is upset that he was kept in the dark about Sprague. Later, Nathan's mother arrives and reveals her part in the planning of the explosion. She tells Nathan that after a catastrophe like this, a leader is needed, and tells him that he needs to be that leader. Nathan then encounters Hiro again and Hiro told him what happened to him in the future. Nathan, however, tells Hiro that the explosion cannot be stopped. Hiro then calls him a villain as Nathan waves to the cameras and drives away. In "How to Stop an Exploding Man", the finale to Season 1, Nathan appears committed to the fact that Peter will explode, destroy the city, and kill millions; paving his way to power and the destiny designed by Linderman and others. However, Claire, who has been strong-armed into travelling into Paris with Angela, shames him into changing his mind, stating that the "future isn't set in stone." Nathan appears after Peter and Hiro kill Sylar. After saying, "You saved the cheerleader so we could save the world," Nathan grabs Peter and flies far into the stratosphere. With the other heroes looking to the sky, Peter detonates miles above the ground, instead of destroying New York City. In "Four Months Ago...", it is revealed that Nathan suffers severe radiation poisoning and is badly burned by Peter, who he drops after being convinced to do so, and is knocked back when Peter explodes in midair. Peter rescues Nathan from falling after his explosion. After regaining consciousness, his mother told him that the coast guard never found Peter's body. He recovered after being injected with Adam Monroe's regenerative blood. In "Four Months Later...", it is revealed that Nathan has become a drunk, while hoping for Peter to return. In the opening scenes, he is seen bumping into Ando on the street. He has presumably resigned from his office, and his wife and children have left him due to his erratic behavior. After a confrontation with his mother, who blames Nathan for Peter's apparent death, he goes to a bar for a drink. Claire calls him to tell him how she's coping, and Nathan glances in the mirror. In the mirror, a severely scarred image of himself appears. A moment later, it's gone. In "Fight or Flight", and goes to Philadelphia to help Matt Parkman find his father, with the intention of finding out who really murdered Kaito Nakamura. (Nathan's mother, Angela, confessed to the murder under duress.) When Maury Parkman is confronted with the fact that Matt has the same powers, he agrees to tell them everything; however, instead of helping them, he uses his power to trap them in their own personal nightmare before leaving the apartment. Nathan is on top of the Deveaux Building, watching helplessly as New York burns in the aftermath of the explosion. He is then confronted by himself, still scarred from his attempt to rescue Peter. A fight ensues between him and his disfigured self, which ends when Matt inserts a thought in Nathan's head, causing them to realize they are actually fighting one another. They then find another photo marked with the Symbol, this time of Bob. 32

In "Out of Time", Nathan confronts Bob about the original 12 members of the Company and it is the first time he is told that Adam Monroe, and not Linderman, was the founder of The Company. Nathan also learns from Bob that his brother, Peter Petrelli is still alive, although Bob admits that they lost track of him. In "Four Months Ago...", he is seen getting out of a taxi in front of the bar in Cork, Ireland, where Peter spent the first few episodes of the season. In "Powerless", Nathan convinces Peter of Adam Monroe's intentions to release the Shanti virus and cause worldwide devestation. After the destruction of the virus, Nathan decides that they must schedule a press conference to make their abilities known to the public. It is his hope that public awareness will help stop the actions of the Company. Near the conclusion of his speech, as he is about to announce his ability of flight, Nathan is shot twice in the chest by an unidentified assassin. In the future of "Five Years Gone", Nathan has been elected President of the United States; however, he is revealed to be Sylar masquerading as Nathan using Candice Wilmer's illusion-casting powers. After his identity is revealed to Peter, Sylar says Nathan had turned against the heroes before he was killed. Peter calls him a liar before they face off. In the future of "Out Of Time", Angela Petrelli explains to Peter Petrelli that Nathan died in the first outbreak of the Shanti Virus. Nathan possesses the power of self-propelled flight. He is one of the characters that has least demonstrated his power in the series, saying that he is afraid of both being seen as a freak and taken in for scientific study. In contrast, however, he also demonstrates a great deal of control over his power. As demonstrated in "Hiros", Nathan can reach speeds exceeding the sound barrier with no apparent physical effects. Nathan first discovers his power when he inadvertently uses it to save himself from a car crash which leaves his wife wheelchair-bound. The first on-screen flight is in "Genesis", when he attempts to save Peter from falling to his death. He also uses flight to save a woman from a burning building in an issue of the Heroes webcomic. Quantum 1; Quantum Pool 30 (Regenerate every hour); Willpower 6; Taint 0; Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2, Manipulation 3, Charisma 3, Appearance 3, Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 3; Abilities: Academics 3, Athletics 2, Awareness 3, Brawl 3 ,Bureaucracy 4, Command 2, Drive 2, Endurance 3, Etiquette 3, Firearms 2, Intimidation 2, Linguistics 1, Melee 1, Perform 3, Pilot 3, Resistance 3, Science 1, Streetwise 1, Style 2, Subterfuge 2, Survival 2; Backgrounds: Allies 4, Attunement 5, Contacts 3, Influence 3, Resources 4; Quantum Powers: Flight 5, Hyperflight 4; Soak: Bashing 2 dice, Lethal 1 dice (Heals rates are doubled, Lifespan 150+ years). Pierce, Lexa Lexa Pierce is the newest member of Mutant X team. Although she is a new addition of the team, it appears that her connection to Mutant X and Adam Kane is deeper than anyone realized. Lexa was a member of Mutant X 1.0. What this means exactly is unknown to the fans at this point. It appears that Mutant X 1.0 was Adam Kane's first attempt at forming a Mutant X team. Obviously this attempt 'failed' considering there has been no reference to this original team throughout the prior seasons to the series. Lexa's powers at first glance seem to be elemental and molecular. The elemental factor is that she can create laser blasts to fire at people and things. Also she can create bursts of light to temporally blind people as demonstrated to the Mutant X team in "Into the Moonless Night". While the molecular factor is that she can become invisible. She creates an aura around her body that refracts the light beams around herself and other people (when she is holding their hand). Therefore it appears that she has mixed classification powers. Lexa was not only a member of Mutant X 1.0, but was also a member of the Genetic Security Agency (GSA) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). She currently works for the Dominion, who over the past few 100 years have been policing abuses of science. One of these abuses happens to be Adam's research at Genomex that created the mutants. There are a few things known about Lexa's past. Lexa came to Mutant X as an arrangement with the Dominion. Lexa cleaned up Adam's mess and the Dominion would help Lexa find her brother. Lexa has one brother that is her fraternal twin, whose name is Leo. Lexa's parents were army intelligence that participated in a fertility experiment. When Lexa and Leo's mutations began to show, their parents give them to their bosses under orders. Until age 14, Lexa and Leo were raised in a military facility. When Leo started having problems with being lost in the other personalities that he created, they left the military facility and ended up at Genomex. As it turns out, Lexa only began working for Eckhart as a way to pay for her brother's medical expenses (Leo is a multiple and can become a wide variety of different people). Lexa ended up killing Leo in Brother's Keeper. Lexa Pierce has a twin brother called Leo Pierce, who in times of anger, was called Troy. Lexa's parents worked for the military, in a concentration camp, during her youth. They work involved experiments to find a formula for their mutations. At 14 Lexa and her Twin brother escaped their confinement. After their escape Troy's powers went out of control. Following this, Lexa agreed to work for Eckhart, thinking that they were working on a way to bring his abilities back under control, but it ultimately proved to be a ruse. Lexa later worked for the Dominion, afterwards, she was directed to clear up Adam Kane's mess, she assented to this assignment to obtain information on her brother's location. Eventually Lexa was forced to use her powers to kill her brother to save Brennan Mulwray. She later developed a relationship with Jesse Kilmartin after he attempted to admit his feelings, and she told him she already knew and liked him too. The two had long had a teasing relationship, exchanging brief kisses in several episodes. 33

Lexa and her twin brother Leo were the children of two army intelligence operatives who participated in a government fertility experiment. When Lexa and Leo displayed new mutant abilities, their parents sent them to be raised in a military facility. Leo's powers began to spiral out of control when the twins were 14, so Lexa left to become a GS agent in exchange for free medical care for Leo. Lexa tried to leave the GSA when she found that Leo was being tortured, but she was recaptured and given a neural implant to control her actions. Adam Kane failed to remove the implant during her two-year membership on his early Mutant X 1.0 team, so Lexa left him to work as a mercenary. Learning that Leo had escaped from Genomex, Lexa traded her services as a Dominion operative for their help in her search for him. Adam worked back channels to assign her to Mutant X once again. As a chromatic molecular, Lexa ("Complexa") is able to bend light to make herself and those she is touching invisible. Unlike molecular stealth mutants like Danielle and Catherine Hartman, however, Lexa is also able to shoot penetrating lasers from her fingertips, and create blinding light flashes with her hands. Thus some sources list Lexa as an elemental instead of a molecular. There is a time limit on Lexa's invisibility, and while invisible her heat outline can still be seen with infra-red goggles or feral vision. Lexa's biggest fear is of dogs, her drink of choice is tequila, and she used to be quite the party girl before joining Mutant X. Lexa can play a mean game of chess. Affiliation: Mutant X, formerly The Dominion, formerly GSA; Mutant Classification: Molecular Chromatic; Relatives: Leo Pierce (brother); Quantum 5; Quantum Pool 35 (Regenerate every 15 minutes); Willpower 6; Taint 3; Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Manipulation 2, Charisma 3, Appearance 4, Perception 2 (1, Electromagnetic Vision), Intelligence 2, Wits 4; Abilities: Academics 2, Athletics 3, Awareness 4, Bureaucracy 2, Command 3, Computer 2, Drive 3, Endurance 3, Etiquette 2, Firearms 3, Intrusion 2, Investigation 3, Martial Arts 3, Melee 2, Might 1, Resistance 3, Science 2, Stealth 2, Streetwise 1, Subterfuge 3; Backgrounds: Allies 5, Attunement 3, Backing 3, Cipher 3, Contacts 5, Influence 1, Mentor 5, Node 2, Resources 3; Quantum Powers: Disorient (Photon Blasts) 4, Elemental Anima (Light, Enhance / Diminish, Shaping) 2, Elemental Mastery (Light, Blast, Lethal Blast, Sphere) 3, Invisibility (Affects Others) 4, Sensory Shield (Light) 5, Shroud 4; Soak: Bashing 3 dice, Lethal 1 dice (Heals rates are two times normal, Lifespan 150+ years). Sanders, Micah About six months before most of the series' events, Micah meets his maternal grandfather Hal. Hal seems like a nice man at first, giving Micah an expensive laptop computer as a gift. However, Hal becomes enraged when he finds Micah taking the laptop apart. Micah's parents promptly kick Hal out for the outburst. During the next six months, Micah's father is arrested on charges of theft and murder. Micah is enrolled in a very expensive school to encourage his gifts, but is forced to leave the school because his mother can't afford the tuition. Micah and Niki later have to go on the run because Niki couldn't repay a debt borrowed from a loan shark named Mr. Linderman. As Niki attempts to deal with her predicament, she occasionally leaves Micah with her friend Tina. Although aware that his mother earned money as a webcam stripper, Micah expresses concerns about Niki aiding Linderman in the episode "Collision." Niki was to meet a client in person, and Micah knows it could potentially be dangerous for Niki to have physical contact with customers. After Niki's business with Linderman concludes, the fact that Micah's father had recently escaped becomes an issue. Micah believes D.L. to be innocent of the charges leveled against him, but Niki isn't so sure. Eventually, the police place Niki's home on heavy guard, but D.L. still manages to find a way in. In "Better Halves," D.L. revealed his presence to Niki and Micah, and Micah's parents reconcile for a time. During a conversation the next day, Micah asks his father how he escaped from jail. His father said that he had a secret, and Micah tells his father that Niki has a secret as well. Sometime later, Micah runs into his parents' bedroom to find them fighting fiercely, with his father's hand phased into Niki's abdomen. As Niki collapses, D.L. picks up Micah and runs out of the room. As they drive away from Niki, Micah grows angry with his father for running away, feeling that the good guys always stay to help and that only bad guys run away. D.L. insists that he is not a bad guy. On the road, they find a woman trapped in a burning car. While Micah stays behind with Ando Masahashi, D.L. and Ando's friend, Hiro Nakamura, free the woman before the car explodes. Micah is proud of his father's heroism, though they left just as police were about to arrive. That night, Micah and D.L. stop at a motel. Micah sneaks out to call his mother, and finds a nearby pay phone that is broken. By touching it and concentrating, Micah makes the phone temporarily work and calls Niki. His mother's alternate personality, Jessica, answers, and although Micah realizes this quickly, he still tells her where he and his father are staying. He hangs up just as D.L. arrives. When D.L. asks him what he's doing, Micah insists that he was just messing around. The out of order sign on the phone and D.L.'s own inspection of it seem to satisfy him. Eventually, Micah tells his dad that his mom is "sick," and that she seems oblivious to having an alternate personality. He urges his father to go back to Niki and help her. After admitting that he told Jessica where they are, his father rushes him into the car. However, he's not quite fast enough, and Jessica, having purchased a sniper rifle in the hopes of catching D.L. off-guard, puts a bullet through his shoulder. D.L. manages to avoid being shot again, then runs into a nearby forest with Micah while Jessica comes to assess the damage she caused. They stop and D.L. takes off his jacket, then they begin to walk backwards so their footprints will be misleading. They find an abandoned house, and Micah watches as his father phases his hand through the door 34

and unlocks it. Micah helps his father bandage the wound, but D.L. passes out, worrying Micah. It is implied that either Micah pulled his father into the house or D.L. eventually awoke. While Jessica searches the woods for the two, Micah begins to call out for his mom. Jessica arrives a few moments later, a gun in the waistband of her pants, happy to see Micah. As Jessica enter the house, a fight ensues between D.L. and her. Micah tries to stop Jessica, but is inadvertently pushed into a rock wall by her. As Micah cries in pain, the fighting ceases and Niki regains control of her body. The family then reconciles and walks back to the diner where D.L. was shot. Micah sits down to check his leg, which had been hurt when he was pushed into the wall. D.L. goes to check on him and tells him they were heading for a hotel. Meanwhile, Niki realizes she, or rather, Jessica, is too dangerous. When D.L. and Micah look back up, Niki is across the street, asking a police officer to arrest her for murder. Two weeks later, Niki is in prison awaiting trial and Micah is being raised by his father. D.L. has "[his] own style" of living which Micah finds unusual, including putting peanut butter in the refrigerator. Overall, Micah just misses his mother dearly. However, due to her imprisonment and Jessica's attempted escape, Niki isn't even allowed to hug him. Tensions between Micah and D.L. worsen as D.L. is unable to find work. Micah leaves home upset with his father and is seen in "The Fix" stealing money from automated teller machines by using his power. Micah comes home late to find D.L. worried severely. The two then agree to "try harder" at making their new arrangement work. Micah then opens his backpack and pours the money he stole onto their coffee table, saying "this should help." then D.L. asked how did you get this, and Micah's response was "You know how you and mom have a secret? Well, I have a secret too." Niki is released in "Distractions". After she comes home, Micah proposes a game of Scrabble, not realizing that he is speaking to Jessica instead of Niki. Bully, one of the Heroes graphic novels, reveals that a boy named Frank also pestered him at school. Micah asks Frank to stop, but Frank believes both Micah and his "psycho killer mom" should be in jail. Micah uses neon lights at a junkyard to scare Frank, and comes home. D.L. asks about the fight and gives Micah a sandwich as Micah admits his victory. In the nineteenth episode, ".07%", Mr. Linderman meets with Jessica and requests the opportunity to "borrow" Micah for unspecified reasons. Jessica denies him, not wanting Micah to get caught up in their business arrangmenent, and then leaves. Shortly after, Candice Wilmer impersonates Niki, and hands Micah over to Linderman, with whom he drives away. Micah is then taken to a hotel room where Candice Wilmer, disguised as Niki is made to watch over him. Eventually Micah discovers that Niki is actually Candice and tries to escape. He is thwarted, however, by Candice's illusion-casting ability. He is later met by Mr. Linderman, who promises to make sure Micah's family need never worry about money again, provided that Micah cooperates. Micah agrees, and is asked to reprogram the voting machines so Nathan Petrelli wins by a landslide. From one terminal, Micah is able to reprogram every voting machine in the district, as they are all networked together, although doing so appears to take a toll on him. He is later trapped in a closet by Candice, who fights Niki in the form of Jessica. Niki uses her new superhuman strength to knock Candice out and Micah escapes with Mohinder, D.L., Molly, and Niki, using his power one more time to repair a broken elevator. In "Kindred", after the death of his father, Micah leaves Nevada with his mother, Niki, and is brought to New Orleans, Louisiana to stay with Nana Dawson. From there, Micah has been in contact with Hana Gitelman through the Corinthian Hotel network. He quickly bonds with his cousin Monica and after she discovers her powers and he helps her figuring it out. He has a harder time with his other cousin who bullies him but manage to get in his good graces by using his powers to get pay-per-view. In "Truth and Consequences", Damon gets Micah's backpack stolen. Micah is extremely upset because inside the backpack was a medal his father received during his time as a fireman. The medal reminded Micah of his father's heroism. Niki tells Micah that they are going to call the police, but that is not enough for him. Later that night, Monica wakes up Micah and says she knows where the robbers live. Micah watches as Monica scales their house and grabs the backpack. The robbers arrive home and hold Monica at gunpoint as she tries to hide. Micah watches in horror as the robbers force Monica into their car and drive off. In "Powerless", Micah calls upon his mother Niki to help him rescue Monica. Micah uses his abilities to track her down, only to find Monica trapped in a building that is on fire and set to explode. Niki is able to rescue Monica, but is unable to free herself, leaving Niki trapped inside when the building explodes. It is not known if Niki surivived the explosion. Micah is a technopath, which enables him to "communicate with machines and electronics." His power seems to require physical contact with the device and a certain level of concentration, after which the changes he wishes to make are almost instantaneous. Using a cell phone, Micah can bypass the need for physical contact, at least in cases where the target device is controlled by a networked computer. When asked to rig an election, for example, Micah is able to reprogram the entire voting computer network, which covers the entire city, in roughly a minute, though doing so seems to exhaust him. He first displays his power in "Nothing to Hide," where he repairs an out of order pay phone simply by touching it. When his contact was lost and his concentration was broken, the phone no longer worked. In "The Fix," he uses his power to manipulate an automated teller machine, causing it to repeatedly eject cash in $500 increments. In "How To Stop An Exploding Man", he is able override the security lockdown on an elevator, much impressing his new friend Molly Walker. In Powerless, it is seen that Micah also can tell any electronic devices to do whatever he wants, even at a distance, as he and Niki go and try to save Monica. It also appears that his 35

powers are growing, as, without any physical contact, he tells a traffic light to change so that he and and Niki can continue driving. Micah is also abnormally intelligent, though this has not been linked to his power. He is shown dismantling a new computer recently given to him in "Six Months Ago" and later repairing its motherboard in "Genesis." It is also stated in "Genesis" that public schools did not know how to nurture his gifts, so he was temporarily placed in a private school until his mother's lack of funds forced him to leave. Quantum 4; Quantum Pool 20 (Regenerate every 30 min); Willpower 5; Taint 0; Strength 1, Dexterity 2, Stamina 2, Manipulation 2, Charisma 3, Appearance 2, Perception 3, Intelligence 4 (2, Analyze Weakness, Engineering Prodigy), Wits 3; Abilities: Awareness 4, Brawl 1, Computer 2, Endurance 3, Engineering 4, Etiquette 1, Legerdemain 1, Resistance 3, Stealth 2, Streetwise 2, Subterfuge 1; Backgrounds: Allies 2, Contacts 3, Node 2; Quantum Powers: Cyberkinesis (All) 5; Soak: Bashing 2 dice, Lethal 1 dice (Heals rates are doubled, Lifespan 150+ years).

BASELINES
Bassett, Earl Earl Bassett was a hired hand in the small desert valley town of Perfection, Nevada, working with partner Valentine McKee to eek out an almost entirely insignificant lifestyle. Though Valentine would've cringed at Earl's usage of the phrase "hired hands" ("Handymen, Earl! We are handy men!"), it was in truth what they were. Earl and Val constantly said that they were going to go somewhere and make a better life for themselves; they never actually did anything about it until one of Walter Chang's septic tanks blew up all over them in 1990. Hightailing it out of Perfection, Earl and Val had the bad luck of running across some dead townsfolk, and once they got back to Perfection to give the heads up to its other residents, they discovered that what they were dealing with was far from ordinary. They attempted to make it up to Bixby to alert the police, but the road was blocked by an avalanche caused by one of the monsters (which, of course were Graboids). Thus, they were commissioned against their will to take two of Walter's horses across the valley to try to reach the police until they were attacked by a Graboid and discovered how enormous they were. Earl and Val met up with grad student Rhonda LeBeck after having killed the Graboid, and after staying all night on top of a boulder to avoid another of the creatures, they drove in Rhonda's pickup truck back into town where they rallied together with their fellow residents to kill the three remaining Graboids. Earl had plans of using the Graboid situation to take his big chance in life. He wanted recognition in National Geographic Magazine; he got a cover story in People magazine. Still, that was enough to raise national interest in the Graboids, and before you knew it, Earl and Val were in ads for Nike, Inc., there were Dark Horse comic books, and even an arcade game. However, it ended up that Earl, though he was co-discoverer and codestroyer of the Graboids, got no residuals from any of the merchandise that used the Graboid likeness, and he found himself, in 1996, stuck back in Perfection ranching ostriches. However, things changed when Grady Hoover, a big Graboid enthusiast and admirer of his, showed up on his doorstep and offered him his big second chance in life...to accompany him on a Graboid-hunting expedition for the Petro Maya oil company in Mexico. While there, Earl and Grady bagged 28 Graboids at the tune of $50,000 apiece, which ended up totaling at the sweet sum of $1,400,000. Earl and Grady also managed to talk the Mexican government into giving them money for each of the Shriekers, the second stage of the Graboid's biological life cycle, that they had managed to tag...considering the dozens upon dozens of Shriekers that they destroyed in a large explosion, one can only imagine how much more money they were awarded. Even if they did destroy the entire Petro Maya oil refinery. While battling Graboids with Grady in Mexico, Earl met Dr. Kate Reilly, the geologist working on the case for Petro Maya. They got along very well, and eventually discovered that they really, really liked each other...and at a time of utmost desperation, when they were camped out on a roof to avoid the Shriekers, Earl realized that she had been Miss October 1974, the Playboy Playmate he had pinned up on his wall. They fell in love and presumably got married. After the situation in Mexico, Earl and Grady used their newfound riches to operate a Graboid-themed amusement park, Earl and Grady's Monster World... Earl's third big chance in life. In Slither, which is squarely in the same genre as the Tremors series, a high school is named after him. Strength 4, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4, Charisma 4, Manipulation 1, Appearance 2, Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 3; Abilities: Animal Training (Riding) 2, Area Knowledge: Perfection Valley 2, Athletics (Dodge) 2, Awareness 1, Brawl 3, Drive 3, Engineering 4, Firearms 3, Linguistics 1, Medicine 1, Melee 2, Science (Graboid, Perfection Geology) 1, Stealth 1, Streetwise 1, Subterfuge 2, Survival 2; Backgrounds: Allies 4, Contacts 2, Influence 3, Resources 4; Virtues: Conscience 4, Self-Control 3, Courage 4, Humanity 8, Willpower 6 Calvin, Theodore Industrious, fun-loving, athletic, powerfully built, small business owner and helicopter pilot, whose friendship with Magnum and Rick dates back to the late sixties and the Vietnam War, where he was a USMC UH1 ("Huey") helicopter pilot (Rick was his door gunner) involved in troop transport, reconnaissance, and attack missions with the VMO-2 squadron. He served three tours of duty and was a POW (with Magnum) for three months. He operates a helicopter tourist charter business called Island Hoppers at the Makai Pier in Makapuu. His chopper (a Hughes 500D) and combat-trained flight skills are often enlisted (begged) by Magnum during the course of an investigation. T.C. is also a highly skilled mechanic. Helicopters, of course, are his specialty, but he 36

is also a very good auto mechanic as well. He grew up in New Orleans where his father was a shopkeeper. He has four brothers who were never seen or named in the show. He graduated from Grambling State University in 1968, where he was an All-American Tight End in football and the 3rd all-time leading basketball scorer in school history. After college, he enlisted in the USMC. He trained at Camp Lejuene where he was a Light Heavyweight Gold Glove Boxing Champion. After his Vietnam service ended in the early 70s, he resigned from the USMC. He worked for Ken Enderlin Charters as a helicopter pilot, among other jobs, for "several years" before saving up enough money to start his own charter company in 1980. Theo owns a house in central Oahu with a great view, high in the Waianae Range, near the Kolekole Pass and the Schofield Barracks. He was previously married to Tina Calvin and has two children, a son (Bryant Calvin) and a daughter (Melody Calvin), who live on the mainland with their mother. In the series finale, T.C. reconciles with his wife. Theodore spends quite a bit of time volunteering for underprivileged kids and coaches a Little League baseball team. He is also a member of the Marine Forces Reserve. T.C. is a southpaw. His hobbies include music (especially singing), reading (Michener, Buck Gibson, Robin Masters & others) cajun-style cooking, dance (ballet), basketball, softball and volleyball. He is an expert at street fighting and is a teetotaler. He can often be seen wearing a VMO2 Da Nang baseball cap, blue jeans and stripped suspenders. T.C. is 6 feet, 2 inches tall. He sports a Da Nang baseball cap. His combat-trained flight skills are often enlisted by Thomas Magnum during the course of an investigation. He is also very powerfully built, which Magnum exploits when he expects to run into physical trouble. T.C. avoids alcohol, instead preferring milk, soda, or juice. However, he does partake of alcohol in many of the early season one episodes, and can be seen with a beer bottle in his hand in the opening credits of seasons (1-5.) T.C. has a wife, Tina, and two children: Melody and Michael. Strength 4, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4, Charisma 4, Manipulation 2, Appearance 3, Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 4; Abilities: Academics 2, Area Knowledge: Hawaii 4, Arts 5 (Cooking), Athletics 3, Awareness 2, Biz 3, Brawl 4 (Boxing), Bureaucracy 3 (Covert), Drive 3, Engineering 4 (Helicopter), Firearms 3, Intimidation 1, Investigation 2, Linguistics 1, Medicine 1, Melee 2, Might 2, Perform 2 (Music, Singing), Pilot 4, Science 1, Stealth 2, Streetwise 2, Subterfuge 1, Survival 2; Backgrounds: Allies 3, Contacts 4, Influence 1, Resources 3; Willpower 6 Fisk, Wilson Wilson Fisk, the man who would one day become the Kingpin, started out as a common thug in the Bronx. He was noticed by one Don Rigoletto, an accomplished crime boss who admired Fisk's sheer brutality and hired him as his primary enforcer. Fisk eventually murdered his benefactor and took control over his mob empire. Thus, the Kingpin was born. While his wife, Vanessa, knew of Wilson's criminal activities, he was careful to shield their only son, Richard, from the life he led. That effort was in vain, as Richard finally did learn of his father's mob connections. Richard faked his own death, and returned to New York as the Schemer, intent on destroying his father's empire. He had also taken on the guises of the original Rose and later, Blood Rose, but was never able to do much damage to the Kingpin's organization. Wilson Fisk is a criminal mastermind who is involved in extensive illegal activities such as drug running, smuggling, murder, and so forth. Despite this, he has no criminal record and an army of lawyers to keep it that way, and is a criminal financial strategist without parallel. Fisk has no superhuman powers, but the majority of his 400-plus pound bulk is solid muscle. When he delivered a kick to the Kingpin's back, Daredevil could only think, "Whatever that was, it wasn't fat. Felt more like rock". He is a superb fighter who has held his own against Spider-Man, recently Daredevil occupies most of his attention. He has been aware of Daredevil's secret identity for years, thanks to Karen Page's indiscretion. Though Spider-Man and Daredevil are his greatest enemies, he has also tangled with Captain America, Moon Knight, Dr. Strange, the Punisher, the Avengers, and Ghost Rider, among others. He has employed any number of costumed criminals and assassins, most notably Elektra, Bullseye, Jack O'Lantern, and Typhoid Mary. Recently blinded himself like his arch-nemesis Fisk found it hard to control his men as they now saw a weakness in their leader. The Kingpin's own son and a mobster from New Jersey named Silke formed a coup and with the help of the Fisk's Captains seemingly assassinated him. They we're all tricked though, Wilson's man Dini found the Kingpin close to death and got him to safety. Fisk's wife then took revenge on those that did this to her husband killing all involved (even her son) except Silke who got away and went to the F.B.I. for protection. It was Silke who told the F.B.I. about Daredevil's true identity. The Kingpin eventually regained his sight due to surgery, but no sooner had he been able to see the world again, he was thrown into prison for his crimes. But he wasn't through plaguing Daredevil yet; he was able to mastermind a plot that put Daredevil's secret identity into the hands of the F.B.I, and also managed to arrange the near-fatal stabbing of Foggy Nelson, Daredevil's longtime friend and fellow lawyer. Kingpin has no superhuman powers. However, he is as strong and durable as it is possible for a man of his height, weight, and build who engages in intensive regular exercise to be, and he is a very large man (over six and a half feet tall). His stamina is likewise honed to the virtual pinnacle of human ability. He has remarkable agility and dexterity for a man of his size.

37

Real Name: Wilson Grant Fisk; Aliases: The Brainwasher, Harold Howard; Identity: Fisk is publicly known to be the Kingpin, but his dual identity has never been officially proved.; Occupation: Criminal organizer and mastermind, president and owner of legitimate businesses; Citizenship: USA with no criminal record; Place of Birth: Unknown, probably in New York City area; Known Relatives: Vanessa (wife), Richard (Rose/Bloodrose, son, deceased), Anatoly Fyskov (ancestor, deceased); Group Affiliation: Leader of a coalition of East Coast nonMaggia criminal organizations, former manager of Las Vegas HYDRA faction, "Acts of Vengeance" prime movers; Education: Unrevealed; Height: 6' 7"; Weight: 450 lbs; Eyes: Blue; Hair: none Concept: Criminal Mastermind; Strength 5, Dexterity 5, Stamina 5, Charisma 4, Manipulation 5, Appearance 3, Perception 3, Intelligence 4, Wits 5; Abilities: Athletics 5, Awareness 3, Biz 4, Brawl 5, Bureaucracy 1, Command 4, Drive 2, Endurance 3, Engineering 1, Etiquette 2, Firearms 4, Intimidation 4, Intrusion 3, Investigation 3, Linguistics 3, Medicine 1, Melee 3, Might 3, Occult 3, Perform 3, Resistance 3, Stealth 4 (Darkness), Streetwise 5, Style 3, Subterfuge 5, Survival 2; Backgrounds: Allies 5, Backing 5, Cipher 4, Contacts 5, Influence 4, Resources 6, Status 4; Merits: Huge Size; Virtues: Conscience 2, Self-Control 5, Courage 5, Humanity 4, Willpower 7 Gummer, Burt Look up "prepared" in the dictionary that's Burt Gummer. He loves his independence and admires self-reliance above all else. For him Perfection Valley is the last, best hope for those who embody the true pioneer American spirit. His distrust of the government's intentions and his own discomfort with society at-large sent him into the desert wastelands (the home of his great-grandfather, silver-mine mogul Hiram Gummer) more than a dozen years ago. Now, divorced from his long-suffering, gun-toting wife Heather and deprived of her mitigating influence he relies on his neighbors in Perfection to keep his natural paranoia within limits. Like all true obsessives, Burt gets so consumed by his particular project of the moment (monitoring his Graboid sensors, scanning the desert surroundings with his periscope, midnight testing of the latest modification to his night-vision goggles) that he loses sight of how humorous he is to others. When his (now-deceased) neighbor Miguel suggested it was time Burt stop worrying about Graboids appearing in Perfection by reminding him, "It's been, what? Eleven years?", Burt simply responded, "No reason to lower your guard." Burt has a penchant for spouting that memorable line of dialogue that crystallizes the moment: "Broke into the wrong goddamn rec room, didn't you?!" "I feel I was denied critical, need-to-know information." "And that's why we're at the top of the food chain!" He is not actually a nut. He is, however, a gun nut. "You have nothing to fear but fear itself and running out of ammo," he has said. He can talk endlessly, and with first-hand experience, about any firearm from a CO2 paintball rifle to a .50 caliber anti-aircraft naval deck gun (a very effective tool for Shrieker eradication.) A hard-and-fast adherent to rules and regulations (his own, not the government's), Burt will never point a firearm at any human. Never. He's fanatical about gun safety. After selflessly sacrificing his hilltop bunker home during the "AssBlaster incursion" a couple years ago, Burt has doggedly soldiered-on in his houseless basement (now covered with a Quonset hut, scrounged pieceby-piece from a nearby abandoned government facility.) It contains his indoor shooting range, safe room, emergency escape tunnel and (in)famous gun wall. He has replenished only about 20 percent of his weapons. Painted gun silhouettes on the wall indicate the ones he hasn't yet replaced. The bunker is Burt's command center, from which he monitors the Valley on his laptop, via his infrared satellite downlink; checks for Graboid movement via seismo readings from his network of strategically placed geophones; and watches lonely hours of war documentaries on television. ("If you ask me, Patton, not Eisenhower, should've been President," he grouses.)

38

He lives by his survivalist motto: "Doing what I can with what I've got." Often, it's Burt's uncanny talent for turning the most unlikely things into effective weapons that gets his neighbors out of a tough spot. Underneath his gruff bluster, Burt really is a sensitive guy. Perhaps one day soon he will be ready to take faltering steps in answer to the call of his lonely heart. A secret he'd never want uncovered is his regular presence in survivalist chat rooms in search of someone who could give him what only his beloved ex-wife Heather could: patient support and an ability to load an HK-91 like nobody's business. Jodi Chang takes Burt in stride and is even fond of him. Tyler Reed rolls with Burt's eccentricities. Rosalita Sanchez simply finds his overkill and paranoia odd. And ex-hippy Nancy Sterngood butts heads with Burt on almost every issue; she pokes holes in his arguments and tries to make him see reason. But for Burt there's always been "a little too much Summer of Love in that woman." After selflessly sacrificing his hilltop bunker home during the "AssBlaster incursion" a couple years ago, Burt has doggedly soldiered-on in his houseless basement. It contains his indoor shooting range, safe room, emergency escape tunnel and (in)famous gun wall. He has replenished only about 20 percent of his weapons. Painted gun silhouettes on the wall indicate the ones he hasn't yet replaced. The bunker is Burt's command center, from which he monitors the Valley on his laptop, via his infrared satellite downlink; checks for Graboid movement via seismo readings from his network of strategically placed geophones; and watches lonely hours of war documentaries on television. He lives by his survivalist motto: "Doing what I can with what I've got." Often, it's Burt's uncanny talent for turning the most unlikely things into effective weapons that gets his neighbors out of a tough spot. Underneath his gruff bluster, Burt really is a sensitive guy. Perhaps one day soon he will be ready to take faltering steps in answer to the call of his lonely heart. A secret he'd never want uncovered is his regular presence in survivalist chat rooms in search of someone who could give him what only his beloved ex-wife Heather could: patient support and an ability to load an HK-91 like nobody's business. Even at six foot four inches tall, with his long lanky frame, Burt doesn't seem intimidating at first, but when you know he's responsible for more Graboid, Shrieker, and AssBlaster kills on the planet, he seems a bit more impressive. He wears desert cammo mostly, trading it out for other combat-ready gear at times, along with his ever-present Atlanta Hawks hat. He's always seen wearing one of his tactical vests with pockets full of ammo, concussion gernades, and other survival gear. Strength 3, Dexterity 4, Stamina 4, Charisma 2, Manipulation 2, Appearance 2, Perception 4, Intelligence 3, Wits 5; Abilities: Academics (Conspiracy Theories, Politics) 2, Animal Training (Riding) 1, Archery 4, Area Knowledge (Perfection Valley) 4, Athletics (Dodge) 3, Awareness (Intuition) 3, Biz 1, Brawl 4, Bureaucracy (Covert) 1, Command 2, Computer 3, Drive 3, Endurance 3, Engineering 3, Firearms 5, Intimidation 2, Intrusion 4, Investigation (Enigmas) 2, Linguistics (Spanish) 1, Martial Arts 3, Medicine (Herbalism) 2, Melee 4, Might 3, Pilot 1, Resistance 2, Science (Perfection Geology) 3, Stealth 4, Streetwise 3, Subterfuge 2, Survival 5; Backgrounds: Allies 3, Contacts 5, Influence 2, Resources (Silver Bars) 3; Willpower 7

39

Hayes, Billy Real Name: William Hayes; Identity/Class: Normal human; Occupation: Scientist; Affiliations: The Misfits of Science, Dick Stetmeyer, Humanidyne Institute, Link, Brick Tyler; Enemies: Unknown; Known Relatives: None; Aliases: None; Base of Operations: Humanidyne Institute; Powers/Abilities: Highly intelligent. Billy Hayes was a scientist investigating cases of human anomalies for the Humanidyne Institute. When one of his bosses got involved in unscrupulous and dangerous experiments, Billy and his colleague Elvin gathered a team of "Misfits of Science" to sort things out. Although Billy has no powers of his own, he is considered the leader of the group. Willpower 6; Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2, Manipulation 3, Charisma 3, Appearance 3, Perception 2, Intelligence 4, Wits 3; Abilities: Academics 3, Athletics 2, Awareness 2, Biz 3, Brawl 2, Bureaucracy 3, Command 2, Computer 1, Drive 3, Engineering 2, Investigation 3, Medicine 3, Rapport 2, Science 3, Streetwise 1, Style 2, Subterfuge 2; Backgrounds: Allies 3, Backing 4, Contacts 3, Influence 1, Resources 3; Soak: Bashing 2 dice Higgins, Jonathan Quayle III Pudgy, world-wise, eccentric, sedentary, and honorable British majordomo of Robin Masters' Oahu estate, which he oversees with help from "The Lads", his two beloved, and highly trained, Doberman Pinchers, Zeus & Apollo. He is an ex-British Army Sergeant Major with a lengthy, impressive personal military history. He fought in WWII (North Africa, Italy and Southeast Asia), the Korean War, assisted the French in Vietnam, participated in special operations with MI6 and was involved in dozens of minor military skirmishes throughout the world. He is the second son of the Baron of Perth in a family that has been in the English peerage for almost 800 years. As the second son of the Duke of Perth, he is actually Baron of Perth, Lord Higgins, but with his brothers and their children, he'll never become the Duke. His great-aunt Matilda was lady-in-waiting to Queen Victoria and claimed the family descended from Richard the Lionheart. The family traces back to Henry VIII. His Father's great grandfather's aunt was the Duchess of Clyde, whose uncle on the mother's side was Earl of Throckmorton and nephew of Edward VI, son of Jane Seymour and Henry VIII. His father, Albert Stanley Higgins, sired numerous children out of wedlock during his travels in WWI - Elmo Ziller (American), Fr. Paddy McGuiness (Irish), Don Luis Mongueo (Spanish), Soo Ling (Chinese), Elizabeth Whitefeather (unknown) and Catooba Noomba (African). He also has "several" older brothers (never named), and a sister (never named) who lives in Sussex, England with her four children. As a young lad, he was educated at a UK preparatory school. When he was seven, he entered a military school somewhere on the "rainy, windswept coast of..." (England). In his early teenage years, he was a stellar student at a prestigous public school somewhere near Sussex, England. He attended The Royal Military College (RMC) at Sandhurst, but was expelled during his third year after being falsely accused of causing the partial paralysis of a fellow student during a school prank. The following spring, he enlisted in the British Army and served extensively in WWII, mainly in North Africa and SE Asia. After the war, he graduated from the University of Cambridge as a Doctor of Mathematics and continued to serve in various military and intelligence-related capacities, namely MI6 operations, up to the late 60's. He became the major-domo of Robin's Nest in 1972, where he's been ever since. Higgins is an expert at war history, pool, bridge, croquet and chess. He is fluent in Chinese and sign language, and was the top Fencer at his public school. He is extremely intelligent and is knowledgable on almost every subject imaginable, something which he demonstates frequently in his many unsolicited orations. His hobbies include shortwave radio, photography, gardening, polo, martial arts, music, reading, antique weapons, chess, wargaming, model making, musical theatre, Shakespeare and working on his memoirs. He also enjoys flying RC aircraft and shooting 18th century British cannons. He is very active in the Oahu high-society social scene, serving on dozens of committees and organizing numerous fund raising events. He is also head of the board at the King Kamehameha Club. He has never been married and has no known children. To T.C., he is known simply as "Higgie-Baby"! Known facts about Higgins: He was once a Sergeant Major in the British Army. He was present at the bridging of the River Kwai during WWII, which he claims was "nothing like the movie". He is the heir to a Scottish peerage. He has a half-brother in Ireland who is a Catholic priest (who was also played by John Hillerman). He holds a doctorate in mathematics from Cambridge University. He owns two highly trained Dobermann pinschers, Zeus and Apollo (A.K.A. "The Lads"). Higgins is often known for his tendencies to ramble when someone asked him a question. He always manages to relate it usually to a story in either Korea or World War II, but sometimes other events. In the pilot episode it is found he had a conjoined twin, separated at birth. World War II: Seconded for a time to a British Museum field team in Cairo, where he learned something of pottery restoration. Saw combat action against the Germans in North Africa. Attended some part of the Nuremburg war crimes trials, which were conducted 1946-1949. 1946: Posted to the Suez. 1948: Served in India, where he picked up some knowledge of hypnosis. 1951: Sergeant Major for a SAS unit in Hong Kong (ep. 1.5) Strength 3, Dexterity 5, Stamina 3, Charisma 3, Manipulation 5, Appearance 3, Perception 3, Intelligence 4, Wits 4; Abilities: Academics 5 (History), Animal Training 4, Archery 2, Arts 5 (Writing), Athletics 4, Awareness 3, Biz 3, Bureaucracy 5 (Covert), Command 3, Diplomacy 3, Disguise 2, Drive 3, Engineering 2, 40

Etiquette 5, Firearms 4, Intimidation 3, Intrusion 3, Investigation 2, Linguistics 2, Martial Arts 3, Medicine 2, Melee 4 (Fencing), Perform 3, Ride 4, Science 2, Stealth 2, Streetwise 2, Style 4, Subterfuge 5, Survival 3; Merits: Jack of All Trades; Flaws: Dark Secret (Double Identity); Backgrounds: Allies 5, Alternate Identity 4, Backing 4, Contacts 5, Influence (Alternate ID) 4, Resources 5; Virtues: Conscience 3, Self Control 5, Courage 5, Humanity 7, Willpower 9 Knight, Garthe (NEED STATS) Garthe is the estranged son of Wilton Knight, the son of Elizabeth Knight, and the brother of Jennifer Knight. Garthe is the most ruthless, evil human being that Michael Knight (also played by Hasselhoff) has ever encountered. In turn, Garthe hates Michael Knight because he believed that his father intended Michael to replace him. At one point, Garthe is in an African prison, sentenced to three consecutive life sentences there. He meets an African Revolutionary named Tsombe Kuna, a member of the Pan-African Liberation Movement. Garthe is able to avoid his life sentences because of a top official who is taking bribes on leases on diamond mines, bribed by Garth's mother, Elizabeth Knight. The official dies not too long afterward. Garthe and Tsombe work together for some time. Garthe returns to the United States and works with Tsombe and his mother to steal missiles from a government installation called "Red Bluff" in Nevada. Garthe creates a semi truck which he names "Goliath" (which is similar to a Peterbilt 352 Pacemaker). Ron Wilcox, one of Garthe's employees, finds out about Garthe's plan and tries to take pictures in the compound where Goliath is kept, but he is killed by Garthe. Ron's sister, Rita, goes to the Foundation for Law And Government (FLAG) for help and later meets Michael Knight, who helps her. Elizabeth helps Garthe to get his hands on the formula for the Molecular Bonded Shell, which makes Michael's car KITT invulnerable. Elizabeth drugs Devon Miles to get the partial formula and another member of the Foundation in Rio de Janeiro to get the other part of the formula; the second man dies not long afterward. Garthe applies the formula to Goliath and the shell is ready. Garthe does a demonstration of Goliath for Tsombe Kuna; he rams KITT and Michael is wounded. KITT is badly damaged, but Michael fixes KITT by rigging the car into a ramjet. Michael and KITT make it back to the Foundation and tell Devon about Goliath and what Garthe is planning to do. Michael figures a way to outwit Garthe to capture him. Michael goes to the casino and challenges Garthe by using Garthe's ego against him; playing a casino game, with the help of KITT, Michael wins the game and Garthe is angry. He follows Michael and gets captured by Devon Miles in the Foundation's mobile unit. Michael poses as Garthe to plant an explosive in Goliath. Garthe escapes and captures Michael. Garthe and Tsombe's soldiers proceed to Red Bluff; Goliath breaks through the wall, and they succeed in stealing the missiles. KITT manages to rescue Michael and they have a final confrontation with Goliath. KITT finds a weak spot in Goliath where the trailer hitch connects to the truck, and uses the laser that was installed by April Curtis. Garthe gets captured in the end. A year later, Garthe escapes from prison with the help of Adrianne Margeaux, a woman Michael Knight has dealt with earlier. She finances Goliath's repair, and she and Garthe work together to kidnap a Swedish scientist named Dr. Klaus Bergstrom, a brilliant physicist, to force him to use his genius for their own purposes. Garthe and Adrianne give another man plastic surgery to look like Dr. Bergstrom so that his niece, Christina, and others would not get suspicious. Garthe kidnaps Devon and April and takes them to a mansion out in the country. Garthe's men build a special cell for Michael Knight made out of the same stones from the African prison Garthe was in. Christina notices that her uncle, after spraining his foot earlier, is walking better and she gets suspicious. Michael goes to the hotel where Dr. Bergstrom and Christina are staying, asks him a question and senses that he is not Dr. Bergstrom. Michael manages to trace a call going out of the hotel, which leads him toward the mansion. He encounters Goliath; KITT gets hit by the truck and goes off a cliff, though KITT doesn't suffer as much damage as he did in his first encounter with Goliath. Michael manages to activate the parachute and saves them both, and then he gets captured by Garthe. Michael is put in his cell, but later manages to escape with KITT's help, and the two escape from the mansion. Michael goes to the hotel and confronts the fake Dr. Bergstrom, who is holding Christina against her will, and the impostor is apprehended by hotel security. Michael and Christina head back to the mansion to rescue Devon and April. Garthe plans to overload the systems in the mansion to kill Devon and April. Garthe and Adrianne take Dr. Bergstrom in Goliath to meet a submarine to take the doctor out of the country. Michael arrives at the mansion and saves Devon and April by turning off the power. Devon tells Michael he called the Army to stop Goliath, but they failed to do so. Leaving Christina with Devon and April, Michael goes after Goliath to rescue Dr. Bergstrom. Michael manages to rescue Dr. Bergstrom; Garthe sees this and follows Michael. Michael and KITT go near the edge of a cliff and use the grappling hook to save themselves. Garthe is about to ram into KITT, but Adrianne, who is attracted to Michael, turns the steering wheel to prevent Garthe from killing Michael. Goliath goes off the cliff and into the sea, killing Garthe and Adrianne. Mach, Jesse Jesse Mach had been a motorcycle cop until he was struck by a black truck while off duty; the same vehicle killed his partner too. Deemed unfit for active duty, he was reassigned to the Public Relations department, but he chaffed at being deskbound. Then he was approached by Norman Tuttle, a bookish federal 41

agent and engineer who had designed a prototype super-bike, codenamed Street Hawk. Tuttle was looking for a rider to test the bike in real world conditions, and saw Jesse as the ideal man for the job. Jesse agreed to be the secret test driver, on condition that he also use the bike to solve the mystery behind the vehicle which had killed his friend and injured him. Afterwards Jesse continued to act as an undercover federal operative, taking on cases at Norman's behest. A cop moonlights as undercover law enforcer riding a state-of-the-art motorcycle called Street Hawk. Jesse Mach, a highway patrolman results injured by a van that kills his partner. After being assigned to the detective department, he is approached by Norman Tuttle, a brilliant engineer who works undercover for the government. Norman convinces Jesse to ride a powerful motorcycle known as the Street Hawk. Jesse investigates a gang of car hops. During a chase, one of the crooks dies and his brother blames Jesse, so he hires a killer to do him in. But the hireling turns out to be an old pal of Jesse's. Jesse impedes an illegal jewel sale. A murderer, pretending to be a cop, retrieves the gems. Unwittingly, Jesse and Norman become embroiled the case of Linda Martin, an important witness against a mobster. She is being pursued by the mobster's henchmen bent on getting rid of her. Jesse attempts convincing a rock star to appear in a public service ad. A series of arsons at six different factories make Jesse and Norman doubt about their fortuity. Yet, when they set out to investigate, the two of them grow quite baffled by the fact that the detonator of the bomb is untraceable. Jesse comes to the assistance of a former girlfriend. Her Chinese family gets in trouble after a valuable statue is stolen. The widow of an overthrown dictator employs an escaped prisoner for a hideous scheme. Jesse investigates after the prisoner leaves a stand-in at the jail. Jesse pursues a gang of gunrunners, and their trail leads him to laser weaponry. There Norman reencounters an old flame. Jesse helps an authoress to solve a crime committed years before. Jesse competes with a beautiful and intelligent insurance agent when they investigate a horse-switching scheme. Altobelli comes to Jesse's aid when a federal agent tries to justify his own failure to halt an assassination. Jesse and Norman survey the underground activities of a neighborhood watch squad. Tuttle sat in an abandoned warehouse refitted to be a central command center where he could monitor Mach's actions and the bike's functions, including the computer assist Hyperthrust which launched the bike into incredible speeds up to, and even past, 300 mph. The bike itself was a modified 1983 XL500 from Honda. Real Name: Jesse Mach; Identity/Class: Normal human; Occupation: Motorcycle cop, undercover federal agent; Affiliations: Norman Tuttle, Marty (partner in the force, deceased); Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Charisma 3, Manipulation 2, Appearance 2, Perception 4, Intelligence 3, Wits 3; Abilities: Athletics (Dodge) 2, Awareness 4, Biz 1, Brawl 3, Bureaucracy 3, Command 2, Computer 2, Drive 3 (Motorcycles), Endurance 2, Firearms 4, Intimidation 2, Intrusion 4, Investigation 4, Melee 3, Rapport 3, Stealth 2, Streetwise 3, Subterfuge 3; Backgrounds: Allies 4, Backing 3, Contacts 4, Resource 3; Virtues: Willpower 6 Street Hawk (Top secret government project): Maneuverability 8, Brake 1, Cruise 120, Maximum 200 (300 for Hyperthrust Mode); Weaponry: Laser Cannon (7/10/1000), Machine Gun (6/8/150), Mini-Rocket Launcher (7/12/1500/10 Rockets); Other Features: Infrared Cameras, Compressed Air Vertical Lift System, On and Off Road Capability; An all terrain attack motorcycle designed to fight urban crime. Capable of incredible speeds up to 300 miles per hour, and immense fire power ranging from machine guns, to a particle beam, to a miniaturized missile launcher. The name Street Hawk would apply to the rider of the motorcycle as well as to the motorcycle itself. Magnum, Thomas Thomas Sullivan Magnum III was born on August 8th or January 5th, between 1944 and 1947, with August 08, 1945 (1945-08-08) (age 61) fitting the most references. Both his father and grandfather were naval officers. Magnum himself attended the Naval Academy, Class of 67 or 68, depending on the episode referenced. He served ten or more years as an officer in the United States Navy, rising to the rank of lieutenant before resigning from the service in disillusionment in 1979 and promoted to lieutenant commander when reinstated. Magnum was a Vietnam War veteran and a former POW who believed his wife Michelle died in bombing during the final pull-out from Saigon. He served in both the SEALs and Naval Intelligence during his Navy years, and as such maintained many contacts in both communities. In scenes in which he wore his uniform with decorations, it could be seen that Magnum won the Navy Cross in Vietnam. After leaving the Navy, Magnum became a largely penniless private investigator beach bum in Hawaii who, despite irregular employment, nevertheless managed to live a comfortable existence thanks to celebrity author Robin Masters's offer of the guest house on his Hawaii estate "Robin's Nest" and use of his red Ferrari 308 GTS in exchange for quality control of the estate security. In the course of the series, Magnum and his friends became involved not only in typical P.I. cases but also a wide variety of adventures involving espionage, covert operations, paramilitary escapades, and lifestyles of the rich and famous. The private investigator/"beach bum" mix allowed the mix of a strong comic element into the action-drama series. Magnum invariably appeared in khaki boardshorts or jeans, an Aloha shirt, and deck shoes or sandals. He often wore battered baseball caps of his favorite sports teams, the Detroit Tigers or USC, and maintained an easy-going cool in all but the most stressful situations. Always an imposing and competent man-of-action, Magnum was nevertheless both vulnerable and occasionally bumbling, which made his character appealing to a broad range of viewer demographics.

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Magnum regarded friendship as perhaps the most important element of life for him, and the theme of friendship ran throughout the many episodes. His most enduring friendships were with his former Vietnam comrades, Rick Wright and T.C. Calvin, and their friendship not only survived but flourished under the eccentricities each showed the others, and the extreme, sometimes perilous stresses they shared. His other close friendship, of a love-hate nature, was with Jonathan Higgins (referred to by T.C. as Higgy-baby), the ostensible Majordomo (domestic staff) of the estate where Magnum was a perennial guest (or in Higgins view, moocher). Magnum persistently tried to foil Higgins efforts to impose an orderly regimen on Magnums disordered lifestyle, and as they traded verbal jabs and one-ups-manship games with each other. Other friendships were woven throughout his encounters in the series. He continuously took advantage of Mac MacReynolds, a Navy officer and intelligence source for his cases, but was devastated when Mac was killed in an assassination attempt on Magnum. For almost every season in the series, Magnums investigations paralleled and sometimes crossed those of Honolulu Police Lieutenant Tanaka, with the obvious respect they held for each other going well beyond a shared enjoyment of the Detroit Tigers. Magnum maintained friendships with women as well, most notably Assistant District Attorney Carol Baldwin and Lieutenant Maggie Poole, McReynolds successor. Magnum was no less apt to exploit his friendship with Carol or Maggie as he was his male friends, and no less loyal. Numerous episode plots featured old friends calling on Magnum for help, requests he always honored, even when helping conflicted with his best judgment. Magnum was endowed with a rich assortment of personality traits, quirks, and preferences. He was an avid sports fan, not only of professional sports (a lifelong Tigers baseball fan), but of American football (being a former quarterback for Navy he evinced an intense fondness for the annual Army-Navy Game that often worked its way into plot lines), and during varied episodes he tried out for a professional football team, coached and played both basketball and softball, and participated in the Ironman Triathlon. Magnum regularly worked out on a surf ski and participated in local competitions, and enjoyed daily swims in the tidal pool off Robin's Nest. Magnum was an Everyman in the sense that his lifestyle represented every man's dream: coming and going as he pleased in an island Paradise, working only when he wanted to, the almost unlimited use of a Ferrari 308 GTS and other luxuries, a mini-fridge filled with a seemingly endless supply of beer, interaction with innumerable beautiful women, and adventures with his best buddies usually on his own terms. Magnums drink of choice was Old Dusseldorf beer, though he enjoyed sneaking fine wines out of Robin Masters wine cellar when he thought Higgins wasnt looking. Among his trademarks was his stuff, souvenir possessions collected over the years such as baseball bats and gloves, a gorilla mask, and a rubber chicken. Perhaps his most valued possession was his wrist watch, handed down to him by his late father, a naval aviator killed in the Korean War when Magnum was only five. A genuine Gauguin hung on the wall of the guest house he occupied, he had free use of Robins Ferrari, and he often bartered with Higgins for use of expensive cameras, the tennis courts, and other accouterments of rich living. The series was also marked by Magnums character growth over eight years, shedding an immature and often lazy beach bum streak that at times fostered an occasional callous hardness and a tendency to resolve problems by violence. Yet the change was subtle, almost imperceptible, and throughout it he managed to maintain the humor and other appealing traits which drew his friends (and viewers) to him. That he went back into the Navy, and simultaneously took on the role of responsible father, at the end of the series run was only superficially surprising; his character had been meandering toward that responsibility in small increments for years. Personal details: In Memories are Forever (Ep.2-05), Magnums drivers license was shown on screen giving the viewer the following information: SSN 546-10-8740, Hair BRN, Weight 205, Height 6'4", Eyes BL, DOB 1/05/46, and his old address (pre Robins Nest) of 11435 18th Ave., Honolulu, HI 96816. The first episode to reference Magnums birthday was Memories are Forever (Ep.2-05) which listed it as January 05, 1946 (194601-05) (age 61) on his drivers licensee. Strength 3, Dexterity 4, Stamina 4, Charisma 4, Manipulation 3, Appearance 4, Perception 5, Intelligence 3, Wits 4; Abilities: Academics 2 (History), Animal Training 1, Area Knowledge: Hawaii 4, Athletics 4, Awareness 4, Brawl 5, Bureaucracy 3 (Covert), Command 2, Diplomacy 3, Disguise 2, Drive 4 (Boating), Engineering 2, Etiquette 4, Firearms 4, Interrogation 3, Intimidation 2, Intrusion 5, Investigation 4, Linguistics 3, Medicine 1, Melee 3, Rapport 2, Ride 3, Science 1, Stealth 4, Streetwise 4, Style 2, Subterfuge 3, Survival 3; Backgrounds: Allies 5, Backing 3, Contacts 5, Rank (Naval Intelligence) 3, Resources 4 McCall, Robert McCall is a ex-senior operative for an espionage agency known as "The Company." He is well-dressed, divorced, 5'10" tall, 175 pounds, with gray hair, hazel eyes and in his mid-fifties. Disillusioned with his 30 year career of fighting terrorists and playing the spy game, Robert voluntarily retired in 1985 from an occupation that usually doesn't let its employees leave... alive. He now hires himself out as an urban vigilante and advertises in the local newspaper with an ad that reads "Got a problem? Odds against you? Call the Equalizer 212-555-4200." Robert travels about in a 1985 black XJ6 Jaguar sedan [license plate: 5809-AUG] McCall screens his answering machine for possible clients and generally doesn't charge them for his help. Robert conducts his operation using money he earned through wise investments and large fees earned on assignments over the years. In the end, McCall hopes that his generosity, though belated, will somehow repay a debt he feels he owes humanity. 43

When the job called for additional help, McCall recruited former spy associates Mickey Kostmayer, Jimmy, Sterno, Dana and Control, his ex- supervisor at the "Company" to provide surveillance or protection for his clients. They helped Robert perhaps to protect a man marked for death because he witnessed a murder; to deter the activities of a child pornographer; to help a .high school principal combat the gang responsible for the rape of a girl in the school gymnasium; or to seek out and stop a series of robberies directed against the deaf community. While on a case, McCall's methods of persuasion varied. At first, he simply informed an offending person, in a fair but firm manner, to please stop their wrong-doing. When that failed, some threats, blackmail, or intimidation followed. And finally, when the initial methods failed (and the target was really, really crummy) Robert might pull out a gun and execute the person. But Robert didn't take a life on a whim. He genuinely tried to resolve his problems without the use of force, but when it came down to the safety of his clients, McCall's sharply-honed skills as a spy could quickly kick in for the kill. McCall's clients problems varied as well. One day, McCall might protect a woman being stalked by a psychopath. Another day, Robert might offer his services to save a women from her abusive husband or a blind music critic who swears she just heard the voice of the man who raped her years earlier. In between, his day-today affairs as a vigilante, McCall might also be called upon to assist people he had known in the past as a spy. On one occasion, Robert became the defense counsel for Control when a "Company" tribunal charged him with treason. While another time, McCall jumped into extricate Mickey Kostmayer from a hostage situation after a rapist held him and others as collateral to save himself from a mob assassin. McCall's N.Y.P.D. police contacts included Inspector Isadore Smalls (74th Precinct) and Lt. Jefferson Burnett (83rd Precinct). When Robert was not in his luxurious apartment, he frequented O'Phelan's, a local restaurant owned (Robert was a silent partner) by Pete O'Phelan, a widowed friend from Robert's "Company" days (she joined the "Company" in 1972). McCall had earlier used an eatery called The New York Cafe across from the United Nations to meet with his clients. Robert's family included his ex-wife, Kay who left Robert because of his dedication to his career; son Scott, an aspiring musician whom Robert is just now getting to know; daughter Kathy [deceased]; and another grown daughter, Yvette Marcel whom McCall fathered with an agent named Manon Brevard and only recently discovered was his child. 1933: Robert McCall born November 16th. 1951: Robert received commission in the British Army. 1952: Robert serves in Egypt with his father Captain William McCall in Port Said. Randall Payne kills Robert's father (shot in the back). 1960: Robert joins the "Company" and meets Manon Brevard. Manon kills assassin Nikos Yanakis and saves Robert's life. 1961: Robert stationed in London, France and takes a assignment in Cambodia. Army chaplain Father O'Donahugh saves Robert's life. 1962: Manon becomes pregnant (by Robert). Robert leaves France not knowing he is a father. 1963: Manon delivers a baby (Yvette) in 1963 while married to Philip Marcel. 1964: Robert marries Kay. She has a sister Helen. 1966: Scott McCall born 1966. 1970: Robert assigned to Biafra, Africa during a civil war. 1971: Kathy McCall is born. She is diagnosed with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. 1973: Kathy McCall dies on November 26th. She was only 18 months old. 1974: Robert and Kay separate. 1975: Robert and Kay divorce. 1977: Robert sent to Czechoslovakia with Control. 1980: Robert receives near mortal wounds in Angola (four bullets to the chest). 1980-81: Robert assigned to Poland to help trade union reformers. 1982: Robert assigned to Vienna, Austria. Manon delivers an order from Control to rescind Robert's execution issued by the Bentley administration. She is believed killed. Later, Robert is assigned to find terrorist Joseph Hyden who planted a bomb that killed McCall's godson in Paris (he was also a Company agent). After this assignment, Robert was assigned as Overview to the Company's Internal Review of Agency Operations. 1984-85: Robert assigned to South America. 1985: Robert and Richard Dyson, (the southern Control) resign the "Company" Robert becomes "The Equalizer" and recruits former spy colleagues like Michael "Mickey" Kostmayer to help him (McCall had proved Mickey innocent of charges lodged by the Navy in 1978 that he had murdered his partner. Mickey joined the "Company: in 1979. Mickey was bon in Houston, Texas on December 2, 1952.). 1986: Robert travels to Pakistan with Control to checkout the tensions in the region. 1987: Robert learns that Yvette Marcel is his daughter. In October of that year, Roberts is kidnapped by the "Company" and gets shot by the KGB. He takes on new associates Pete O'Phelan and Harley Gage. 1988: Yvette Marcel discovers Robert is her father. 1989: Scott McCall kidnapped by Bulgarian agents. The same year, Robert confronts Randall Payne, the man who killed his father in 1952. The series stars British actor Edward Woodward as Robert McCall, a former secret agent of an unnamed organization who tries to atone for past sins by offering, free of charge, his services as a troubleshooter (often literally), a protector, and an investigator. People in need find him through a newspaper ad: "Got a problem? Odds against you? Call the Equalizer." In the pilot episode (as he "opens for business"), we discover that the nickname "Equalizer" was bestowed on him by another operative, played by comedian Jerry Stiller. Aided by a group of sometimes-mysterious contacts (some of whom date back to his spying days), McCall traverses the streets of New York City, visiting justice upon hoodlums, rapists, racists, murderers, kidnappers, drug dealers, and other truly deserving people. His contacts are also prone to human foibles, ranging from egotism to domestic problems. McCall himself is divorced, a "lost dad" long estranged from his son, Scott (William Zabka from The Karate Kid). Scott comes back into his life as a young adult, at first bitterly judgemental of his father's world, 44

but who becomes drawn into that world to the dismay of both of his parents. McCall also lost a woman he was in love with named Manon Brevard and discovers that she had secretly given birth to his daughter. Many episodes focus on McCall performing assignments for "Control" (played by Robert Lansing), the unnamed head of the secret organization for which McCall used to work. In later episodes, Richard Jordan joined the cast as fellow "equalizer" Harley Gage, in order to reduce the workload on Edward Woodward, who suffered a heart attack during the series. Robert Mitchum also filled in for Woodward during that time. Most of the time, McCall was aided by Mickey Kostmayer (Keith Szarabajka), who was more or less permanently lent to him by Control. There were a large number of cameo and occasional appearances by other known stars, but as a general rule the people answering the newspaper ad were unremarkable, average, and unknown. The show had quite a number of notable guest stars. Eight-year-old Macaulay Culkin appeared in one episode as a kidnap victim, and Christian Slater appeared as a high school student in the episode "Joyride." Jon Polito played a "mobster" named Carmack. Adam Ant played a villain. Vincent D'Onofrio appeared twice in the series -- the first time as an arsonist, and the second time as a mentally challenged young man. Melissa Sue Anderson played McCall's daughter by an old girlfriend. Shelby Anderson lent her singing ability as a lounge singer in a very notable episode that also involved her Giant Panda, ZhenZhen. Additionally, Adam Horovitz of the Beastie Boys, John Goodman, Laurence Fishburne, Michael Moriarty, Sylvia Sidney, Telly Savalas, and many others appeared in episodes. One of the notable weapons McCall uses is a ballistic knife that is capable of launching its blade. This is especially useful when he must surrender his gun to help a client or when his gun is lost in a fight. Other weapons range from pistols to machine guns. McCall's personal weapons cache is hidden behind the tool board on a wall of his apartment's workshop. He may be able to obtain more weapons through a variety of sources (pawn shops, gun shops, the agency, or various contacts). One feature of "spy genre" shows that was blatantly missing was a reliance on unusual gadgetry, disguises, and similar diversions. In nearly every case, the hardware was off-the-shelf, commonly available on the open market. In this way, it was unlike most other spy series. McCall's main weapon was a stainless steel Walther PPK. Strength 3, Dexterity 4, Stamina 3, Charisma 4, Manipulation 4, Appearance 2, Perception 3, Intelligence 4, Wits 5; Abilities: Academics (Law, Politics, Research) 3, Animal Training 2, Athletics (Dodge) 2, Awareness 4, Biz 3, Bureaucracy (Covert) 3, Command 3, Computer 2, Drive 4, Endurance 2, Engineering 2, Etiquette (Diplomacy) 4, Firearms 4, Interrogation 3, Intimidation 4, Intrusion 3, Investigation 5, Linguistics 3, Martial Arts 4, Medicine 2, Melee 4, Might 2, Perform 3, Rapport 1, Resistance 2, Science 2, Stealth 4, Streetwise 4, Subterfuge 4, Survival 3; Backgrounds: Allies 5, Contacts 5, Backers 2, Favors 5, Influence 3, Rank 4, Resources 4, Retainers 1; Virtues: Conscience 1, Self-Control 4, Courage 5, Humanity 4, Willpower 8 Peck, Templeton Lt. Templeton "Faceman" Peck, (often referred to simply as "Face") is a fictional character in the 1980s action/adventure television series, The A-Team. Tim Dunigan played this role in the pilot episode (it was rumored that he was thought to look too young to be believable a Vietnam veteran, and he was also much taller than the rest of the cast), but was replaced by Benedict for the rest of the show's run. Face appeared on The ATeam from 1983 until its cancellation in 1987. The A-Team is a group of ex-United States Army Special Forces who were wrongly convicted of a crime during the Vietnam War. Managing to escape from the military police, they fled to Los Angeles, where as fugitives, the A-Team work as soldiers of fortune, using their military training to fight oppression or injustice. Face, along with Hannibal Smith, B.A. Baracus, and H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock make up the A-Team. Suave, smooth-talking, and hugely successful with women, "Face" (so called for his clean-cut good looks) serves as the team's con man and scrounger. He seems to be able to get his hands on just about anything they need. Effectively second in command behind Hannibal (although technically Murdock has a higher rank), he is the one who arranges for supplies, equipment, and sensitive information using numerous scams and hustles. He has an uncanny ability to talk anybody (especially women) out of (or into) just about anything. He regularly appropriates explosives, tools, automobiles, and even airplanes for the team's various missions. Because of his talent as a con artist, Face generally lives the high life, staying in ritzy apartments and wearing expensive suits. He drives a custom white Corvette sports car with a red stripe (to match B.A.'s van), which is equipped with a CB radio and a mobile phone. He is also an expert at picking locks. B.A. once said that if Hannibal hadn't put Face on the team, he would probably be in jail. Not much for hand-to-hand combat, Face is forever complaining about the inevitable fighting that ensues. His trademarked fighting move is a flying body attack, although he often has to call in B.A. for help during a fight. Face also handles the team's money. As revealed in several episodes, Peck is an orphan. He was abandoned by his parents at an early age, and was raised in different orphanages. In season two there is an episode that tells some more of his back-story: he fell in love in college only to have the woman leave him and become a nun. It was this event that led Face to dropping out of school and joining the Army, where he would eventually meet the rest of the team. It is also implied that the incident is what led to his womanizing ways. Ironically, in the episode "The Bells of St. Mary", it is revealed that Peck played football in a parochial school run by a nun.

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In the season 4 episode "Mind Games", it is revealed that Templeton Peck is not his real name. In season five ("Family Reunion"), Face learns that his father was a man named A.J. Bancroft and that his birth name is Richard, and he has a half-sister named Ellen. His assumed names in order are Richard Bancroft, Alvin Brennar, Al Brennan, Al Peck, Holmes Morrison, Morrison Holmes, and finally Templeton Arthur Peck. Because of the nature of Face's character, Face will traditionally hook up with that episode's female lead at the end of each episode. Only a few female characters are either an exception or are mentioned because of the non-traditional way in which they are seduced by Face. Jackie Taylor ("Till Death Do Us Part", season 1 episode 12) - Jackie Taylor is remarkable because the ATeam's plan is for her to wed Face and thereby cross that episode's antagonist. Afraid of the commitment at first, Face eventually gives and has a short fling with Jackie, but, as he always does, leaves her at the end of the episode, and their marriage is annulled. Leslie Bektall ("The Only Church in Town", season 2 episode 17) - Leslie Bektall is one of Face's first romances, but she disappeared shortly after he had given her his fraternity pin. As Face learns in the episode, she went into a nunnery. Before, Face had seriously considered asking her to marry him, and she is often cited as the reason Face ended up such a womanizer. In the episode, she needs his help, and tips him off by sending the pin back to him. It turns out that she had followed his military career closely and still prayed for him every night. They came close to rekindling their romance, but it was no longer possible. Face left his fraternity pin with her once more and left. Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Charisma 4, Manipulation 5, Appearance 4, Perception 3, Intelligence 4, Wits 3; Abilities: Athletics (Dodge) 2, Awareness 2, Biz 3, Brawl 3, Bureaucracy 2 (Covert), Diplomacy 4, Disguise 3, Drive 1, Engineering 1, Etiquette 4, Firearms 3, Interrogation 2, Investigation 4, Linguistics 3, Medicine 1, Melee 1, Perform 4, Rapport 3, Science 1, Streetwise 4 (Scrounging), Style 4, Subterfuge 5; Backgrounds: Allies 4, Alternate ID 6, Contacts 5, Influence 1, Resources 3 Reed, Tyler Tyler Reed, the son of a hard-bitten Air Force colonel who oversees bomb runs on the nearby Nevada Test Site, is in his mid-to-late-20s. Less cowboy and more hot-rodder, Tyler looks good in his engineer's boots and jeans with rolled cuffs. He's got a thing for everything NASCAR. Before coming to Perfection Valley, he was an aspiring driver working his way up the circuit. When he crashed his car and lost his sponsorship, he saw it was time for a career change. He bought a local business, Desert Jack's Graboid Tours. After all, he's seen CNN: Look how well Valentine McKee, Earl Basset and Grady Hoover made out running that ramshackle operation. Surely, there must be another fortune waiting to be made from Desert Jack's.... But for all Tyler's big dreams and street-rodding skills he's a remarkably easy-going guy. Too easy-going for Burt Gummer, who criticizes Tyler for being unprepared for most situations. However, the truth is Tyler's quick wits, athletic grace, and NASCAR-inspired driving will prove to be valuable survival skills for himself and his neighbors. Tyler considers Burt to be a neurotic eccentric, but he admires the guy's "whole gung-ho M.O." The two of them make an odd dynamic duo, whether safeguarding their valley, rescuing careless tourists, or taking an outside assignment. Their differences, particularly Tyler's tendency to ignore Burt's rigid S.O.P. (Standard Operating Procedure) constantly cause friction. Where Burt anxiously frets, Tyler rolls with it. Where Burt plans way ahead, Tyler makes it up on the spot. But, in reality, when Burt's outside his survivalist haven he's far less adept at dealing with the real world than is charming, savvy, streetwise Tyler. Jodi Chang is attracted to Tyler but channels her feelings into organizing his life, which is fine by him. Tyler's attracted to Jodi, as well. He admires her practicality and reliability. She, of course, wants to be admired for more than that. But fogging up Tyler's windshield is steamy Rosalita Sanchez. She's everything a guy could ever want, except for all the stuff only Jodi offers. In fact, Tyler soon has to admit that his all-time perfect woman is Jodi and Rosalita. "If I could just get the whole deal in one package...." Tyler laments. "Yes, every man's dilemma," Burt sagely replies. Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Charisma 3, Manipulation 1, Appearance 3, Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 4; Abilities: Academics (Occult) 1, Athletics 2, Awareness 1, Biz 2, Brawl 3, Bureaucracy 1, Drive (High Speed) 4, Endurance 2, Engineering 4, Firearms 3, Melee 1, Perform 2, Stealth 2, Streetwise 1, Subterfuge 2, Survival 1; Backgrounds: Allies 1, Contacts 3, Resources 2; Merits: Crack Driver; Virtues: Willpower 6 Smith, John Col. John "Hannibal" Smith is a fictional character in the 1980s action/adventure television series The ATeam played by George Peppard. The producers originally had James Coburn in mind to play the part of Hannibal, but it eventually ended up going to George Peppard. The character of Hannibal appeared on The ATeam from its beginning in 1983 until its cancellation in 1987. The A-Team is a group of ex-United States Army Special Forces who, at the end of the Vietnam War, were convicted of a crime they did not commit and managed to escape from the military police. As fugitives, the A-Team work as soldiers of fortune, using their military training to fight oppression or injustice. Hannibal, along with B.A. Baracus, Templeton "Faceman" Peck, and H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock make up the A-Team. 46

"Hannibal", naming himself after the famous military commander and strategist, is the leader of the ATeam. He is distinguished by his constant cigar-smoking, his black leather gloves, and his many comic disguises. He is a master tactician (although his plans rarely turn out as they are supposed to) and seems to have a plan for getting the team out of any situation they get into. He is probably best known for his catch phrase, "I love it when a plan comes together". He fought in both the Korean and Vietnam wars and achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel (although, he is most often referred to simply as "Colonel"). Thriving on adventure and the adrenaline rush of lifethreatening situations (or being "on the jazz", as the rest of the team refers to it), he seems to genuinely enjoy every challenge they encounter. He is renowned by both allies and enemies for being cool-headed and extremely clever. There is rarely a situation where he is not able to smile in the face of adversity. He will usually light up a cigar, when he needs to do some thinking often when coming up with a plan, and in the heat of a dangerous or exciting moment. He is also often seen putting on his gloves when he senses the action is about to pick up (such as a fist fight breaking out). When captured by their enemies, he will deliver flippant or sarcastic remarks. He regularly dispenses aphorisms, especially to their foes, upon defeating them. He also has some medical skills which he picked up when in Vietnam. He styles himself a "master of disguise", though his skill lay not so much in how convincing his disguise was, but in his ability to assume any role and convince others that his role is genuine. Most episodes begin with the prospective clients coming to meet the A-Team, and instead, being introduced to one of Hannibal's comic aliases. Hannibal uses his various disguises to screen all the A-Team's potential clients to assure they were not fronts for the militarysometimes playing more than one at a time. Clients often make reference to a "Mr. Lee", the owner of a Chinese laundromat who tells them where to meet the team, who often makes use of clich Chinese proverbs. Mr. Lee first appears in the pilot episode "Mexican Slayride, Part One". The alias of Mr. Lee is often referred to throughout the series, and Hannibal assumes the alias again in some episodes. When not working with the team, Hannibal works as an actor, playing monsters in low-budget horror movies (being a fugitive, he can only choose roles in which his face cannot be seen). His many roles include "Gatorella", "Killgator" and his most famous, "The Aquamaniac" . Naturally, Hannibal secures his roles playing his own agent. Dr. Maggie Sullivan ("Black Day at Bad Rock", season 1 episode 6) - In an uncharacterstic moment in the series, it is Hannibal that is capable of seducing the episode's leading female role, rather than Face. The character of Maggie Sullivan returns in the season 2 episode "Deadly Maneuvers", where Hannibal and the doctor rekindle their romance briefly. Anne Sanders ("Fire! season 3 episode 41) - As the A-Team is hired by a female firefighter, who is capable of challenging Hannibal. The sexual tension between the two rises throughout the episode, and Hannibal gives in too a short fling with the woman. She is not seen afterwards again. Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4, Charisma 5, Manipulation 3, Appearance 3, Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 4; Abilities: Academics 2, Athletics (Dodge) 2, Awareness 1, Brawl 4, Bureaucracy 2 (Covert), Command 4, Disguise 3, Drive 2, Engineering 2, Etiquette 1, Firearms 4, Interrogation 1, Intimidation 2, Intrusion 2, Investigation 2, Linguistics 2, Medicine 2, Melee 2, Occult 1, Perform 5, Rapport 1, Ride 3, Science 1, Stealth 4, Streetwise 2, Subterfuge 4, Survival 3; Backgrounds: Allies 4, Backing 2, Contacts 4, Influence 2, Resources 3 Wright, Orville Wilbur III A suave, street savvy, man-about-town of small stature who manages the King Kamehameha Club, an exclusive beachfront, members-only, club in southeast Oahu. He is a former USMC door gunner, and weapons specialist, who served in the Vietnam War with T.C. and Magnum in the VMO-2 squadron. He has close ties with Hawaii's underworld and often uses these connections to help Magnum in his investigations. His main contact, an underworld boss named "Icepick", is actually his stepfather, although his friends don't know this until years later. Rick was born and raised in a tough inner city Chicago neighborhood. Both of his parents died in 1958. His only sibling, Wendy, was killed by a drug dealer in Oahu in 1983. He loves to wager bets, is a big fan of Casablanca and Humphrey Bogart, and is skipper of the King Kamehameha II & III luxury yachts. He's a big baseball fan and grew up rooting for the Cubs. He has a particular fondness for expensive suits and tight designer jeans. In the late seventies, he owned a glittery discothque called Rick's Cafe Americain, otherwise known as The Snow Palace. Rick dressed, talked, and acted like Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca during this period. He even referred to the DJ as "Sam", even though that wasn't his real name. The club folded in 1980 due to financial problems and Rick soon became manager of the King Kamehameha Club. He married Cleo Mitchell, a former prostitute, in 1988, in the show's last episode, although the words "I Do" were never seen uttered. A running gag in the series is that in brawls, Rick is easily dispatched by the opponents. Strength 3, Dexterity 4, Stamina 3, Charisma 4, Manipulation 4, Appearance 3, Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 3; Abilities: Academics 1, Area Knowledge: Hawaii 2, Athletics 2, Awareness 1, Biz 2, Brawl 3, Bureaucracy 4, Command 1, Diplomacy 5, Drive 1 (Boating) , Etiquette 4, Firearms 5 (Heavy Weapons), Interrogation 2, Intimidation 1, Intrusion 2, Investigation 2, Linguistics 2, Melee 4, Occult 1, Perform 4, Rapport 1, Stealth 2, Streetwise 5 (Contacts), Style 4, Subterfuge 3, Survival 1; Merits: Underworld Ties; Flaws: 47

Susceptible to Bashing Damage (Double Damage); Backgrounds: Allies 3, Backing 3, Contacts 5, Resources 3; Virtues: Willpower 5

COMPANY (OWI, PROTEUS, THE DIRECTIVE)

The Company was founded in 1977 by a group of twelve individuals. It uses cover companies (e.g. Primatech Paper Co), to conceal their illicit operations, or provided support or resources for whatever reason. The standard operating protocol involves Company agents to locate and track evolved humans, letting some go but keeping the ones they deem dangerous locked away, or even killing those who are deemed too great a risk. The Company has two main tracking systems. One division marks people with special abilities with an isotope which can be later used by a satellite to track and find them (though this satellite has now been destroyed). In certain cases, this division also trains those individuals to assist the Company. The second "system" was a girl named Molly Walker who has an innate ability to find people, but she has now left the Company. Mr. Bennet's superior, Thompson, took orders from Daniel Linderman, who, along with Angela Petrelli and others, had been planning the events surrounding the explosion for an extended period of time. Since Linderman's death or even before, Bob Bishop has been running the operations of the Company. Due to Bob's ability, the Company is not stressed with financial concerns. Among other items, agents are known to have access to standard-issue clothing, guns, night vision goggles, tasers, and transportation. In addition, each agent receives a Company expense account to purchase other non-Company items. Besides field agents, the Company also employs internal affairs agents, scientists and doctors. At Primatech Research, Donna Dunlap worked for a time in internal affairs. While performing an investigation, she used the services of a research library, medical examiner, chemical analyst, and ballistics. Chain of Command Chairperson Daniel Linderman (deceased - killed by D.L. Hawkins) Bob Bishop (successor to Linderman, deceased - killed by Sylar) Angela Petrelli (successor to Bishop, active) Other High-Ranking Officials Field manager, trainer and agent Noah Bennet (formerly incarcerated, once again active) Second-In-Command Gael Cruz (deceased - killed by Sylar) Official and founder Kaito Nakamura (deceased - killed by Adam Monroe) Official and founder Arthur Petrelli (moved to Pinehearst) (deceased - killed by Peter and Sylar) Head of Ukraine Company Operations, trainer and agent Ivan Spektor (deceased - killed by Noah Bennet) Official, trainer and agent Mr. Thompson (deceased - killed by Noah Bennet) History The Company works to study and tag evolved humans. Mr. Bennet, a regional manager who runs a company facility in Odessa, TX, studies new cases, looks into the research of the recently deceased Chandra Suresh, and attempts to stop the evolved serial killer Sylarwhile at the same time attempting to defy the Company by protecting his own adopted daughter from them. His assistant, a seemingly mute Haitian, reveals that he is also trying to protect Claire. Another agent, Eden McCain, comes to reject the Company's mission, and in the end sacrifices herself to stop Sylar from gaining her ability. Isaac Mendez, a precognitive artist, works with the Company. He attempts to stop Peter Petrelli, whom Isaac believes will cause a foreseen explosion in New York City, but is eventually killed by Sylar. Three of the Company's former victimsTed Sprague, Matt Parkman, and Hana Gitelmanteam up to find answers. After discovering that the mark they all bear is a tracking device, they confront Bennet and inadvertently expose his efforts to conceal Claire from his employers, leading him to leave the Company and team up with them. Meanwhile, Bennet's former boss, Thompson, enlists the assistance of Chandra's son Mohinder to cure Molly Walker, an evolved human the Company uses as yet another tracking system. Matt discovers that Mr. Linderman is funding the Company. Thompson and Candice Willmer, another powered agent, work closely with Linderman to ensure Nathan Petrelli's election by kidnapping Micah Sanders. Linderman hopes to use a pending explosion to unite the country behind Nathan. D.L. Hawkins and Niki Sanders kill Linderman and rescue their son Micah from Candice. Bennet and Matt Parkman kill Thompson and rescue Molly Walker. Meanwhile, Hana Gitelman destroys the other tracking system, a satellite in space. Sylar confronts Peter outside the Company's Kirby Plaza facility and causes Peter's induced radioactivity to become unstable. Sylar is stabbed by Hiro and disappears into the sewers. Nathan Petrelli flies his brother Peter into the sky, preventing the explosion from destroying NYC. The Company is now run by Bob, who approaches Mohinder after a speech to offer him a job with the Company. After demonstrating his ability, Mohinder agrees to help further research the Shanti virus that affects evolved humans. Bob assigns Mohinder to go find the Haitian and cure him of the virus using his blood's 48

antibodies, then bring him back. However, Mohinder forgets ever leaving New York, and Bob realizes that Mohinder's cure works. Mohinder later arrives at Isaac's loft, where Bob tells Mohinder that this is his lab. Mohinder is later sent to bring in Monica and observe her ability. Bob asks Mohinder to inject her with a strain of the virus that should negate her abilities without killing her, but Mohinder objects. Bob apologizes, then assigns Niki as Mohinder's partner. After various Company founders are killed, Nathan and Matt go to Primatech Research to warn Bob, and the three, Mohinder and Niki devise a plan to stop Maury, who has targeted Bob. Maury turns Niki against Bob and Mohinder, but she stops herself by injecting herself with the virus. Matt stops Maury and saves Molly from Maury, rendering Maury unconscious and in Company supervision. Bob shows Company surveillance of Peter, which shows Nathan that Peter survived the explosion. Bob suggests to Mohinder that they use Claire's blood to help save Niki from the virus by combining her regenerative blood with his antibodies. Mohinder admits to Bob that he is plotting with Noah to stop the Company, and Bob gives him a weapon. Four months prior, Bob and Elle take in Peter after the explosion. Using power negation pills, they keep him in a cell to protect others. His cell is next to Adam's cell, and the two talk. Adam convinces Peter to stop taking the pills and use his ability to help the two escape and save Nathan, who is in the hospital after the explosion. After injecting Nathan with Adam's regenerative blood, Adam and Peter are tracked down by Elle and the Haitian. Adam escapes, but the Haitian erases Peter's memory and locks him in a shipping container. Mohinder is partnered with Elle and the two are assigned to kill Noah. Meanwhile, Bob attempts to capture Claire for her regenerative blood. Noah and West knock out Mohinder and capture Elle, then arrange a switch for Claire. After taking Claire's blood, Bob and Mohinder bring Claire to Noah and West, while Elle is returned to her father. Noah is shot in the eye, while Claire and West escape. Noah is revived with Claire's blood, and is kept in a Company cell. Elle is given the task of watching Claire, but is caught by Claire. She threatens to expose the Company, but is discouraged by Noah, who Claire thought was dead. Meanwhile, Mohinder uses his blood's antibodies and Claire's regenerative blood to create a cure for the virus. He goes to save Niki, but receives a call from Sylar, who is with Molly. Mohinder goes to his apartment, and Sylar holds Mohinder, Molly and Maya hostage until he is cured. Mohinder finds that Sylar was infected with the same strain of the virus as Niki, and steals the cure from Mohinder before Elle can stop him. Agent Howard and the Constrictor locate their target, Echo DeMille, and approach him. He refuses to accompany them when Howard asks, and attempts to flee. The Constrictor attempts to contain him, but Echo uses his ability to free himself, cause Howard to collapse, and escape. The Constrictor then shoots Howard in the head and phones Bob on his cell phone. He reports Howard's death and tells Bob that the situation is worse than Bob had thought. The Constrictor then looks to his cell phone, and sees a picture of Echo in an embrace with a woman. The Constrictor sneaks into Echo DeMille's home and takes Echo's girlfriend Gina hostage. When Echo arrives, the Constrictor tries to use her to stand off Echo. However, Echo uses his ability again, freeing Gina, and killing the Constrictor. Echo lets in two Company agents into his home. As they walk by the Constrictor's motionless body on the floor, the first agent says they just want to talk. Echo replies that instead they're going to listen and lets out a very loud scream. 13 weeks later, Echo is bound and gagged in a Level 5 cell. Outside the cell window arrives Angela Petrelli, who looks at Echo through the window and comments, "Echo, Echo, Echo. You always were the mouthy one. I guess some things never change. Welcome home." As Echo tries to say something through his gag, Angela holds up a finger to her mouth and shushes him. The Company holds several dangerous individuals on Level 5, including a man that claims to be Peter Petrelli, Knox, Flint, and Noah Bennet. Bob and Elle watch footage of Gael Cruz and Bianca Karina driving to Costa Verde to stop Sylar, who kills them. Bob notes that Cruz and Karina were two of the Company's best agents. He blames Elle for letting Sylar get away with Claire's ability, and refuses to put her in a position where she can disappoint him. Sylar attacks Primatech Research, killing Bob and attacking Elle, who accidentally shorts out the power grid, allowing the Level 5 prisoners to escape. Angela Petrelli takes control of the Company and fires Elle. Angela sends Bridget Bailey into Sylar's cell so that he can steal her ability. Angela then assigns Sylar and Noah Bennet as partners, and sends them to recapture the Level 5 escapees at a bank robbery. Knox tells his fellow robbers that he called the cops in order to alert the Company. Noah and Sylar are able to capture Flint and Jesse, but Sylar locks Noah out so he can steal Jesse's ability. Angela sends the Haitian to a moviehaus in Germany to acquire her of the formula from Angela's aide, but Hiro, Ando, and Daphne attempt to steal the formula. Daphne gets away with the formula, Hiro and Ando are captured and brought to Level 5 by the Haitian, as Noah brings Flint and Sylar. Dr. Zimmerman tells Tracy that a company hired him to modify the genes of Tracy, Niki, and Barbara, but he can't remember the name. Hiro and Ando have been moved to a Level 2 cell, where they nearly escape, until the Haitian enters and brings them to Angela. Angela sends Hiro and Ando to dig up Adam Monroe. Noah enters Sylar's cell and tells him that they have a lead on another Level 5 escapee. Noah and Sylar go to Stephen Canfield's house to capture Canfield but Claire interferes, and Canfield destroys himself in a black hole. Angela has placed Peter in a medically-induced coma after he attacked Sylar and her. She tells Nathan and 49

Tracy that Dr. Zimmerman helped the Company develop a formula that gives abilities to normal people, which was used on Nathan and Tracy. Daphne runs into Level 5, and breaks Sylar and Flint out of their cells. Sylar then releases Peter from his coma. Noah recaptures Doyle after he is knocked out by Claire. The Company removes Mohinder's victims from his cocoon. Noah wants Nathan and Tracy to come to the Company to make sure they're still normal. One year ago, Thompson captures Meredith after she and Flint rob a convenience store. Elle walks into Gray and Sons to find Gabriel Gray hanging himself. She breaks his rope with lightning, and befriends Gabriel. She goes outside and asks Noah why they can't just bag and tag Gabriel. Noah says that their orders are to see Gabriel acquire an ability in his own environment. He tells Elle to give Gabriel a pie. Thompson offers to free Meredith from her cell if she trains to be an agent. Meredith accepts. With Thompson, Meredith captures Danny Pine at a trailer park. Thompson welcomes her to the Company. Noah spies on Gabriel as Elle brings Gabriel a pie. Gabriel shows Elle his telekinesis. Thompson tells Meredith that she could be an agent in time. He tells her to lock up Danny Pine, but she sees Flint locked up on the way. Flint explains that he was tackled by an invisible man, but that he's going to be trained as an agent. Noah orders Elle to have Gabriel meet Trevor Zeitlan. Elle refuses, but Noah tells her she'll be fired if she doesn't follow orders. Developments The Shanti virus is a life-threatening disease that attacks the blood cells. One of its side effects is that it prevents evolved humans who have the disease from using their abilities and ultimately ends in their death. There are several variants and mutated versions of the virus; most created to the credit of the Company. Strain 138 tends to be the most dangerous, as it also affects unevolved humans, and the Company has been researching and experimenting on the virus for thirty years with Bennet believing that the Company "created the virus". On February 14, 1977, Victoria Pratt came into contact with Shanti Suresh. Through an extraction of her blood, she discovered the Shanti virus. Pratt, a biological engineer, began to experiment on the virus by Company orders. The Company hoped to use the virus to eliminate those who have abilities that are too dangerous. Pratt manages to manipulate the virus and create strain 138, capable of killing 93% of the world's population, if not more. Pratt recognizes this danger. On November 02, 1977 Monroe attempted to steal the virus for the purpose of creating holocausts and plagues to help save the world, believing that he was a god. Pratt identified that the virus was too dangerous, and suggested that it be destroyed. Kaito believed that the virus would be safe once Monroe was locked up and once the virus had been moved safely to Primatech Paper in Odessa. Pratt did not agree. Chandra Suresh also began research on the virus and evolved humans, as his daughter Shanti Suresh died of the virus in 1979, at the age of five. Chandra was unsuccessful but, in 2006, when Molly Walker contracted the virus, the Company recruited Mohinder Suresh, Shanti's younger brother and Chandra's son, with the sole purpose of finding a cure. Mohinder concluded that his own blood had developed the antibodies strong enough to defeat the virus. Subsequently, he was able to cure both Molly and the Haitian. During this time, the Company was attempting to develop a variant of the virus where it would strip the evolved human of their powers, without killing them. This variant was designed for Adam Monroe and Peter Petrelli, as a way to surpass their regenerative abilities and kill them. In March 2007, through a series of circumstances, Niki Sanders injected herself with a mutated variant of the virus created by the Company as a way to safely remove abilities from dangerous individuals. After the events of Kirby Plaza, Sylar also was injected by the Company with this same variant of the virus. Mohinder's recognized that the virus had mutated and his blood was no longer a cure. After the Company forcibly pulled blood from Claire Bennet, Mohinder discovered that a combination of his antibodies supplimented by Claire's blood was strong enough to create the antibodies to cure the mutated strain inside of Niki. It is not yet known if these antibodies will cure strain 138. When Peter Petrelli travels from March 2007 to June 2008, he discovers that strain 138 of the Shanti virus has killed 93% of the world's population, killing both evolved and unevolved humans. In this alternate time line, the virus begins its outbreaks on March 20, 2007. Peter eventually destroys the strain with the help of Matt Parkman, Nathan Petrelli and Hiro, saving the world, once again. Monroe is buried alive. Shanti Suresh, Molly Walker, Niki Sanders, The Haitian and Sylar have all had the virus or a strain of the virus. "Haitian" Pills: The Company and its scientists have also developed a pill which suppresses abilities for a short time. Elle describe the pills as "Haitian Pills", as they have a similar effect to the Haitian's ability to negate powers. As long as the pills are taken regularly, the abilities of an evolved human will be suppressed. However, the pills are only temporary, as abilities return once the recipient of the pills refrains from taking them. Peter Petrelli, Adam Monroe, and Niki Sanders have all taken the pills at some point during the four months after the events of Kirby Plaza. Tracking systems: The Company has used two primary tracking systems to track evolved humans and other individuals of importance: the Walker Tracking System, named after Molly Walker and her abilities, and the pneumatic injection , involving a "bag and tag" procedure and a radioisotope injection. The Walker Tracking System refers to the use of Molly Walker's power to locate and find people. Molly was out of the Company's 50

hands between the episodes "How to Stop an Exploding Man" and "Fight or Flight" as she was placed in the custody of Matt Parkman and Mohinder Suresh. Bob has implied that the Company was "allowing" Molly to stay with Suresh and Parkman, although the circumstances involving this living arrangement has not been completely revealed. The Walker Tracking System was used by the Company to locate evolved humans and other individuals of importance. It was disabled when Molly contracted the Shanti virus and was unable to access her abilities. The length of time that the Company had Molly has not been revealed, nor has the extent of her involvement as a tracking system. The Company uses a bag and tag system to bring new heroes into the Company's fold and monitor them. Sometimes tasers and drugs are used to "bag" up these heroes. The mark or "tag" consists of two black parallel lines which has been shown close to the neck of multiple enhanced characters. The mark is the scar left by the two-pronged needle of a pneumatic injection device, which, as revealed in a biography of Hana Gitelman in Heroes Evolutions, injects a radioisotope to allow tracking. All of the marked characters have had encounters with Bennet and/or the Haitian. The satellite, which was used to track those who were "tagged," was destroyed by Hana Gitelman in the graphic novel adjunct Heroes Evolutions, resulting in the death of her physical body. She survived as a computer program, however, and continues to interact with the Heroes universe in ongoing online content. The following have displayed the scar: Hana Gitelman, Isaac Mendez, Matt Parkman, Claude, West Rosen, Ted Sprague Facilities The Deveaux Building, owned by Charles Deveaux, is featured in several of the Company's interactions such as: the transfer of Claire Bennet to Noah Bennet by Kaito Nakamura, a meeting between Charles Deveaux and Angela Petrelli to discuss the Company's plans to destroy New York, a meeting between Kaito Nakamura and Angela Petrelli to discuss the death threats placed on their lives, where Nakamura dies, and the scene of a photo taken of twelve of the founders. It is located in New York City. An unnamed facility in Alaska is where Hana Gitelman was taken by Noah Bennet. Here, she was trained in the use of her powers and given extensive medical examinations. Another unnamed facility, in Hartsdale, New York is the base of operations for Bob. His office and several other offices and employees work from this base. It has medical facilities and other laboratories. Peter Petrelli was locked next to Monroe, though they escaped. Maury Parkman is kept under sedation here. Isaac Mendez's loft was acquired by the Company after Mendez's death. The Company seized all of Isaac's portraits left in the loft and transformed it into a laboratory to be used by Mohinder Suresh and his research to end the Shanti virus. It is situated in New York City. Kirby Plaza is where Linderman and Thompson had offices and labs, as did Nakamura. It is situated in New York City. The Linderman Group, situated in Las Vegas, was the business empire owned by Daniel Linderman; it is the umbrella over Linderman's casinos. The Linderman Group played a major part in the funding of Nathan Petrelli's senatorial bid, which resulted in his win. It may also be connected to the mafia. The Corinthian Casino was where Linderman kept numerous objects, including several paintings by Isaac Mendez, Monroe's sword, and several historical documents, paintings, and art work. Linderman also kept a collection of information on the lives of several evolved humans. The casino has been demolished; Micah speculates the implosion was used to cover-up illegal activities. The Montecito Casino was another casino owned by the Linderman Group. Members of the Linderman Group were not necessarily members of the Company, but were connected to the Company and its operations, in one way or another. They were: Name Aron Malsky Arthur Petrelli Nathan Petrelli Miss Sakamoto Niki Sanders Occupation during time spent at the Linderman Group Accountant Defense Attorney Senatorial candidate funded by Linderman Casino manager Assassin Status Deceased Deceased Resigned Unknown Resigned

Primatech Paper Company (formerly known as the Primatech Facility), based in Odessa, Texas, is the most notable front in the series and serves as the base of operations for the majority of introduced characters. Like many other organizations of its kind, its faade involves warehouses and factories, with a labyrinth of laboratories and holding cells three floors below the first floor. It was first presented as the base of operations for Bennet, it has since been seen as being used to house people (who are often captured) with enhanced abilities, where they run tests and place tracking devices on and in them, and (on some occasions) erase their memory using the Haitian's abilities before releasing them. If their memories are not erased, they have usually been recruited into the Company under the Primatech front. A connection between the Company, Linderman, and Primatech Paper became clear when Matt Parkman used his telepathy to confirm that Thompson was taking orders from Linderman. Noah Bennet, then regional manager of Primatech, was not aware of Linderman's involvement at the time. His involvement became clearer when Thompson informed Nathan that the Company was indeed trying to destroy New York and that Linderman had "everything under control." Sandra Bennet confirmed this connection when she recognized Bob as the 51

Regional Sales Manager for Primatech. Upon Kaito's death, Hiro and Ando discovered several Primatech boxes filled with Company history in Kaito's office. After Monroe attempted to steal strain 138 of the Shanti virus from Victoria Pratt and Kaito Nakamura at Primatech Research, the strain was moved to Primatech Paper with their mutual consent. The strain was locked in a vault deep below the facility. The vault also consisted of several other items, most notably a golden key, which Monroe is seen reaching for. As seen on their logo, Primatech was created forty-five years ago, fifteen years before the start of the Company. Primatech Research is where Pratt stored strain 138 of the Shanti virus with Kaito as her superior. Adam Monroe attempted to steal it on November 02, 1977, but Victoria stopped him (getting injured in the process). Kaito ordered Monroe to be locked up from that day on. The following is a list of companies, businesses, and buildings connected to the Company and/or its founders, but not necessarily connected to the Company's organization or operation. The mysteries to some of these possible fronts have not been completely revealed, but they are connected to either the Company or one of its founders. Arthur Petrelli worked in a nameless law firm which used the helix as a corporate logo. Pharmatech Industrial was the apparent manufacturer of the pneumatic injections. It was destroyed by Ted Sprague who, on Hana Gitelman's orders, was tracking the injections. It was situated in Billings, Montana.[19] It is unknown whether the Company owned this industry, or if it was a industry that was a supplier to the Company. Yamagato (variably known as Yamagato Industries, Yamagato Fellowship[20], and Yamagato Software[21]) of Tky was Kaito Nakamura's software programming company. Kaito also has boxes labeled "Primatech Paper" with documents and photos of Company history. These items are located in his office. Bishop, Elle Elle Bishop is a fictional character in the NBC drama Heroes, portrayed by Kristen Bell. An agent of the Company, she possesses the power to generate and manipulate electricity. She is shown to have mental instability, attributed to extensive testing of her abilities when she was younger. The experiments were condoned by her father, Robert Bishop, the head of the Company. The concept of the Elle had been conceived by Heroes writers prior to August 2007 when Kristen Bell was announced to portray her. Elle made her first appearance in the episode "Fight or Flight" during the Heroes second season and will continue on the series for at least thirteen episodes. Elle first appears in "Fight or Flight", searching for Peter Petrelli in Ireland. Following a tip from Will, she goes to the Wandering Rocks Pub and questions Ricky about Peter's whereabouts. When he pretends not to know Peter, she kills him with a large bolt of electricity on her way out the door. Later on, during a telephone conversation with her father (later revealed to be Bob), she dismisses the murder as trivial and insists she can find Peter, but is pulled off the assignment, much to her frustration. In "Four Months Ago...", an episode showing what happened in the four months prior to the second season premiere, "Four Months Later...", further character background is shown of Elle. She admits to being diagnosed as a sociopath; she explains at age six, she accidentally set her grandmother's house on fire, and at age eight, she caused a major blackout in Toledo, Ohio. Elle voices that she has lived in the Company's holding facility for sixteen years. In the four months since the Company captured Peter, she seems to have developed a crush on him. When he escapes from the facility, Elle is upset and angry to the point that she blasts him, setting him ablaze during his escape. In "Cautionary Tales", when Claire Bennet is kidnapped by Bob, Elle is captured by Noah Bennet for collateral. During this time, Noah tells Elle that her father allowed the Company to perform tests on her, including subjecting her to high doses of electricity, which led to her twisted personality. Elle has no recollection of the tests, and Noah suggests that the Haitian had a role in removing her memories. Once she is reunited with Bob, and Claire momentarily reunited with Noah, Elle attacks West and Claire as they leave, and tries to attack Noah. Noah shoots Elle in the arm before she can hurt him or anyone else, and Bob then runs to her side. At the end of the episode she is seen in the car with Bob and Mohinder Suresh, and gives Bob a look of distrust. In "Truth & Consequences", Bob chastises Elle for allowing West and Claire to escape, indicating that he has lost faith and trust in her. In order to restore his faith in her, Bob assigns Elle to perform surveillance on Claire and her family as they prepare to leave town. Claire, however, spots Elle from a distance, leading to a physical confrontation. Elle's latest appearance was on the episode "Powerless", in which she is reprimanded by her father for her mistakes, and to redeem herself, she attempts to re-capture Sylar for the Company. Elle does this despite knowledge learned from Noah Bennet of the testing done to her as a child; testing had begun as early as the age of seven. Later on, she uses her ability and confronts Sylar in Mohinder's research lab (formerly Isaac Mendez's loft), but Sylar, though powerless, is armed with a gun and shoots at Elle. Sylar manages to slip away, leaving Elle unharmed. She comes out somewhat defeated, but is informed by Mohinder that if not for her arrival, Sylar would have killed him, Maya and Molly, who thus owe her their lives, to which she replies, "Cool". The episode marked Bell's previously expressed interest in performing in scenes with the character Sylar, as she and actor Zachary Quinto have been good friends for almost ten years. Bell had said that she "would love to see him and Elle face off one day".

52

Bell has said in interviews that in later episodes of Heroes, "You'll find out that Elle holds the key to Claire's future" and that Elle has "a [present] with Peter and a past with Claire's dad and a future with Claire". Elle has the ability to generate and manipulate electricity, discharging and directing it as electrical arcs. She has been shown being able to weld a lock, blast objects, knock people unconscious, and even kill a man. She is not immune to the electricity she produces, however, as shown when she is drenched in water and attempts to create electricity she gives herself an electric shock, causing great pain. Elle has endured a series of testing by the Company during her childhood that measured the extent of her power. Bob had stated on some occasions that Elle was on a "different level" when comparing her to Claire Bennet. When inquiring about her abilities, Elle was able to learn from Noah Bennet that the Company had wanted to record the extent of her abilities (whether she could power a flashlight, a street lamp, or an entire city block) and Bob had often prompted to continue the tests further, even after Elle had been weakened. When Kristen Bell was cast, she noted that with Elle it would be "unclear whether shes good or bad". In "Four Months Ago...", Elle admits to being diagnosed as a sociopath and previous to that, she had displayed sadistic behavior as a result of testing done to her as a child. Bell explains, "Bodies are not able to take that much electricity and pain, and so Elles psychologically a little off her rocker." Her sociopathic nature has resulted in her being able to kill without apparent remorse, although in one instance, she reacts defensively with a "is that any of your business?" comment when Mohinder asks her how many have died by her hand. During an interview with thescifiworld.net, Tim Kring described Elle as "a little off", and Bell added that Elle is "a little messed up in the head" and a highly conflicted individual who does not have the ability to decipher between right and wrong. Because of that, Elle comes off as more of a victim. Bell also explains that Elle is one of the few characters with abilities that embrace their power and is almost on the verge of being addicted to her ability. Elle "enjoys the emotional power it gives her over other people" which causes her to be manipulative. She is described as one who is "always out to get what she wants" and someone who "doesnt have many boundaries". Bell describes Elle as a vixen who "feels like she has a romantic connection to everybody", and in a few episodes, Elle is shown displaying a great deal of affection to men and flirting with both Peter Petrelli and Mohinder Suresh. Bell noted the similarities between Elle and the character Claire Bennet, saying that they "relate to each other" and "are two sides of the same coin" because, while Elle's father sanctioned testing on her, supposedly causing her mental instability, Noah kept Claire hidden, preventing Claire from experiencing the same childhood that "really messed [Elle] up". In 2007, following the cancellation of Veronica Mars, actress Kristen Bell had voiced interest in appearing on Heroes because she was a fan previous to being cast. In July 2007, during a train ride back from the San Diego Comic Con with Heroes actors Zachary Quinto and Masi Oka, and writers from the series, the writers had mentioned that if Bell "ever want[ed] to come on Heroes, give us [writers] a call", to which Bell said she would love to. Announced in August 2007, Bell was to portray Elle, a "mysterious young lady" with an "awesome power" for a total of thirteen episodes. The casting of Bell, as Heroes creator Tim Kring explains, "was not easy to pull off", but because of the large ensemble cast of the series and multiple story arcs, "we found a way to jump into a small window in [Bells] schedule." The character Elle was created long before Bell was cast, however, Kring noted "when you do cast an actor ... you try to tailor that character a little closer to who the actor is. So its hard to know when one starts to influence the other". Quantum 5; Quantum Pool 30 (Regenerate every 15 minutes); Willpower 6; Taint 2; Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 2, Manipulation 4, Charisma 1, Appearance 4, Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 3; Abilities: Athletics 3, Awareness 1, Brawl 1, Bureaucracy 2, Command 2, Drive 1, Endurance 3, Firearms 1, Interrogation 4, Intimidation 3, Investigation 2, Melee 2, Resistance 3, Streetwise 1; Backgrounds: Allies 2, Backing 2, Cipher 3, Mentor 4, Node 3, Resources 3; Quantum Powers: Elemental Mastery (Electricity, Blast, Lethal Blast, Shield, Sphere) 4; Soak: Bashing 1 dice, Lethal 1 dice (Heals rates are doubled, Lifespan 150+ years). Bishop, Robert Robert Bishop, more commonly known as Bob, portrayed by Stephen Tobolowsky, is a fictional character featured in the television show Heroes. He has the ability of transmutation and is in charge of Operations for the Company. His full name, Robert Bishop, was revealed in a Heroes two-screen event during the airing of the Heroes episode "Four Months Ago...". The first in-show reference to this name was made onscreen in "Cautionary Tales". Bob is one of the twelve members of the group established by Adam Monroe thirty years prior to the events of Kirby Plaza. He is the financial source of the Company, using his ability to create unlimited amounts of gold and other "resources". Bob has been with the Company for 30 years. In the flashback episode Four Months Ago..., Bob saves D.L. Hawkins' life by paying for his medical care and offering Niki Sanders a place to work which she refuses. He has detained Peter Petrelli for the four months with the assistance of his daughter, Elle, placing him in a cell next to Adam Monroe. First introduced in "Four Months Later...", Bob meets Mohinder Suresh in Egypt after listening to Suresh give a lecture on the Shanti Virus and the emergence of special abilities in unique individuals. Suresh is hesitant to listen to Bob, recognizing instantly that he is with the Company. Bob convinces Suresh to join him in a 53

restaurant, where Bob discusses the Company and their operations. Bob also reveals his ability to Suresh by turning an ordinary metal spoon into gold. Bob offers Suresh unlimited resources for his research on the Shanti Virus. Suresh joins Bob and the Company, although it is later revealed that Suresh was purposely trying to attract the Company in an effort to bring them down with Noah Bennet. In "Lizards", Bob flies Mohinder to the Company's facility in Hartsdale, New York. Mohinder receives an assignment from Bob to track down the Haitian, who may have contracted the Shanti virus. Bob is led to believe that Mohinder's mind was wiped by the Haitian after he was cured, though this too is another deception on Mohinder's part: though he did have the virus and the vaccine worked, Mohinder sent the Haitian to Noah. In "Kindred", Mohinder arrives at Isaac Mendez's loft, where Bob is reading Issue 14 of 9th Wonders! while he waits. He informs Mohinder that Isaac was murdered by Sylar, and shows him the new laboratory the Company has built for him. To Mohinder's shock, Bob tells him that he will be under constant surveillance, for both Mohinder's and the Company's best interests. He tells Mohinder that he's "part of the family now". Later, Bob provides Mohinder with a vial for studying, and then receives a phone call. Leaving the loft, he talks to Niki Sanders, who asks Bob if she can be cured. Bob assures her that they can, but that she must give them something of hers in exchange. After Molly Walker is put into a coma by Maury Parkman, Mohinder takes Molly to the Company for treatment, against Noah's wishes. There, Bob promises that they will care for her before giving Mohinder an assignment to find another evolved human, this time giving him a taser. Niki breaks out of her confinement and attacks Bob, only to be stopped when Mohinder tasers her. Niki is confined to a hospital bed. Bob tells her that multiple personality disorder is a serious problem and tries to reassure her. In "The Line", Bob walks in on a training session between Monica Dawson and Mohinder. He attempts to have Mohinder test a new strain of the Shanti virus on Monica without her knowledge. Mohinder refuses to comply, explaining that they could create an incurable version of the virus which, if released, would be devastating. Bob believes it to be an acceptable risk for the person it was designed for, and orders Mohinder to inject her. Mohinder instead destroys the stores of the modified virus and prepares to leave with Molly. Bob manages to convince Mohinder to stay by offering someone who will keep them both honest: Niki, who is now cured. Bob also brings Monica to her home and explains that her absence has been covered. He gives her a list of contact information and an iPod complete with footage of just about anything for her to learn using her ability. She thanks him, and he replies that New Orleans could use her skills. In "Out of Time", Matt Parkman and Nathan Petrelli alert Bob of the plot against his life by Maury Parkman. Bob suggests that the Shanti virus be used on Maury, whose power is only matched by Matt's, who is himself untrained in its use. However, when Niki and Mohinder attempt to retrieve it, Maury uses Niki's nightmares to take control of her. In order to stop herself, she injects herself with the virus. Mohinder tries to treat her with his antibodies, but finds that the virus has mutated and cannot be stopped by his blood. When he tells this to Bob, Bob decides to destroy all the vials of the virus they have, and that they must find Claire. Bob explains that her regenerative ability may help save Niki. Mohinder tells Bob that he has been working with Noah Bennet to take down the Company and he does not know what is right anymore. After Mohinder's confession, Bob gives Mohinder a Company issue gun. In "Cautionary Tales," it is revealed that Bob is Elle's father. He assigns Elle as Mohinder's partner to pick up Claire. Claire's blood is believed to be the necessary key to curing the Shanti virus. Once Claire is in custody, Bob fills a blood bag with some of her blood. However, during an altercation with Noah Bennet, Elle is captured and incapacitated. Bob agrees to trade Elle for Claire. However, during the trade-off, Elle attempts to murder Claire and her boyfriend, West. Bennet shoots Elle in the arm, and attempts to kill Bob, as well, reasoning that without him the Company would fall apart. Mohinder shoots Bennet in the left eye, fulfilling the prediction made in one of Isaac Mendez's paintings. In "Truth & Consequences" he gives the Bennets what he claims are Noah's ashes. He says that as per Noah's wishes he will leave Claire alone. He tells Elle to follow Claire and that Elle has disappointed him. Bob has the ability of transmutation at a atomic level, allowing him to change one element into another, although the full extent of his abilities has not been seen. He has only demonstrated the ability once, changing a metal spoon into solid gold (retaining its shape). Aron Coleite confirmed in a Question and Answer segment that Bob will do more than just change things into gold. Quantum 5; Quantum Pool 25 (Regenerate every 15 minutes); Willpower 7; Taint 3; Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3, Manipulation 4, Charisma 4, Appearance 2, Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 3; Abilities: Academics 3, Athletics 2, Awareness 3, Biz 4, Bureaucracy 4, Command 3, Computer 2, Drive 1, Endurance 3, Etiquette 3, Firearms 4, Interrogation 4, Intimidation 3, Intrusion 2, Investigation 4, Linguistics 3, Martial Arts 3, Medicine 2, Melee 2, Might 1, Rapport 3, Resistance 3, Science 3, Stealth 2, Streetwise 3, Subterfuge 2; Backgrounds: Allies 5, Backing 5, Cipher 4, Conctacts 4, Followers 5, Influence 3, Node 4, Resources 4; Quantum Powers: Molecular Manipulation (Alteration , Destruction) 2; Soak: Bashing 3 dice, Lethal 1 dice (Heals rates are doubled, Lifespan 150+ years). Eckhart, Mason Mason Eckhart is a 40ish veteran of several Intelligence agencies-with a mysterious past and a reputation clouded by contradictory stories-a legend he covertly encourages in order to maintain his own distance from anyone getting a handle on any vulnerability he might possess. Eckhart runs a tight ship at the 54

Genetic Security Agency-assisted by a shadowy group of GS agents men and women who are frequently on the receiving end of his dry and rather cruel wit. Eckhart wears a custom designed latex body suit from head to toe-including a mask-under his street clothes. No DNA trace. No fingerprints. No identifying characteristics whatsoever-all as a result of an horrific accident that happened some years back, in which his immune system was destroyed, as he attempted to keep Adam from compromising the secrets of Genomex. It's this commitment that drives him to hunt down the Children of Genomex-ostensibly to protect them from themselves-but more specifically, to create an army of genetic mutants to serve their country as he does-and to decode the mutation that created these anomalies in the first place-to recreate on purpose what occurred at Genomex by accident. Mason Grey Eckhart was born on June 6, 1962 in the marine base hospital of Fayetteville, Arkansas. There are documents that list his birth date as five years older or four years younger, but US Army records state this is the correct data. Eckhart was an identical twin. His brother, Marcus Aaron, was accidentally drowned in 1970. Eckhart's father was Captain Conner Doyle Eckhart, a chief medical officer specializing in the psychiatric care of mentally unstable marines and veterans. He was based out of the military hospital in Washington D.C. from the mid-1970's until his retirement. The files on Captain Eckhart speak for themselves. A harsh authoritarian with astringent methods and a passion for homicidal straightjacket cases. Not what you'd call a family man. Two events seem to have shaped the juvenile Eckhart's demeanor. The first was the suicide of his mother, Marilyn Thompson Eckhart, when the boy was a preteen. The second was an incidence in which he was locked in one of his father's wards for a weekend in what was later explained as a disciplinary action. I find it curious that there's no mention of the twin brother's death here. Mason Eckhart attended military academies excelling in the top ten percentile throughout his adolescence and teenage years. His contact with his father was minimal. The bureau recruited him from West Point where he was studying military law. He also was a notable athlete in track, rowing and skeet shooting. I suggest you read the transcripts of the pro-vivisection debate from his junior year. It's so on point I almost wanted to carve up baby monkeys myself. There is also a noteworthy paper advocating permanent institutionalization of the mentally defective. He sent a copy to his old man shortly after the captain suffered a stroke. Moving his way up quickly in the ranks, Agent Eckhart was noted for his cold efficiency and attention to detail. He kept his personal life as private as possible. A marriage of six years to Jacqueline LaPort, a former Miss Vermont he had met on a security detail, resulted in three children (a son, Grey Eckhart, and twin daughters, Michele and Deidre Eckhart). It has been verified that Eckhart has had little or no contact with his family since his divorce. Like father, like son. I have statements with women Eckhart was briefly involved with afterwards. All say he was controlling and at times threatening, but nothing more sordid than your average agent. Seems to go with the job. Of course, Eckhart's condition today makes this all mote any way. Advancing from criminal psychotics to unexplained phenomena and finally to Genomex security directly under Dr. Breedlove in the 1980's, Eckhart gained major respect from every faction. I've been told, off the record, that Mason's appointment to Genomex was strictly to off-balance the rising influence of Adam and kept Breedlove center in his judgments on Mutant research. Eckhart kept in peak physical and mental condition during his Genomex duties until the incident codenamed "X" (see reference file) in which his immune system was destroyed resulting in his present condition and medical limitations. Dr. Breedlove's exo-skin and supplement treatments have allowed him to continue in his high-ranking position since that time. Bi-annual psychiatric exams have proven that Eckhart's mental capacity has increased since the incident, eliminating any question of his removal. You'll note my indication to reference Breedlove's recommendation at this point. It practically glows with loyalty and praise. My instinct says this is 100% guilt on the old man's part, but knowing what we do of Ol' Paul, this would be a first. Don't get me wrong. Eckhart's physical condition might be bizarre, but I don't feel this limits him. He's proven adept at choosing support staff and has a knack for delegation that would have made FDR jealous. Breedlove's fatherly report, however, just seems odd to me. Eckhart's devotion and diligence to rebuilding Genomex's database since "X" has been commendable. His laser focus and untiring drive to regain control of the mutant situation has been noted and detailed by every level of the bureau on multiple occasions. In conclusion, Mason Eckhart's actions point to a patriot and man of business who has sacrificed much for both the agency and his country. In background, no one else matches his profile and expertise in this unusual area. His unique past and eccentricity seem to work to an advantage in this assignment. Pending further investigation, there is no reason to block his advancement to the top seat at Genomex. No argument from me either. I wouldn't want to grab a drink with this guy, but as far as zookeepers go, he's got the right stuff and then some. Face it, this is not a job I'd wish on anyone, even my lousy brother-inlaw. If Eckhart is crazy enough to accept it, let him. Eckharts Medical Condition: I find Mason Eckhart's reserve of inner strength remarkable considering his medical condition. Most men in his state of health would have been invalids after the first few months of infection, but he has survived years and barely missed a beat. In fact, after scanning Dr. Varady's bi-annual psychiatric report on Mr. Eckhart, he seems to have increased his productivity. There must be a personal drive 55

within him that bypasses modern science. It would not be the first instance of inspiration, positive or negative, fueling a failing vessel to conquest. Eckhart's precise biological situation is this: he has no immune system. Additionally, as the result of "Incident X," his cellular structure is permanently damaged, leaving it incapable of regeneration. If not for Dr. Breedlove's intervening genius, Eckhart would have aged and decomposed within hours of the biological attack. I've viewed the security tapes on record of "X". There is no doubt it was brought on by the confrontation with Adam, but the actual damage done to Eckhart appears to have been a freak accident that could not be replicated. Hence, no remedy. In fact, Adam is fortunate he did not share the same fate but, from what I understand, this kind of outrageous luck is typical for him. Eckhart must wear an exodermis body suit of translucent, bio-treated latex at all times and replace it at least once a day depending on the physical strain of his activities or environmental conditions. His own sweat can be an enemy to his health. The hair follicles on his body have been entirely removed due to the hazards oil and dirt particles could cause him not to mention any type of abrasion or laceration (from shaving, etc). He must limit his contact with water necessitating laser bathing and all food and external intake must be purified. A heavy regime of nutritional supplements is administered three times a day orally and any waste from when he does partake in a meal is dissolved before it can reach the intestinal tracks through a separate (and certainly painful) x-ray/laser procedure. The cost of this care giving is astronomical but has been budgeted and approved by Genomex and the federal bureaus involved unanimously. I suppose this is a testament to Eckhart's character and performance. He has taken devastating vulnerability and turned it into a reserve of cold steel and efficiency. I cannot help but speculate, however, that Mr. Eckhart operates in a state of denial of his illness fueled by hatred he keeps under his surface. Dr. Varady's reports do not back this up, but I suspect she is a victim of his mesmerizing hold like so many others on the Genomex staff. It would be fascinating to explore whether Mason Eckhart's source of effective power is also his Achilles heel but, of course, I'd have to proceed with utmost care investigating this theory. Super Powered Freaks: An Experimental Analysis of the Behavior Patterns of the Genetically Engineered Subject by Mason G. Eckhart Introduction: To begin, I would like to take the opportunity to explain my presence amongst the academic giants surrounding me. My experience, although partially a result of my training in military law, is mainly of a professional nature. For over twenty years, my position as security chief of a company at the forefront of genetic research has thrust me, somewhat hesitantly, into the forefront of genetic security and its accompanying theoretical base. I am sure that those of you experienced in the field have already realised how important security has become in our changing world. Although industrial espionage has always been an unfortunate accompaniment to advances in technology, never have the advances which we confront today been so rapid, or so extreme. Genomex has dedicated itself to the improvement of all living things. Our scientists are proud to have pioneered some of the very first life-saving techniques in genetic engineering, enabling foetuses and young children with life-threatening or severely disabling conditions to survive into adulthood with relatively normal lives. Quite apart from human subjects, Genomexs subsidiaries have delved into the genetic manipulation of crops and rare plantlife, in projects stretching from the preservation of almost extinct species, to the modification of grain to enable it to grow in the most extreme circumstances, from the desert to Antarctica. As a result of these advances, many of which would be extremely profitable to those not concerned with putting the profits back into the projects, thus saving more lives and prompting more leaps forward in technology, Genomex has suffered from the attentions of several groups. These groups range from the expected espionage from our contemporaries, such as Nexxogen, whom we much admire, to terrorist groups such as the Mutant X faction I am sure you have read about in the newspapers. Although the aims of these two kinds of groups are very different, it is necessary to protect ourselves against both types of invasion. In order to do this, the behavior patterns of the New Mutant terrorist must be compared to the industrial spy. Literature Review: In attempting to back up my findings with existing research, I have faced several problems. The main difficulty is obvious the field of genetic security is so new, that little outside this journal has been published on the subject. However, I have been fortunate in being allowed access to some little-known studies from academics. In a laboratory study, Kasting (2004) monitored genetically engineered rodents for several weeks. She noted that the rodents, even mature adults, behaved like much younger creatures, opting to play amongst themselves rather than procreate, feed, or protect their environment against attack. However, in a possibly contradictory finding, some of the rodents took unnecessary risks during their play, often resulting in injury. Kasting concluded that she believed that, if this behavior was to continue, the rodents would die out either through self-inflicted wounds or starvation, or, in the longer term, as a result of a low birth-rate. Chaves (2004) replicated Kastings experiment, but observed two different groups of rodents separately for several months. Each group behaved similarly to the animals used by Kasting. Chaves then put both groups together in an unfamiliar environment. It would have been expected that the groups would either peacefully coexist, or that fighting would breakout, resulting in the decimation of one group. Instead, Chaves observed that both groups largely behaved as they had done before. Contact with the other group was limited to occasional cross-group mating (the relationships did not last, and often resulted in the death of one partner) and frequent 56

fights. After these fights, each group returned to its previous behavior, apparently oblivious to their past behavior. It was also noted that all rodents took pleasure in cruelty towards injured members of the other group. Chaves has theorised that mutation, as well as causing short-term memory loss, also divorces cause from effect in the minds of these poor beasts. Observations: In the course of my own studies, I have been fortunate to observe mutant humans in laboratory conditions, as well as en situ. Although some of my observations mirror the academic progression shown by the seminal Kasting and Chaves studies, my experience has shown that there is one key difference between groups of mutant behavior that has not been signposted in these studies. However, I must first discuss the infamous Mutant X. Mutant X is a radical terrorist organization dedicated to the disruption of all companies specializing in genetic manipulation. This disruption can range from minor picketing to criminal damage, assault, and even murder. My own company Genomex has unfortunately borne the brunt of these attacks, through no fault of our own. It is only through my own expertise in the area of Genetic Security that more damage has not been done. Mutant X states that its aims are rational the prevention of apparently criminal experiments carried out on humans by organizations such as Genomex. I hasten to state that even this claim is false, as Genomex only carries out government-approved and entirely legal research, which often saves the lives of vulnerable children. However, the reality is that Mutant X is an organization run for the purposes of industrial espionage and sabotage by a disgruntled former employee of my company. This man, Adam Kane, claims that the groundbreaking research done by the late Genomex founder Dr. Paul Breedlove in fact belongs to him. This is of course false. We all know Dr. Breedloves history of academic excellence, whereas Kane was merely an entrylevel employee. Nevertheless, Kanes organization is real, and dangerous. The one benefit his organization has had is to allow my staff to thoroughly study the mutants he employs, who regularly attempt to attack our premises. These employees externally apparently normal young men and women display a shocking amount of similarity to the rodents in the Kasting and Chaves studies. They are childlike, incapable of adult relationships, and, although they have enormous physical potential, risk their lives to foolish ends. The only positive side to their behavior, which has conversely been negative in my results to destroy their organization, is their extreme loyalty to each other, and to their leader Kane. This loyalty seems to exist, even when Kane no longer appears to deserve it. Fortunately, this loyalty has been put to good use in the cases of young people who are not affiliated with Mutant X. Genomexs scientists have developed a device, soon to be illustrated in this journal, which controls the abnormal effects in the brain caused by their mutations. With this device in place, it operates as drugs do for the mentally unstable, allowing 90% of subjects to live normal lives. Many choose to work in the field of genetic security, and are excellent, and supremely loyal, employees. Conclusion: My observations confirm the previous experimental data gathered by other experts in the field, and have added to their findings. It is shown that, despite the natural immaturity and, in some cases, dangerous nature of these individuals, these behaviors can be effectively controlled. This fact leads bears out my belief in a safer, more peaceful future for us all. My statistical data is readily available to anyone who wishes to contact me. The facility of Genomex is always open, and ready to provide a warm welcome to fellow experts in genetic security. The author is the head of security at the prestigious Genomex institute. He appreciates any comments on this paper, and can be contacted via his office at Genomex, or through your local Breedlove Clinic. Mason Eckhart was once the head of security at Genomex. He and Adam Kane began as friends; they were also rivals for the affections of stealth mutant Danielle Hartman before Mason convinced her to leave Genomex for good. As a result of a horrific accident, Incident X, for which he blamed Adam, Mason's immune system was destroyed. In order to stave off infection, Mason was forced to wear a white wig, synthetic protective skin, and gloves (see Why must Mason wear fake skin?). When Genomex's creator, Paul Breedlove, threatened to go public with information about Genomex's new mutant research, Mason had him murdered in order to protect the organization's security. He then officially began expanding The Genetic Security Agency (GSA) to protect the non-mutant world from "genetic terrorism." With the aid of Tricorp Botanical's biogeneticist Dr. Kenneth Harrison, Mason explored several (unsuccessful) avenues for creating mutants that could be controlled, even as his GS agents sought to contain the existing children of Genomex. Dr. Harrison, along with GS agent Morgan Fortier, would later betray Mason by allowing the first new mutant, Gabriel Ashlocke, to place Mason in a stasis pod and take over Genomex. Six months afterwards, Mason's pod automatically reopened, and he returned to his work. He convinced Shalimar Fox's father, Naxcon CEO Nicholas Fox, to provide him with the resources he required to create a mutant army. After the explosion at Naxcon damaged Mason's protective skin, he obtained Adam's research on his condition to construct a device to cure himself. Before Mason was able to locate Sanctuary, however, he was electrocuted by Brennan Mulwray and fell to his death. Mason's favorite composer is Henry Purcell. He discourages smoking in his office, and his greatest fear is of infection. Early casting breakdowns show that the character of Mason Eckhart was originally to be named Albion Magnus. However, once Magnus was considered too similar to the name of X-Men's villain, Magneto, the name was changed, first to Marcus Eckhart (briefly), then again to Mason Eckhart before the show was aired. Hints of that original name "Marcus" tend to pop up from time to time in old articles and websites, and even once in the 57

series itself. If you listen carefully to the episode "Russian Roulette," you'll notice that Sonya mistakenly calls herself "an associate of Marcus Eckhart." And in Mason's biography on the faux website Genomex.net (see below), it is stated that Mason once had a twin brother, Marcus, who drowned in an accident when the two were boys. There are certain fans who subscribe to the theory that the crazy-haired stammering man Brennan killed in the season three episode "Into the Moonless Night" was not really Mason, but in fact his twin Marcus Eckhart. Marcus has his own page here. Mason Grey Eckhart was born on June 6, 1962 in the marine base hospital of Fayetteville, Arkansas. There are documents that list his birth date as five years older or four years younger, but US Army records state this is the correct data. Eckhart was an identical twin. His brother, Marcus Aaron, was accidentally drowned in 1970. Eckhart's father was Captain Conner Doyle Eckhart, a chief medical officer specializing in the psychiatric care of mentally unstable marines and veterans. He was based out of the military hospital in Washington D.C. from the mid-1970's until his retirement. The files on Captain Eckhart speak for themselves. A harsh authoritarian with astringent methods and a passion for homicidal straightjacket cases. Not what you'd call a family man. Two events seem to have shaped the juvenile Eckhart's demeanor. The first was the suicide of his mother, Marilyn Thompson Eckhart, when the boy was a preteen. The second was an incidence in which he was locked in one of his father's wards for a weekend in what was later explained as a disciplinary action. I find it curious that there's no mention of the twin brother's death here. Mason Eckhart attended military academies excelling in the top ten percentile throughout his adolescence and teenage years. His contact with his father was minimal. The bureau recruited him from West Point where he was studying military law. He also was a notable athlete in track, rowing and skeet shooting. I suggest you read the transcripts of the pro-vivisection debate from his junior year. It's so on point I almost wanted to carve up baby monkeys myself. There is also a noteworthy paper advocating permanent institutionalization of the mentally defective. He sent a copy to his old man shortly after the captain suffered a stroke. Moving his way up quickly in the ranks, Agent Eckhart was noted for his cold efficiency and attention to detail. He kept his personal life as private as possible. A marriage of six years to Jacqueline LaPort, a former Miss Vermont he had met on a security detail, resulted in three children (a son, Grey Eckhart, and twin daughters, Michele and Deidre Eckhart). It has been verified that Eckhart has had little or no contact with his family since his divorce. Like father, like son. I have statements with women Eckhart was briefly involved with afterwards. All say he was controlling and at times threatening, but nothing more sordid than your average agent. Seems to go with the job. Of course, Eckhart's condition today makes this all mote any way. Advancing from criminal psychotics to unexplained phenomena and finally to Genomex security directly under Dr. Breedlove in the 1980's, Eckhart gained major respect from every faction. I've been told, off the record, that Mason's appointment to Genomex was strictly to off-balance the rising influence of Adam and kept Breedlove center in his judgments on Mutant research. Eckhart kept in peak physical and mental condition during his Genomex duties until the incident codenamed "X" (see reference file) in which his immune system was destroyed resulting in his present condition and medical limitations. Dr. Breedlove's exo-skin and supplement treatments have allowed him to continue in his high-ranking position since that time. Bi-annual psychiatric exams have proven that Eckhart's mental capacity has increased since the incident, eliminating any question of his removal. You'll note my indication to reference Breedlove's recommendation at this point. It practically glows with loyalty and praise. My instinct says this is 100% guilt on the old man's part, but knowing what we do of Ol' Paul, this would be a first. Don't get me wrong. Eckhart's physical condition might be bizarre, but I don't feel this limits him. He's proven adept at choosing support staff and has a knack for delegation that would have made FDR jealous. Breedlove's fatherly report, however, just seems odd to me. Eckhart's devotion and diligence to rebuilding Genomex's database since "X" has been commendable. His laser focus and untiring drive to regain control of the mutant situation has been noted and detailed by every level of the bureau on multiple occasions. Check out some of his daily memos. He doesn't miss a dot. In conclusion, Mason Eckhart's actions point to a patriot and man of business who has sacrificed much for both the agency and his country. In background, no one else matches his profile and expertise in this unusual area. His unique past and eccentricity seem to work to an advantage in this assignment. Pending further investigation, there is no reason to block his advancement to the top seat at Genomex. No argument from me either. I wouldn't want to grab a drink with this guy, but as far as zookeepers go, he's got the right stuff and then some. Face it, this is not a job I'd wish on anyone, even my lousy brother-inlaw. If Eckhart is crazy enough to accept it, let him. Real Name: Mason Grey Eckhart; Occupation: Head of Genomex, (formerly) head of security for Genomex; Affiliations: Danielle Hartman (possible ex-girlfriend); Enemies: Mutant X; Gabriel Ashlocke; Known Relatives: Catherine Hartman (possible daughter); Aliases: None known; Base of Operations: Genomex building; Strength 3, Dexterity 4, Stamina 3, Charisma 2, Manipulation 4, Appearance 1, Perception 4, Intelligence 4, Wits 4; Skills: Athletics 3, Awareness 4, Command 4, Drive 3, Etiquette 3, Firearms 4, Intrusion 4, Investigation 4, Martial Arts 3, Melee 3, Might 1, Rapport 3, Science 1, Stealth 1, Streetwise 3, Subterfuge 4, Tactics 4; Backgrounds: Allies 5, Backing 4, Cipher 2, Contacts 5, Resources 5; Merits:; Flaws: Bad Vibe (1), Dependence 58

(4, Skinsuits), Enemy (3), Obsession (Destroying Adam Kane), No Immune System (Stamina 1 for resisting disease); Willpower 7 Genomex We make the impossible real. No rose on earth possesses the genetic potential for blue coloration. Rose breeders have attempted to naturally breed a blue rose for decades, but their nearest approach will always be a violet or mauve color. Genomex engineered the first truly blue rose available in commerce, Genomex Cyana The non-allergenic cat. Now everyone can enjoy the companionship of Americas favorite pet. The Genomex Cat may look ordinary, but she will not cause any allergic response in anyone! We can also create non-allergenic cats for those who have a particular breed preference. The sweet from the tree lemon. No need to add sugar to your lemonade--just squeeze the Genomex Sweet Thing, and youre done! Also delicious eaten like an orange. Rye bread made with ordinary rye grain must be made with some wheat flour, because only wheat naturally contains the protein gluten, which gives structure to bread dough, and forms the cavities generated by yeast or baking powder. The Genomex rye contains gluten, and so may be used alone, for better rye flavor. Paul Breedlove: No one ever fooled me as completely as Paul Breedlove. I liked Paul Breedlove moments after I met him at my initial interview at Genomex. For years, I beileved what I saw: a kindly, intense, grandfatherly man with decent instincts. After he saved my life in 1991, I had opportunities to dig deeply into the archives of Genomex, where I discovered that he was not even Paul Breedlove. He was born Kurt von Schuler, 4 July 1931 in Salzburg, Austria, the third child in a family with a tradition of building harpsichords for over a century. He was a child prodigy, and recruited by Nazi scientists at the age of 8 to study biology; brief years later he became a participant in some of the most horrific experiments ever conducted upon human beings. At wars end, he was not prosecuted for these activities because chronologically he was only slightly more than a child, and was held not responsible for his wartime work. For a handful of years, he returned to Salzburg, and the building of harpsichords until one of his former mentors located him, and invited him to continue scientific work. Shortly afterward, a fire destroyed the harpsichord workshop and killed his surviving sister. The next years are poorly documented, but sometime in the mid-1950s an American intelligence agency offered him a position and citizenship if he would perform research for the US. He accepted, and thus was born Dr Paul Breedlove. In 1960, he met Eleanor Singer, MD, a pediatric specialist. They married in 1961, and with Eleanors inherited fortune, government funding, and some venture capital, they established the first of the Breedlove Clinics in upstate New York. Ostensibly dealing with the prevention of birth defects, the clinic had a sideline of genetic manipulation focused upon plants and animals. The corporation later known as Genomex grew from this latter work. Decades were required, but Paul finally experienced guilt for a lifetime spent in unholy science in 2007. Ironically, he was murdered by a mutant of his own creation shortly afterwards. - M Eckhart, December 2007 Eleanor Singer: Dr Singer is an elusive figure. After years of observation, I was never quite sure what she believed other than the rightness of spending the Singer fortune on genetic research. Was she deceived? Was she a willing participant? What exactly was her relationship to Adam? I was never able to make a close approach to the truth. Dr Singers papers were never kept at Genomex, and a thorough search of every Breedlove Clinic known yielded nothing of interest. In the end, nothing was left to know except the official information. Make of it what you will. - M Eckhart, November 2007 Laura Varady: Laura Varady is one of very few people at Genomex who are what they appear to be. Others may be something more, something less, or something altogether different, but Dr Varady is what she seems to be. Dr Varady joined Genomex in 1975, and thus is a treasure house of information about how Genomex was operated in the past. Hardly anyone was left from those days by 1992 when I was in a position to finally ask questions and get answers, making Laura Varadys memories particularly valuable. She is a highly intelligent woman. Some people mistake her sincere interest in people and sentimentality for weakness, but that is a mistake. Shes strong enough and confident enough to indulge that sentimentality. She is an excellent observer of people, and judge of character. I am relying upon her heavily in replacing the Genomex staff with individuals of greater integrity. - M Eckhart, January 2008 Ken Harrison: Ken Harrison does not appear in S1 of Mutant X until nearly the halfway point in production, in the episode Dark Star Rising-110. Ken Harrison is a delightfully wicked character, arguably more sinister and dangerous than Mason Eckhart. Harrison acts only to advance his own ambitions, while Eckhart is charged with protecting the greater society from the excesses of the Genomex mutants. When we first meet Ken Harrison, he is clearly a botanist, running a company called Tricorp Botanicals. As he says to excuse the less than stellar security at Tricorp, Were in the agribusiness. [Nevertheless, Security is tighter at an unnamed large multinational personal care product company than at Genomex] By the end of Dark Star Rising, Harrison has run afoul of Eckhart, who strongly hints that Harrison is about to be podded indefinitely. 59

Sometime between Dark Star Rising-110 and Double Vision-112, a miraculous event takes place: Ken Harrison is no longer a botanist, but a biogeneticist [A nonsense word used in Mutant X. Since all of genetics deals with biological organisms, the bio- prefix is completely unneeded.] and possibly a medical doctor as well. He attempts to inject the captive Evil Emma with something nasty, hardly the duty of a botanist. Later, we see Harrison tending to Eckharts face, possibly applying a patch to his faux hide. Partway through Double Vision there is a curious and funny scene between Eckhart and Harrison. Eckhart is clearly amused by the Evil Emma, and as she departs, hes actually smiling. Harrison is not pleased with the release of Emma, and he glares at Eckhart, chasing the smile from his face. This is fascinating for several reasons. Only Nicole Carter ever gets the better of Eckhart verbally and only Harrison gets the better of him without saying a word. Harrison would seem to be more than a subordinate to be able to get away with this conduct. Eckharts behavior reveals a human vulnerability we would not otherwise expect. A human being lies deeply buried in theresomewhere. Unfortunately, Dr Harrisons experiments fail by the end of Double Vision. While discussing the continuation of this research. Harrison asks if Eckhart has any expendable subjects in mind, and wordlessly, Eckhart looks at him. Harrison is visibly shaken. Clearly, these two are not on good terms. Harrison next appears in Lazarus Syndrome-115. More than ever, he is portrayed as a medical doctor. There is one telling scene in which Harrison is tending to Eckharts skill while a GSA agent reports failure. Harrison usurps Eckharts place in the questioning and comments, a source of irritation for Eckhart. This scene reflects what is reported in the faux website www.genomex.net, that Harrison is trying to bypass Eckharts authority, even compete with him. The adversarial relationship between Harrison and Eckhart is the basis for the conspiracy leading to Eckharts podding in A Breed Apart-121. In return for operating Genomex, Harrison betrays Eckhart to Gabriel Ashlocke. One would think that Mason Eckhart would think of little else than finding Ken Harrison after being depodded, but that is not the Mohanesque way. Eckhart never mentions his betrayer again, and we are never sure if Harrison is a PhD or MD. Ken Harrison does return in S3, but he just is not the scheming Dr Harrison of S1. He is rather bland, and really could have been any character. Ken Harrison was a wonderful character, and like Mason Eckhart, more should have been done with him. More should have been done with the two of them together, but as with so much that was good about Mutant X, such aspects can be pursued only in fanfiction. Clean Up Operation: Beginning in the early 1960s, Dr Paul Breedlove and Dr Eleanor Singer performed advanced (for the time) research in genetic engineering, well ahead of other workers in the field. Initially experimenting with plants and animals such as white mice, in 1967 they suceeded in implanting an embryo produced from a genetically altered egg fertilized in vitro. Their alterations were extensive and more ambitious than later experiments. They considered their work a success with Gabriel Ashlockes birth in 1968. Gabriel Ashlocke was precocious in his growth and development. Prior to his second birthday he displayed some form of his mature talents, his unpredictability, and his lack of regard for other people. Constant heavy sedation proved a partial control. Breedlove and Singer proceeded with great caution from this time, creating only a handful of mutants, many of whom were actually raised at Genomex in a section of the site located in a kind of sub basement with limited access. These individuals varied in their degree of health. According to Breedloves data, 36 % of them did not survive to the age of seven. With the arrival of Adam (Kane) in 1978, many changes occured. A significant amount of funding was received from the federal government to support creation of many kinds of mutants. Breedlove, Singer, Adam, and to a lesser extent, researchers like Dr Robert Abelmann began creating more mutants in the course of a week than had previously been made in a year. Also in 1978, Gabriel Ashlocke murdered his parents. He was put into a coma-like state using potent sedatives for the protection of people around him and society generally. As soon as the second flight began walking and talking, some health and control problems were noted. Nevertheless, the program continued. According to Adams documentation, the numbers of them actually increased until 1985, then tapered off into 1988 to a relative handful. By 1988, even Adam admitted in private communications with Breedlove and Singer that there were problems, the most alarming being the attenuated mutant lifespan. By this time over 1000 mutants had been created at Genomex-by-the-Waters, and an unknown number at the Breedlove Clinics located throughout the US and Canada. The second flight began to enter puberty in the 1990s. A large minority of them displayed criminal behavior, mental instability, or both. Adam devised the subdermal governors and stasis pods to control the most dangerous mutants. With the resignation of Adam in 1998 following the discovery of financial irregularities, the creation of mutants at Genomex came to an end. The focus of research re-emphasized commercially useful genetic engineering, and helping mutants cope with their lives. By 2007, an unknown number of mutants were at large in society, most benign, but many highly dangerous and amoral. A program was initiated to quietly collect these most dangerous mutants and neutralize 60

them by putting them into stasis, thus beginning the clean-up phase of the mutant program. - M Eckhart, Genomex-by-the-Waters, November 2007 Iolantheana: The estate properly known as Iolantheana is known better as Breedlove Manor or by the derisive Iolanthyville. In the years following the establishment of Genomex, the original name was largely forgotten while it served as the residence of Paul Breedlove and Eleanor Singer. The Iolantheana mansion was completed circa 1927 [work continued for years before and after] and was constructed by tool & die, munitions, mining, and toy magnate Samuel Edgar Singer for his bride, Iolanthe Perrin, an extraordinarily successful and popular star of the silent movie screen. Iolanthe Perrins movies were filmed years before Hollywoods self-imposed censorship in 1934. She was known for her portrayal of independent women in movies that appear racy merely by examining stills from them. Her best-remembered films include The Free Woman, Carmine Street, and The Barefoot Dancer, available to this day on DVD in restored versions. Gossip columns of the era only hint of the public fascination of the pursuit of the flamboyant Iolanthe Perrin by the staid [& 40-something] Samuel Edgar Singer. The only subject more shocking appears to have been their marriage, which also marked the end of Perrins movie career. There is a story that Iolantheana was originally designed for Singers first wife, the ill-fated Regina Singer. [While hunting tigers in India, the girth secured about the elephant she was riding broke, bringing her crashing to the ground. The frightened elephant panicked, trampling the unlucky huntress.] There may be some truth to this story. Iolantheana presents an eclectic appearance, depending upon how one approaches the main house. The plans for the mansion were altered during planning and construction several times, possibly reflecting Iolanthes tastes and preferences. She may have left Hollywood behind, but all accounts of her dress and demeanor indicate that her Hollywood persona remained. Samuel Edgar Singer seems not to have minded. The birth of their daughter Eleanor was met with great joy, but while Iolanthe was a doting and loving mother, little else changed. Iolantheana continued to be known for extravagant parties frequented by the wealthy and wildly eccentric. Eleanor Singer spent her early childhood in such an environment. Only in 1936 did Samuel Edgar Singer insist that the social budget be trimmed, not because his fortunes were in decline, but because the excesses of the parties began to be looked upon as wasteful bad taste in the depths of the Depression. Iolanthe turned her attentions to developing acres of gardens, each with distinctive themes and motifs. Given the inexpensive labor of the day, the only limitations in the creation of these gardens were the imagination and creativity of Iolanthe Perrin Singer. When Eleanor was given her first bicycle, her mother developed part of the woodlands surrounding the main house by having a bicycle path paved through them. Eleanor happily pedaled down these trails, and mother Iolanthe did not have to concern herself with her daughter coming into contact with the rest of the world, since the entire estate was encircled by a 10-foot wall topped with broken glass. The photo at right shows what became known as Eleanors Secret Garden. This was Eleanors retreat, the place where she came to read and study. In the notes she left behind, Eleanor says that this is the place where she first became fascinated with biology, a fascination that led her to her career in medicine and pediatrics, and eventually to Paul Breedlove. Eleanor Singer appears to have had a happy childhood. She pursued her education in medicine with the full support of both parents. Eventually Eleanors father helped her set up the Singer Laboratory, and hired Paul Breedlove as part of the staff. Breedlove at the time was struggling through a series of research positions, none of which allowed full exercise of his genius. Without the significant backing of the Singer fortunes, it is questionable whether Genomex would have existed. While most employees of Genomex were familiar with photos of the exterior of the mansion, views of the interior were nearly unknown. Until Paul Breedloves death in 2007, I had never seen more than the foyer of the mansion. Since his death, the resulting legal tangle of who should inherit the estate has kept Iolantheana unlived in save for a small staff of servants who maintain the house and grounds. Eleanor Singer was an only child, as was her tycoon father, leaving only distant relations. Genomex has taken over management until ownership is sorted out, or the estate can be legally sold. The expenses involved are considerable, and to defray some of those costs, Genomex offers tours of the house and gardens. Initially, Eleanor Singer and Paul Breedlove lived at the main guesthouse on the Iolantheana grounds. The guesthouse was hardly modest. Frequently taken by first time visitors to be the estate mansion, the guesthouse had its own staff of servants. During these early years, the pair performed the research that would later form the basis for all later work performed at Genomex. They may also have done something more: they may have been foster parents to Adam. Adams origins remain unclear, but upon a thorough review of Iolantheana and the contents of all of the structures, a locked bedroom in the guesthouse appeared frozen in time around the year 1970, and to have been inhabited by an adolescent boy. The room gives every indication that nothing has been moved or altered since its last resident departed. Among the predictable possessions was found a childs microscope, a toy intended to stimulate the curiosity of an intelligent, curious child. This may in fact be Adams first microscope. 61

A careful search of the contents of the room has revealed nothing to identify the boy who lived there, but long-time servants of the main house recall a boy living in the guest house in the 1960s. They found it curious that he never left the grounds to attend a school; Eleanor Singer had been enrolled in the most rigorous local private schools according to the wishes of her father. No one could recall if the boy had a medical condition, physical or mental preventing such attendance. It appears unlikely that the boy will be identified nearly 40 years after leaving this room for good. Inevitably, one speculates how Adam could have been influenced growing up at Iolantheana if indeed the mystery boy was Adam. The clues are tantalizing: Adams inclination towards excess drama was much like Eleanors [not the least of her many annoying traits] who learned such behavior from her Hollywood mother. M. Eckhart, February 2008 The Haitian Wearing his father's necklace which displays a symbol seen throughout the series, the Haitian is an aloof character. His actual name has so far not been revealed; he is referred to almost exclusively as simply "the Haitian". He does not speak in any episode until "Fallout", and his associate Eden McCain expresses the belief that he is mute. He kisses his necklace before erasing Matt Parkman's memory, and expresses a belief in God specifically, a belief that superpowers are a gift from God, and should be respected. He is one of the few characters who sees his powers in a highly positive light. So far, his main alliances are with Mr. Bennet; Bennet's daughter, Claire; and Angela Petrelli, as well as Matt Parkman in the alternate future. The Haitian first discovers his ability to inhibit other powers as a child when he inadvertently stops his father's ability during an attack on their village. When discovered by the Company in Haiti, he does not speak, and describes his powers with a drawing of himself pulling "worms" out of people's heads. One of his earliest assignments is the first mind wipe of Sandra Bennet ("Company Man"). He is next seen 14 years later in a bar by Matt Parkman in "One Giant Leap". Matt c1ollapses soon afterwards. In "Collision", the Haitian is brought in to see a captive Parkman. On Bennet's orders, he uses his memory-related power to "go deep" with Parkman and then "wipe out" his memories of being kidnapped. Ted Sprague later reveals to Matt that he had seen the Haitian under similar circumstances. The episode "Six Months Ago" shows that the Haitian also had a hand in capturing Eden McCain, who went on to work with him and Bennet. The Haitian and Bennet attempt to kidnap Nathan Petrelli, but Nathan escapes by flying away. Bennet's tasks for the Haitian are not limited to dealing with people possessing powers. In the episode "Hiros", the Haitian follows Bennet's order to "hollow out" Brody Mitchum, a schoolmate of Claire's who attempted to rape her. After this encounter, Brody no longer recognizes even his own name. The Haitian and Eden work together in "Homecoming" to capture Sylar. In "Fallout", Mr. Bennet orders the Haitian to erase the recent memories of Claire's friend, Zach, as well as her brother, Lyle, after Claire told her father that they both knew of her healing powers. Although the Haitian follows through with these orders, he secretly defies Mr. Bennet's order to erase Claire's memories. The Haitian finally speaks when encountering Claire Bennet. He tells her how he erased Zach and Lyle's memories, and asks her, "Can you keep a secret?" Two weeks later, in "Godsend", the Haitian and Claire meet at an old factory area. Claire asks if he can at least restore Zach's memories so she'll have someone to share her secret with, but he states that he cannot do so because "that's not how [his] gift works." He also considers the superpowers he and Claire have to be "good," and advises Claire to respect hers "accordingly". "The Fix" reveals that the Haitian gave Claire special wind chimes to hang outside her window if she needs to talk with him. The day after Claire does, they meet again at the same factory area. The Haitian asks if it's an emergency, but Claire just wants to know about her biological parents. The Haitian says that Claire's biological mother died in a fire, something Mr. Bennet told him at a time when he had "no reason to lie". He claims not to know anything about Claire's biological father and recommends that she let it go. In the episode "Distractions", the Haitian accompanies Claire's adoptive father Mr. Bennet to his home in the pursuit of Sylar who escaped Primatech and locked Mr. Bennet in the cell he'd previously occupied. While Mr. Bennet tended to his wife, the Haitian chased the wounded Sylar outside, but soon returned having lost his trail. The Haitian then wiped Sandra Bennet's mind to make her forget ever having met Sylar, coincidentally making her forget she allowed Claire to skip school that day. In "Company Man", after Matt reveals to Mr. Bennet that the Haitian can speak, Mr. Bennet confronts the Haitian about his ability and why he did not erase Claire's memory. Afterwards, the Haitian helps Bennet rescue his family from Ted Sprague. When Bennet is ordered by his superior to bring Claire in to the company, Bennet turns her over to the Haitian. He then asks the Haitian to shoot him in the stomach and wipe his mind of anything that could lead the company to Claire. In "Parasite", the Haitian tells Claire that they must leave the country. At a gas stop he spoke on the phone in French and revealed they were instructed to head to Marseille, France by way of New York. Desperate to see Peter Petrelli, Claire steals the Haitian's passport, preventing him from following Claire through the airport security checkpoint. Claire then goes to Peter Petrelli's apartment in New York, where she meets her biological grandmother Angela Petrelli. Much to Claire's surprise, the Haitian is there, and speaks to Angela in French. He has been secretly working to protect Claire on Angela's orders. In "Five Years Gone", the future Haitian is working for the Department of Homeland Security, assisting Matt Parkman in the interrogation of people with superpowers, and the capture of the future Hiro Nakamura 62

where he proves to be useful as he can prohibit the usage of Hiro's powers to some extent. Eventually, the Haitian is killed by Mohinder Suresh, who injected him with a lethal fluid that was meant for the present-day Hiro Nakamura. In "Four Months Ago...", the Haitian handcuffs Peter in a shipping container, altering Peter's memories so that he can "start a new life" and escape the Company. He also gives Peter his Helix chain. In "Lizards", Mohinder finds the Haitian in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, suffering from the same virus that attacked Molly Walker. Initially, he wishes Mohinder not to cure it, as he believes it is God's will that he die to atone for his past, but Mohinder convinces him that God sent Mohinder all the way from America to find him so the Haitian allows himself to be treated. In "The Kindness of Strangers", the Haitian enters Mr. Bennet's home late at night when the rest of his family is asleep. The Haitian reveals to Bennet he got a lead on Isaac Mendez' missing paintings, and that they are in Odessa. When Bennet assumes his home town in Texas the Haitian directs him to the Odessa in Ukraine. Bennet wants to go find them. The Haitian points out that the Ukraine is a long trip from California, where Bennet is currently living, and asks what he'll tell his family. Bennet simply answers "I'm sure I'll think of something". In the next episode, the Haitian accompanies Noah on his quest to find answers in the Ukraine where Noah uses the Haitian as a torture device to remove the memories of his mentor living there until he breaks down and tells Noah where he can find the paintings. Although the Haitian works for Mr. Bennet and Primatech Paper, he ignored his orders to mind-wipe Claire. Even though he takes the memories of Matt Parkman and Ted Sprague, they still remember the Haitian himself, just not the event; victims without powers, like Sandra Bennet, Lyle Bennet, and Zach, exhibit no recollections of the Haitian, however. The Haitian is currently considered a rogue agent by Primatech Paper. In the episode "Company Man", when questioned by Mr. Bennet about to whom the Haitian answers, he alluded that his allegiance was to someone significant "in Claire's life." This person is revealed to be Claire's grandmother, Angela Petrelli, who is working with Mr. Linderman. In the possible future seen in "Five Years Gone", the Haitian is aligned with Matt Parkman in Homeland Security, and is taking orders from whom he believed to be President Nathan Petrelli. In season 2 he is working with Mr Bennet to bring down the Company. However in the episodes "Four Months Later..." he is seen in Bob's office where he supresses Peter's abilities. The Haitian has the ability to selectively erase the memories of others, a power he wields with a great deal of control. This ability was present when he was a boy, as demonstrated in the episode "Company Man". Little is known about the process of how he erases memories. In the graphic novel "It Takes a Village, Pt. 1", the Haitian described the experience as ranging from being like "picking flowers just after a spring rain" to "reaching into the moist soil of freshly dug graves" with "grubs biting at your fingers". As a boy, the Haitian accidentally cleaned out the heads of nearby villagers, but it appears to require physical contact for more precise removal of memories by becoming "one with [the subject's] mind". In "Collision", The Haitian wipes out Matt Parkman's memory of the relatively short time of his capture. In "Hiros," The Haitian uses his power to "hollow out" Brody Mitchum's mind so extensively that Brody does not remember his own name, while retaining basic functions such as general coordination and language skills. None of these victims immediately realize that their memories have been erased. They only become aware of the change if confronted with evidence of the missing memories. The Haitian has stated that he cannot restore memories he has erased, as revealed in "Godsend". However, in "Four Months Ago..." Peter Petrelli displayed that heroes with the power of cellular regeneration can restore their erased memories. In the online graphic novel chapter "The Crossroads", Mohinder gives the Haitian instructions for locating Mr. Bennet, asking him if he needs to write it down during the exchange. The Haitian cryptically responds, "Memory is not an issue for me...". The Haitian has also displayed the ability to negate the powers of other heroes within an unknown distance. He has an incredible degree of control over this power even to the point of allowing some in his vicinity to use powers and others not. This ability is not supreme, however, as various heroes have overcome it with great effort. How this aspect of the Haitian's powers works is currently unknown. His future self seems to be more proficient with this particular ability than the current Haitian, as even with the mastery that Peter Petrelli and Hiro Nakamura achieved with their abilities in the future, they still feared that their powers would be useless if they came within the general vicinity of the Haitian. Quantum 7; Quantum Pool (Regenerate every five minutes); Willpower 7; Taint 3; Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2, Manipulation 3, Charisma 3, Appearance 3, Perception 2, Intelligence 3 (1, Eidetic and Enhanced Memory), Wits 2; Abilities: Academics 2, Athletics 1, Awareness 2, Bureaucracy 3, Drive 1, Endurance 3, Firearms 2, Interrogation 2, Intimidation 3, Intrusion 3, Investigation 3, Legerdemain 1, Linguistics 2 ,Martial Arts 3, Melee 2, Perform 2, Rapport 4, Resistance 3, Science 1, Stealth 1, Streetwise 3, Style 1, Subterfuge 4; Backgrounds: Allies 2, Backing 3, Cipher 4, Mentor 3, Resources 3; Quantum Powers: Disrupt 5 (Extra Power), Telepathy 4 (Requires touch, memories read are wiped, reading only); Soak: Bashing 2 dice, Lethal 1 dice (Heals rates are doubled, Lifespan 150+ years).

63

Project Manticore Early 1930's: Davenport Genetic Institute -- located in North Lynbrook, New York -- established as a center for the study of eugenics under the leadership of a man named Markus (Matthias?) Schuler. 1953: Scientists solve the DNA structure. 1968: Donald Michael Lydecker is born. (8/5/1968) 1981: Surrogate mother of X5-452 is born. 1986: Lydecker joins U.S. Army out of high school; marries high school sweetheart (Over next 9 years accepted to OCS -- Officer Candidate School -- and graduates top of class; assigned to 3rd Army Ranger Battalion; serves in Panama, Kuwait, Somalia; promoted to captain; assigned to Delta Force; earns Legion of Merit and Purple Heart medals). 1990: U.S. Human Genome Research Program is begun by the Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health to identify all of the approximately 30,000 genes in the human DNA (completion estimate 13 years). Davenport Genetics Institute aids government on setting policy for the Human Genome Research Program. 1993: "The Committee" -- a highly secret government entity in charge of numerous black ops programs -- authorizes Project Manticore, an experimental program which will use recombinant DNA to produce a superior human (warrior/advanced infantry soldier). Main base located in the Rocky Mountains outside of Gillette, Wyoming. "Sandeman" (first name unknown, wife Natasha, two sons -- Ames White and C.J.) -- a brilliant geneticist and member of a conclave of ancient, genetically superior humans known as "Familiars" -- begins experimenting with animal/human hybrids (transhumans) in hopes of finding a way to eliminate the need for his cult's brutal method of producing acceptable offspring, and also as a way for the "ordinary" human race to survive an upcoming plague that will theoretically leave only his people alive. Sandeman's initial experiments are with canine DNA, and the first children born from this experimentation are the dog-boy Joshua and his twin brother, Isaac. (Joshua, the first born, has no bar code on his neck/Isaac, second born, possesses this identifying mark, as do ALL subsequent transhumans/transgenics created by Sandeman and/or Manticore.) Sandeman's second genetic experiment is with feline DNA and produces two, male feline/human hybrids -- Dill and Oshi.The type of cat used to create Dill is unknown, but Oshi is part Siamese. 1994: Manticore cleared to begin genetic coding; X1 project begins in hopes of producing a more human-looking transgenic (Class size unknown). Sandeman's work comes to the attention of the U.S. military, and he's offered funding to work with Project Manticore where he continues his research and creation of transhumans / transgenics, the primary experiments involving the use of more feline DNA (from jungle cats as well as domestic). Experiments are also conducted using DNA from ants (producing the four-armed Gabriel who can lift 6 times his own body weight); chameleons (producing Kelpy who can blend in with his surroundings when under stress); lizards (producing DACs -- Desert Acclimated Commandos such as Mole); monkeys; pigs; and various beasts of burden (producing creatures referred to as "mules" for trench digging and other manual labor like Luke.); dolphin and fish crosses for aquatic soldiers; and albino arctic Units. Manticore's primary goal, however, is to produce a completely human looking feline/human hybrid soldier for use in warfare. During the experimentation a number of anomalies are born (i.e. Dix). These are genetic accidents, sometimes terribly deformed or insane, that are kept locked up in the basement of Manticore's Gillette base, and later at a second base located just outside of Seattle, Washington. The term "transgenic" refers to any artificially created animal/human hybrid creature. The term "transhuman" refers to transgenics who's animal DNA is visibly discernible through outward physical characteristics. The X5 soldiers are transgenics, but not transhumans. The DAC soldiers (i.e. Mole), and creatures like Joshua, are both transgenic AND transhuman. ALL Manticore progeny are technically "chimeras" -- a mix of animal and human DNA -- Frankenstein creations, with some of them, like the later X4 and X5 series, having "invisible stitches" (animal characteristics on the DNA, cellular, and internal organ level only). 1995: Manticore begins X2 project (Class of 30). Lydecker's wife is murdered, and the crime is never solved. 1996: Manticore begins X3 project (Class of 30). Lydecker is dishonorably discharged from the military, and admitted to the Army's alcohol and drug abuse program (ADAP). Lydecker reinstated. 1996, August: Davenport Genetics Institute involved in scandal regarding allegedly kidnapping a young woman (Josephine Morales), impregnating her, and then stealing her baby. (Employees include Dr. Hill, Dr. Crater, and Sandeman.) Josephine Morales commits suicide. 1997: Manticore begins X4 project (including the production of human appearing Units designed specifically for psychic talent and extremely high intelligence/data gathering abilities, i.e. Mia and Brain) (Class of 30). 1998: Manticore begins X5 project (production of the perfect physical, mental, and psychological soldier) (Class of 30 original units, plus twins, for each generation). Each X5 soldier has to literally be "built" piece-bypiece in the lab, their DNA the custom blend of numerous superb human specimens plus the feline component (black leopard). Physical appearance, intelligence, emotional make-up, musical and artistic talent, are all deliberately encoded in the the embryos producing soldiers with diverse physical attributes, skills, appearances, and abilities. The feline DNA gives the X5s superior speed, strength, stamina, and reflexes, as well as night vision. Other genetic enhancements increase overall bone density and intelligence with some individuals optimized for specialties such as night warfare (X5-656/X5-657); hand-to-hand combat (X5-599/X5-600); 64

survival (X5-471/X5-472); social skills (i.e. persuasion, coercion, and manipulation) (X5-493/X5-494); or muscular flexibility (X5-734/X5-735). Telescopic vision is achieved through alteration of the DNA in the focusing mechanism of the eye. All of the transgenics are type O-negative blood making them universal donors to one another (in case of the need for battlefield transfusion due to injury or organ transplants). Their blood is also exceedingly rich in pleuropotents for increased healing ability, and they are created genetically immune to standard bio-warfare agents and most human diseases. Twinning (cloning) of the X5s during in-vitro is done as a cost-saving measure. Because each X5 Unit costs millions of dollars to create (and the in-vitro survival rate is less than 50 percent), it's expedient to artificially force the embryos to divide into maternal twins several hours after the fertilization and DNA coding has been performed. That way -- if both twins survive in the surrogates -Manticore gets two soldiers for the price of one. The X5 offspring do appear to be what Manticore has been attempting -- the ultimate human/feline hybrid supersoldier. As a result, four more generations of X5 soldiers (and their twins) are created in the labs and implanted into surrogates, to be born over the next five (5) years. NOTE: The X2 through X5-series soldiers were created in classes of 30, and the twinning procedures allowed for a theoretical total of 60 X5 soldiers to be born to each of that series' 5 generations. However, physical attrition due to medical and genetic problems (i.e. seizures, progeria) results in a high rate of morbidity. Fewer than 50 percent of the X5s reach the age of puberty. Lydecker promoted to colonel and assigned to Project Manticore where he begins supervision of X5-series creation and training. X5-599 and his twin brother X5-600 (optimized for hand-to-hand combat with increased muscle fiber density) are born to surrogate mothers. 1999: X5-493 and his twin brother X5-494 (optimized for social skills) are born to surrogate mothers. 2000: Sandeman creates X5-452 with no "junk" (non coding) DNA in an effort to provide the human race with a vaccine for the coming Familiar plague, giving all of her DNA purpose. (NOTE: Also included in 452's make-up is DNA donated from Colonel Lydecker's deceased wife.) Seven months into pregnancy the surrogate mother of X5-452 tries to escape from Manticore. Two months later X5-452 and her twin X5-453 are born. X5453, unlike her twin sister, still has junk DNA. 2001, September: Terrorists attack the World Trade Center in New York City, and the Pentagon and President launch firm campaign to retaliate against terrorism. The X-series projects are halted, but commence again in 2002. 2002: Several X2s become mentally unstable, killing guards and doctors. Twenty-six (26) Units are euthanized and four (4) are held for observation. 2004: The first generation of X5 Units begin to show symptoms of a seizure disorder caused by the brain's inability to manufacture sufficient quantities of serotonin. The X5s also begin to show evidence of extreme independent thinking -- a trait deliberately imbued in the Units in anticipation of them becoming officers and leaders. However, this also leads to the Units exhibiting rebellious and aggressive natures thought to be exacerbated by the use of jungle cat DNA. Manticore begins X6 project in an attempt to correct the seizure disorders and unacceptable personality (i.e. rebellious) traits of the X5s. A total of five (5) generations of X6s -a more malleable and less independent-minded soldier -- are subsequently created. 2006: Sandeman abandons his genetics project at Manticore and flees to Seattle where he sets up a lab to continue his DNA experiments. It is during this time that Sandeman discovers his younger son, C.J., does not have immunity to the pathogen all Familiar children are exposed to as a rite of passage -- the same pathogen that will one day kill the ordinary human race and which he's made most transgenics able to survive. 2007: Sandeman vanishes and his Seattle-based genetics research company, Advanced Recombinant Genetics (ARG), shuts down. 2009, February: Eva (X5-766) defies her superior officer and is shot and killed by Lydecker. Twelve X5 Units escape from the Gillette, Wyoming Manticore facility: Ben, X5-493 (age 10), Brin, X5-734, Jack, X5-417, Jondy, X5-210, Kavi, X5-392? (age 7), Krit, X5-471, ,Max X5-452 (age 9), Syl, X5-701, Tinga, X5-656, Vada, X5-732? (age 11), Zack; X5-599 (age 12), Zane, X5-205. Jace (X5-798) at the last minute does not participate in the escape. A 13th Unit (Seth, X5-353?, age 12) escapes the following day. A dietitian from the Manticore base named Hannah picks Max up along the road and gives her shelter in her cabin for a few hours. Max hitches a ride on a truck to Casper, Wyoming and finds a friend in Lucy Barrett. She then travels with Lucy and her mother, Mrs. Jack Barrett to Los Angeles, California where she lives with Lucy and her parents as a foster child for the next 4 months. 2009, May: Manticore's Gillette, Wyoming base shut down. 2009, June: (June 8) A terrorist EMP bomb (electromagnetic pulse) explodes above the west coast of the United States. Casualties are high, and America is sent into a deep financial depression with martial law implemented in all western states. Max leaves the Barrett household to live on her own in Los Angeles' Griffith Park. Davenport Genetics Institute relocates to an unknown location. 2009, December: As a result of the February escape Manticore orders the following procedures: "Simplification" of all X5 Units, their behavior to be altered ("revised") in an attempt to eradicate their independent natures. X5 officer training for X-series Units is discontinued. All X5 disciplinary problems are reported to neuro psychology division. Unauthorized assembly of X-series units in groups of three or more is prohibited except in the presence of platoon leader or special ops forces. Partitions are erected in the barracks so the Units can't secretly communicate with one another at night. The following X5-series Units (considered to be especially "at risk" for aberrant behavior) are transferred to neuro psychology for reindoctrination: X5-001, X5-102, X5-206, X5-211 (Jondy's twin), X5-345, X5-387, X5-418 (Jack's twin), X5-453 (Sam, Max's twin), X565

472 (Devon, Krit's twin), X5-494 (Ben's twin who in 2020 adopts the name "Alec"), X5-600 (Lane, Zack's twin), X5-657 (Jewel, Tinga's twin), X5-735 (Keema, Brin's twin), X5-798 (Jace). Use of names by Units other than designation numbers strongly discouraged. 2010: Manticore begins X7 project utilizing bat DNA as well as feline, creating groups of identically cloned soldiers that communicate via ultrasonic sound waves and who have hive minds. The X7s are faster and stronger than their predecessors, the X5s and X6s, and are later used to guard the other X-series soldiers. The X7 project is discontinued prematurely. 2010, May: X5-102, X5-206, X5-211, X5-345, X5-387, X5-418, X5-453, X5-472, X5-494, X5-600, X5657, X5-735, and X5-798 successfully complete reindoctrination and will continue training as a separate squad due to their time away from the other platoons. Internally, these units now bear the designation X5R to indicate successful completion of mandatory psychological reconditioning. 2012, April: Max returns to Jack Barrett's home seeking her foster sister Lucy, but finds the house abandoned. 2012, May: An earthquake (8.5 on the Richter scale) hits the Los Angeles area causing massive death and destruction. 2013: Manticore begins X8 project. Max -- using the name "Max Guevera" -- moves to the Hollywood area where she joins the Chinese Clan under the leadership of a man known as "Moody" who becomes her mentor. While there she learns cat burglar skills as well as a great deal about art, jewelry, and antiques (so she knows what's worth stealing). 2014: Kavi, the youngest of the '09 escapees, is recaptured in Wolf Point, Montana, given away by his incredible skills at playing baseball which are observed, purely by chance, by a Manticore operative named Finch. 2015, January: The Phoenix Project is established under the command of D. Stendahl. Mission statement: The Phoenix Project seeks a rechanneling of government resources and individual energies toward a single goal: the restoration of America as a superpower, based on the contention that the spread of American values and the American democratic impulse was a progressive force throughout the world. Methods to achieve the above goal include proxy corporations to channel funds to the organization; and proxy armies that include "a highly versatile weapon -- a 21st century soldier that can be utilized in either deep-cover situations (assassination) or field operations (combat scenarios)" -- X5s. 2017: Vada is shot and killed in the desert outside of Amargosa Valley, Nevada by Lydecker when she overpowers 3 members of a TAC (Tactical Arrest and Containment) team and resists capture. 2017, May: X5R-453, X5R-472, X5R-494, X5R-600, X5R-657, X5R-735, X5R-798 complete training (courses in METT-T, OCOKA, and special ops) and are certified for field deployment. (X5R-102, X5R-345, X5R387, X5R-418 failed the training; X5R-206 and X5R-211 were damaged during training exercises and subsequently destroyed.) X5R Units reassigned to special ops Quantico and designated as Arizona Platoon (as part of Project Phoenix) under the command of Major Davis Stendahl with the following exceptions: X5R-453 requested by Division 12 for other deep-cover work and transported to Fort Brevard. X5-494 and X5-798 require further disciplinary training and returned to a Manticore platoon. 2018: Manticore begins X9 project. Dr. Adriana Vertes leaves Manticore. X5-494 successfully completes four short-term solo missions (assassinations) and begins training for a long term assignment at the Seattle, Washington Manticore base. 2018, August: X5-494 assigned first long term solo mission (handler Agent Peter Sandoval) -- to observe, and then later assassinate, Mercidyne CEO Robert Berrisford. After falling in love with Berrisford's daughter, Rachel, X5-494 fails his mission and is subsequently tortured by Manticore and put through reindoctrination. 2019: Seth recruited by Logan Cale (a.k.a. "Eyes Only"). Max leaves Los Angeles and travels to Seattle, Washington in search of an X5 Manticore "brother" she's seen on the news -- Seth. Along the way she hooks up with "Original Cindy" McEachin. Max becomes roommates with Kendra Maibaum, a waitress. Max and Original Cindy go to work for Jam Pony, a Seattle bike messenger service. The Chinese Clan in Los Angeles massacred by Lydecker who's seeking Max. Seth dies when he falls from the top of the Space Needle rather than be recaptured by Manticore. Max hires a private detective named Vogelsang to help her locate the other X5s who escaped with her in '09. 2019, October: Max meets Logan Cale while burglarizing his Seattle penthouse. Max finds Hannah, the woman who aided her in '09, and helps her escape from Lydecker. It's from Hannah that Max learns her surrogate mother wanted to keep her as a baby and tried to run away from Manticore, but was forced into labor then sent to a psychiatric hospital. 2019, November: Zack kills Vogelsang because the private investigator is reporting to Lydecker. Terrorist takeover of genetics conference attended by Lydecker (and, unbeknownst to him, Max). Brin develops progeria (a genetic aging disease) and is returned to Manticore where she's cured and put through reindoctrination, becoming one of Lydecker's best and obedient X5 soldiers. 2019, December: Zack turns himself in to the authorities for the murder of Vogelsang so Max won't be considered a suspect in the crime, and is taken away by a helicopter which mysteriously crashes in the woods. 2020, January: Major Elizabeth Renfro (a.k.a. "Madam X") -- an undercover government agent planted to make certain Sandeman's work toward preventing the Familiar plague is successful -- begins exerting 66

influence at Manticore. Renfro knows about Sandeman's genetic attempts to save the human race from the Familiars' pathogen, and is determined to find the X5 Unit she knows carries the DNA code for the vaccine. Her methods are ruthless, with no regard for the lives of the transgenics under her command. 2020, February: Zack -- who's been returned to Manticore where he's been tortured by Lydecker in an attempt to make him reveal the locations of the other fugitive X5s -- escapes and seeks Max's help. The other X5 '09 escapees are warned by "Eyes Only" that their locations may have been compromised and they go into deeper hiding. Tinga -- a.k.a. "Penny Smith" -- is nearly caught by Lydecker, but escapes with Max and Zack's help. 2020, March: Jace is sent by Lydecker to assassinate Dr. Adriana Vertes, a former Manticore scientist who left the program and has been in hiding. However, Jace is pregnant (the father a Manticore technician named "Vic"), and with Max's help escapes from Lydecker and flees to Mexico. Lydecker assassinates Dr. Adriana Vertes. Ben becomes psychotic and begins killing people all over the country in a ritualistic manner. 2020, April: Max kills Ben (at his own request) when he's in imminent danger of being recaptured by Manticore. Lydecker takes Ben's body back to Manticore for study to determine "what went wrong" with the Unit. X5R-494 -- Ben's genetic twin brother -- is admitted to Manticore psy-ops for six (6) months of psychiatric observation to determine if the psychotic tendencies are genetic. 2020, May: Lane is chosen to assassinate Pope Leo XVI. Jewel is chosen to assassinate Russian president Nikolai Kolankov. Tinga is captured by Renfro and submitted to a cruel genetics experiment at an off base location that ultimately leads to her death. Renfro believes Tinga may be Sandeman's carrier of the plague vaccine because she has produced a son (Case) with an ordinary human male (Charlie) with some X5 capabilities. In every other attempt at human/X5 crossbreeding, the offspring have been "of spectacular mediocrity" (and those were the successes). Renfro attempts to have Lydecker assassinated. Agent Peter Sandoval, Lydecker's former assistant and Renfro's right-hand-man, is killed instead. Lydecker goes into hiding, and attempts to find out why Renfro is killing X5s. Max, Zack, Krit, and Syl invade the re-opened Gillette, Wyoming Manticore facility, and with Lydecker and Logan Cale's help, destroy the gene bank so no more Xseries soldiers can be manufactured. Max, however, is shot in the heart by an X7 Unit containing X5-452's own DNA. Zack shoots himself in the head to provide a donor organ for the "sister" he's in love with. 2020, Summer: Max receives a heart transplant, recovers, and goes back into training at Manticore's top secret Seattle, Washington base where the Manticore Project has been consolidated by The Committee. 2020, September: Max meets Joshua in the basement of the Manticore base. The X7 Unit that contains Max's DNA develops progeria. X5-494 and Max are assigned as breeding partners. Max gives X5-494 his name -"Alec" as in "Smart Aleck." It's probable that X5-494 at one time had a name that the others in his platoon called him by (like his unit-mates Lane, Devon, Keema, and Jewel). However, the use of those names was highly discouraged at Manticore after the '09 escape, and it's logical to assume that, especially after his discipline problems in 2017, X5-494 was under orders to refer to himself only by his designation. X5-494 is ordered by Renfro to assist Max in escaping so she will lead them to "Eyes Only" who has been stirring up trouble for Manticore with the public. X5-494 follows Max to Logan Cale who becomes infected with a retrovirus Max has unknowingly been injected with. Max keys an "Eyes Only" broadcast that reveals Manticore's Seattle base location. As a result, Renfro is ordered by The Committee to destroy Manticore and all of its soldiers, salvaging only the DNA database so she can start the project over again at a later time. However, Renfro now knows that X5-452 is the Unit created by Sandeman who carries the cure for the Familiar's plague. When Max returns to the burning Seattle base to help the other transgenics escape, Renfro puts herself in front of a bullet to save Max then enigmatically orders Max to "find Sandeman" without telling her why. Alec has returned to Manticore's Seattle base only to see it burning and the guards shooting down his transgenic brothers and sisters. Wisely, he makes good his escape, subsequently ending up in Seattle and becoming a close ally of Max's as they both attempt to help the other transgenics. Lydecker finds archeological evidence of the Familiar's existence and Renfro's knowledge of them. However, his SUV is then run off the road by persons unknown and he's presumed killed. NSA Agent Ames White -- Sandeman's oldest son and, unlike his father, still a loyal Familiar/conclave follower -- is put in charge of tracking down all of the escaped transgenics and killing them, a task he relishes because the transgenics are a danger to his people's world domination plan. Max and Alec help four (4) X6s and an X8 escape to Canada (an X7 with the group returns to his own Unit): X6-787 (Bullet), X6-809 (Fix-It), X6-? (Zero), X6-? (Ralph), X8-621 (Bugler) 2020, October: Alec is captured by Ames White who attempts to force the X5 into tracking down his brother and sister transgenics. Alec does kill a panther-like transhuman, and takes the bar code of an X6 (X6252) (without killing the boy) in an attempt to get White to release him. However, ultimately Alec can only save his own life by killing Max. He chooses to die instead. But then Max takes Alec to a renegade Manticore scientist who removes the explosive device on his brain stem (for a $10,000 fee) and he's free from White. Joshua moves into Sandeman's old house in Seattle. Max saves the life of an X5 (X5-692) targeted by White with a pathogen that could theoretically kill all of the transgenics (keyed to their immunological surveillance cells), and helps him escape to Canada. Alec gets a job as a messenger at Jam Pony using the name "Alec McDowell." Joshua's twin brother, Isaac, becomes psychotic and is murdering people. Joshua is forced to kill his brother in order to save Max's life. He buries his sibling in the back yard of "Father's House." Alec finds out that Rachel Berrisford -- the human girl he fell in love with during his 2018 long term mission and tried to save at the expense of his own life 67

-- is still alive, but in a coma, and her father, Robert Berrisford, wants revenge. Max saves Alec's life and Rachel dies (Oct. 21, 2020). 2020, November: Zack -- who has been the subject of Manticore experiments in robotics and synthetic organs -- shows up in Seattle running with a gang of Steelheads who bought him from a renegade Manticore technician after the base's destruction. He's rescued by Max. However, Zack has been programmed to kill "Eyes Only" by Renfro and -- when his memory is accidentally erased -- Max and Logan Cale deem it wiser to give him a new identity -- farm hand Adam Thompson -- and let him start his life again with no knowledge of who he really is. 2020, December: Pope Leo XVI is assassinated by Lane who is acting under orders from an unknown source. Lane commits suicide when his capture is eminent. All DNA samples are mysteriously "lost" by the Italian authorities, preventing identification of the assassin. Max and Alec rescue a Manticore transhuman "mermaid" from Ames White. She and her mate return to the ocean with their offspring. Joshua discovers he has artistic talent. 2021, January: Brain -- an X-series Manticore creation (X4?) with extremely high intuitive and strategy functions-- helps Max and the S1W only to be shot and killed by sector police while saving Max's life. Alec moves into Brain's old apartment, 113-125th Place, Apt. 4. Jewel leaves a voice mail message for Lydecker asking if she should exit Quantico in Arizona and proceed to Moscow, presumably to assassinate Russian president Nikolai Kolankov. 2021, February: Max and Alec track down a Manticore bloodhound-type creature known as a "gossamer." 2021, March: Max kills an X-series Manticore transgenic (X4?) named Marrow who was designed to be a "super" blood donor. Marrow has been addicting ordinary teenagers to his blood and creating a cult. Mia -- an Xseries designed for psychic memory manipulation (X4?) -- telepathically coerces Alec into returning to cage fighting so her boyfriend can get in the good graces of the "mob." Mia and her boyfriend then leave the country. In an effort to help his conclave and bring about the transgenics' destruction, Ames White decides to expose the Manticore refugees to the public, going against his NSA orders. A Manticore "mule" is killed on camera by the sector police, making the transgenics existence known to all of the world. Wendy White is murdered by her husband, Ames, when she comes to close to finding her supposedly kidnapped son, Ray, who's been taken to a Familiar stronghold. Max rescues Ames White's son, Ray, from the Familiars' snake blood ceremony and, with Logan Cale's help, the boy and his aunt are sent to a safe hiding place. Marcus (Matthias?) Schuler attends a fund raising dinner in Seattle, Washington for Senator James McKinley. 2021, April: Joshua meets Annie, a blind girl who lives down the street. Alec is arrested and charged with the murder of Timothy Ryan -- one of Ben's victims. He's rescued by Max and obtains a forged birth certificate and passport to "prove" he had a twin brother and that he was out of the country at the time of the crimes. Alec and Max break into a dermatologist's office and use a laser to temporarily remove the bar codes from the backs of their necks. Ames White murders Annie in an attempt to make it look as if the crime was committed by a transgenic. Sam (Max's X5 twin) -- who has been living a normal life since Manticore was destroyed (she married the man she was originally keeping under surveillance for industrial espionage purposes) -- is captured by White and he attempts to use her to track down Max. Sam and her family are ultimately helped by the transgenics and flee to Canada. Joshua moves into Terminal City, and Alec and Max discover the thriving colony of transgenics already living there. An albino arctic transgenic is rescued by Max, Alec, and Biggs (an X5 -- X5-? -- who went on Manticore missions with Alec in the past). Max discovers the existence of C.J., Ames White's younger brother when he escapes from where he's been held prisoner by the Familiars, and learns more about Sandeman and his Seattle lab, Advanced Recombinant Genetics. Biggs is exposed by NSA thermal technology that picks up his high body heat, and is killed by a gang of transgenic haters. Ames White confirms that Max is, indeed, the transgenic his father created who carries the DNA that could potentially save the ordinary human race from the coming plague. C.J. is recaptured by the Familiars. 2021, May: Jam Pony siege (May 7, 2021). Cece, (X5-?) working at Jam Pony is shot and killed by Ames White's men during the siege. Gem, (X5-?), gives birth to Eve who's father was an X5 male in Renfro's breeding program back at Manticore. She's being helped by a young male X6 (X6-?) named Dalton. Terminal City becomes an open refuge for the transgenics in Seattle. Kade (X5-?) is working in Terminal City's control room. Alec and Joshua seek the help of an X5 (X5-?) going by the name Hampton Rhoades who's working as a janitor at Ichiro Suzuki Elementary School who may know where Kelpy, a mutant serial killer, is. Ames White captures Alec and Joshua, and tortures Alec in an attempt to find a way to reach Max. However, Alec reveals nothing, overpowers White, and escapes with Joshua. Kelpy -- who's become psychotic due to tryptophan deliberately contaminated by Ames White -- attempts to kill Logan Cale and contracts the virus from Max leading to his (Kelpy's) death. 2021, Summer: A truce is reached between the military, the people of Seattle, Washington, and the transgenics. The transgenics (with Alec leading the entrepreneurial way) open The Terminal City Artworks Mall where the Manticore refugees make money by selling artwork and salvaged antiques. The diner on the first floor of the building is re-opened and run by Gem and several other X5s. 2021, December: The virus that has been keeping Max and Logan Cale apart has run its course and is cured. Logan Cale is kidnapped by a Seattle gang, The Furies. Max, Alec, Joshua, and Mole attempt a rescue, only to discover that The Furies (who are killed to the last man by the Familiars) were being manipulated by 68

Ames White who demands the return of his son, Ray, in exchange for Cale. Ray White and his aunt are executed in Appleton, Washington by Familiars attempting to prevent Ames White's rise within the conclave. Max, Alec, Joshua, and Mole lead a transgenic army against the Familiar conclave's stronghold (a mental asylum called "Big Sky Retreat") where the cult's leader Matthias (Marcus Schuler?) is executed by Max, Logan rescued, and the headquarters destroyed. Joshua kills Ames White to save Max's life. The Familiar's comet -- which was supposed to spread a pathogen around the world that would kill all ordinary humans -- turns out to (apparently) be harmless meaning Max's special DNA will not be needed. Max kills the Familiar leader Matthias (Marcus Schuler?). C.J. is rescued from where he's been held prisoner in the Familiar stronghold. Lydecker -- who has been a prisoner of the conclave since October, 2020 -- is found alive in a cell and rescued by Max. In return, he promises to tell her where her surrogate mother is. Alec escorts Lydecker back to Terminal City where the colonel will be kept under heavy guard. Alec intends to run for election as Terminal City's non-voting representative to Seattle's city council where he will be a voice for his people. 2022: The saga of Alec and Max continues... Rogers, Steve Steve Rogers was a scrawny fine arts student specializing in industrialization in the 1940's before America entered World War II. He attempted to enlist in the army only to be turned away due to his poor constitution. A U.S. officer offered Rogers an alternative way to serve his country by being a test subject in project, Operation: Rebirth, a top secret defense research project designed to create physically superior soldiers. Rogers accepted and after a rigorous physical and combat training and selection process was selected as the first test subject. He was given injections and oral ingestion of the formula dubbed the "Super Soldier Serum" developed by the scientist Dr. Abraham Erskine. Rogers was then exposed to a controlled burst of "Vita-Rays" that activated and stabilized the chemicals in his system. The process successfully altered his physiology from its frail state to the maximum of human efficiency, including greatly enhanced musculature and reflexes. After the assassination of Dr. Erskine. Roger was re-imagined as a superhero who served both as a counter-intelligence agent and a propaganda symbol to counter Nazi Germany's head of terrorist operations, the Red Skull. Rogers was given a costume modeled after the American flag, a bulletproof shield, a personal sidearm and the codename Captain America. He was also given a cover identity as a clumsy infantry private at Camp LeHigh in Virginia. Barely out of his teens himself, Rogers made friends with the teenage camp mascot, James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes. Barnes accidentally learned of Rogers' dual identity and offered to keep the secret if he could become Captain America's sidekick. Rogers agreed, and trained Barnes. Roger met President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who presented him with a new shield made from a chance mixture of iron, Vibranium and an unknown catalyst. Throughout World War II, Captain America and Bucky fought the Nazi menace both on their own and as members of the superhero team the Invaders, which after the war evolved into the All-Winners Squad. In the closing days of World War II in 1945, Captain America and Bucky tried to stop the villainous Baron Zemo from destroying an experimental drone plane. Zemo launched the plane with an armed explosive device on it, with Rogers and Barnes in hot pursuit. They reached the plane just before it took off, but when Bucky tried to defuse the bomb, it exploded in mid-air. The young man was believed killed, and Rogers was hurled into the freezing waters of either the North Atlantic. Neither his body or Bucky's were found, and both were presumed dead. The Avengers discovered Rogers' body in the North Atlantic, his costume under his soldier's uniform and still carrying his shield. Rogers had been preserved in a block of ice since 1945, which melted after the block was thrown back into the ocean by an enraged Sub-Mariner. When Rogers revived, he related his last, failed mission in the closing days of the war. Rogers accepted membership in the Avengers, and although he soon adjusted to modern times well enough to eventually assume leadership of the team, he was plagued by guilt for not being able to prevent Bucky's death. He also undertook missions for the national security agency S.H.I.E.L.D., which was commanded by his old war comrade Nick Fury. Rogers established a residence in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York and has discovered that Bucky had been held in suspended animation throughout the Cold War performing assassinations as the Winter Soldier. Recent events have been tumultuous for Captain America. As the passage of the Superhuman Registration Act drew near, Maria Hill (the leader of S.H.I.E.L.D.) propositioned Rogers and the Avengers to join S.H.I.E.L.D. in enforcing the act. When he refused, Hill had her trained "Superhuman Response Unit" attack him. During the scuffle Rogers avoided being tranquilized and managed to escape by lodging his shield in an aircraft and forcing the pilot to fly him to safety. Soon after, at the Baxter Building the Watcher told the heroes who had gathered there about the Captain's escape. Captain America soon became the de facto leader of the Secret Avengers, heroes fighting against the registration act, much to the consternation of his erstwhile friend Iron Man. While the two made sporadic attempts to reconcile during the Civil War, the clashes between their respective teams became more and more heated, ultimately leading to a pitched battle in the middle of New York City. At the end of the battle, as Cap was about to deliver a finishing blow to Iron Man, he was tackled by several emergency workers. Realizing the damage the war was doing to the city and its civilian population, Captain America unmasked and surrendered as Steve Rogers. On his way to an arraignment at the Federal Courthouse in New York City, Captain America was shot in the right shoulder by a sniper's bullet. Several subsequent shots were fired point blank at Rogers by Sharon 69

Carter, brainwashed by Dr. Faustus who was allied with the Red Skull. Sharon, unaware of her actions and concealed by the crowd during the shooting, escorted Rogers to the hospital while the Falcon and the Winter Soldier subdued the sniper, Crossbones (Brock Rumlow). Captain America was pronounced dead on arrival at Mercy Hospital. Sharon's memory was restored by a keyword spoken by the Red Skull's daughter, Sin (Sinthia Shmidt). Captain America represented the pinnacle of human physical perfection. He experienced a time when he was augmented to superhuman levels, but generally performed just below superhuman levels for most of his career. Captain America had a very high intelligence as well as agility, strength, speed, endurance, and reaction time superior to any Olympic athlete who ever competed. The Super-Soldier formula that he had metabolized had enhanced all of his bodily functions to the peak of human efficiency. Most notably, his body eliminates the excessive build-up of fatigue-producing poisons in his muscles, granting him phenomenal endurance. Captain America had mastered the martial arts of American-style boxing and judo, and had combined these disciplines with his own unique hand-to-hand style of combat. He had also shown skill and knowledge of a number of other martial arts. He engaged in a daily regimen of rigorous exercise (including aerobics, weight lifting, gymnastics, and simulated combat) to keep himself in peak condition. Captain America was one of the finest human combatants Earth had ever known. Captain America's only weapon was his shield, a concave disk 2.5 feet in diameter, weighing 12 pounds. It is made of a unique Vibranium-metal alloy that has never been duplicated. The shield was cast by American metallurgist Dr. Myron MacLain, who was contracted by the U.S. government to create an impenetrable substance to use for tanks during World War II. MacLain was never able to duplicate the process due to his inability to identify a still unknown factor that played a role in it. The shield was awarded to Captain America by the government several months after the beginning of his career. The shield has great aerodynamic properties: it is able to slice through the air with minimal wind resistance and deflection of path. Its great overall resilience, combined with its natural concentric stiffness, enables it to rebound from objects with minimal loss of angular momentum. It is virtually indestructible: it is resistant to penetration, temperature extremes, and the entire electromagnetic spectrum of radiation. The only way it can be damaged in any way is by tampering with its molecular bonding. Real Name: Steven "Steve" Rogers; Aliases: Nomad, The Captain, Steven Grant Rogers, Roger Stevens, Yeoman America, Cap, The Sentinel of Liberty, Star-Spangled Avenger; also has impersonated Crossbones; Identity: Publicly known; Occupation: Adventurer, formerly WPA artist, soldier, police officer, teacher, freelance illustrator, special S.H.I.E.L.D. operative; Citizenship: U.S.A.; Place of Birth: New York, New York; Known Relatives: Joseph and Sarah Rogers (parents, deceased), unidentified grandfather (presumed deceased), Steven Rogers (ancestor, deceased); Group Affiliation: Secret Avengers; formerly the Avengers, Invaders, Captain's Unnamed Superhero Team, Redeemers; formerly partner of Bucky, Rick Jones, Falcon, Demolition Man and Nomad (Jack Monroe); Education: High school graduate; one year of art school; military basic training; private tutoring in hand-to-hand combat, gymnastics, military strategy, piloting, demolition, and other disciplines; Height: 6'2"; Weight: 240 lbs; Eyes: Blue; Hair: Blond Quantum 1; Quantum Pool 22 (Regenerate every hour minutes); Willpower 9; Strength 5, Dexterity 5, Stamina 5, Manipulation 3, Charisma 4, Appearance 3, Perception 3, Intelligence 4, Wits 3; Abilities: Academics 3, Arts 2, Athletics 4, Awareness 4, Brawl 5, Bureaucracy 3, Command 4, Computer 1, Drive 4, Endurance 5, Engineering 2, Etiquette 3, Firearms 3, Intimidation 3, Intrusion 2, Investigation 3, Legerdemain 2, Linguistics 5, Martial Arts 5, Medicine 2, Melee (Shield) 5, Might 5, Pilot 2, Resistance 3, Science 3, Stealth 4, Streetwise 3, Survival 3; Backgrounds: Allies 5, Backing 4, Contacts 5, Influence 4, Resources 4; Soak: Bashing 5 dice, Lethal 2 dice (Heals rates are two times normal, Lifespan 150+ years). Sanders, Niki Nicole "Niki" Sanders is a fictional character portrayed by Ali Larter in the television series Heroes. Niki is the wife of D.L. Hawkins (Leonard Roberts) and mother of Micah Sanders (Noah Gray-Cabey). Niki, an unwitting sufferer of Dissociative Identity Disorder, displays superhuman strength, being able to literally rip others in half. Initially, she is only able to access this power when her alter ego "Jessica" is in control. Tim Kring, the creator of the show, stated that he originally created Niki with the power to be in two places at once, which stems from her life as a single mother. Niki was also originally written to be a showgirl. However, Ali Larter did not have the proper physique to portray a showgirl, so the character's profession was changed to internet stripper. Niki grew up with a wealthy father named Hal Sanders. An abusive alcoholic, Hal would often beat Niki and her twin sister, Jessica, during his drunken rages. Eventually, Hal choked Jessica to death and abandoned his remaining daughter. As an adult, Niki had no memory of her father's actions and simply believed he ran out on her. At some point in her life, Niki herself became an alcoholic and a problem gambler, but she managed to overcome her problems. On her first anniversary of sobriety, Niki attended an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. There, she was reunited with her father, Hal, who wanted to make amends. Niki introduced Hal to her husband, D.L., and her son, Micah. Hal gave the boy a computer, but when he became angry at his grandson for taking the expensive gift apart, Niki demanded that he leave. After her father's departure, Jessica, ruthless and amoral, seized control and went to confront him. Jessica told her father that she remembers everything he did to her,

70

including his responsibility in "[her] death," even though Niki doesn't remember any of it. After assaulting him, she forced the check Hal gave Niki into his mouth and ordered him never to contact her again. As of October 2006, Niki resides in Las Vegas, Nevada and struggling to raise her ten-year-old son, Micah. She has been working as an internet stripper to pay the bills. Her husband, D.L. Hawkins, is in prison, accused of stealing two million dollars from a sports booker and murdering his own gang. To help pay for Micah's tuition at a very expensive school that Niki believed would encourage his gifts, Niki borrowed money from Mr. Linderman (Malcolm McDowell), a mobster who once employed her husband. Not having enough money to continue paying tuition or repay the loan, she withdraws Micah from the school. The two go on the run, as they attempt to elude thugs and police that Linderman sends after her. As Niki attempts to deal with her predicament, she occasionally leaves Micah with her friend Tina. Niki finishes the payments to Linderman after she is the bait in a Badger game with congressional candidate Nathan Petrelli (Adrian Pasdar), producing blackmail material Linderman can use against Petrelli later. During times of stress, Niki begins seeing her reflection in mirrors and other reflective surfaces moving differently than herself, leading her to be concerned about her sanity. After Linderman sends two thugs to her house to collect the money she owed him, an altercation occurs, with Niki apparently blacking out after being hit by one of the thugs. When Niki recovers consciousness some time later, she is shocked to find the two thugs dead and horribly mutilated. Niki has other blackout spells over the following days, one time losing four hours, always with no recollection of what has transpired. Niki eventually realizes that she possesses a split personality, the other being far more sinister and amoral than her usual self, and which possesses superhuman strength. Niki is reunited with her husband D.L. after he escaped from jail in order to clear his name. Later, Jessica reveals that she was the one who stole the money, killed D.L.'s crew, and framed him, planning to use the money to give her son a better life and keep him away from D.L.'s influence. After a short but violent fight, in which D.L. reveals the phasing powers that he had used to escape from jail, Niki is defeated and lies unmoving on the floor while D.L. takes Micah away. The next day, Niki recovers from her injuries and confides in her friend Tina about her dreams and her alternate personality. Jessica then resurfaces and tells Tina that Niki will no longer need Tina's help. That night Jessica answers a telephone call from Micah. She persuades Micah, who knows that she is not his mother, to tell her where he and D.L. are staying. Soon after that, Jessica purchases a sniper rifle, and goes in search of D.L. and Micah. When she finally finds them, she takes aim at D.L. from a hidden location across the street and attempts to kill him. Her first shot hits D.L. in the shoulder, but Jessica is unsuccessful at killing him. After a short chase through the woods, during which Niki fights Jessica for dominance, Jessica attempts to kill D.L. again. She inadvertently throws Micah against some rocks when he tries to restrain her. Horrified, Niki regains control. She apologizes to D.L. and Micah and explains to them her problem. Niki reveals that Jessica is stronger than she is, and that as a result, she can't be trusted. Concerned that Jessica will eventually take over and put her family in danger, Niki turns herself in to the police and confesses to murder. Two weeks later, Niki is in prison, awaiting trial. She is returned to her cell after being in solitary confinement. The prison staff is very cautious, as Jessica has emerged previously and injured one of the guards during an attempted escape. During a meeting with the public defender assigned to her case, Niki is informed that the prosecution seeks the death penalty. Her lawyer asks Niki about the two million dollars, but she feigns ignorance. A rowdy Jessica then emerges to state that Niki is lying. Soon, Jessica recommends the lawyer bring in a "shrink" to analyze her apparent multiple personality disorder; Niki insists she's not crazy. Later, a meeting with D.L. and Micah indicates that D.L. gave Linderman back the two million dollars. D.L. regrets the whole situation, but Niki believes that it's for the best. She states that she still thinks of Jessica as a completely separate person and not an alter ego. Micah is very distressed by the whole situation and Niki asks the guard for permission to hug him. The guard denies her request, but Niki asks persistently, advancing on the guard as she does so. When the guard attempts to strike her with his nightstick, Niki grabs it and breaks it in half with her bare hands. She appears to be surprised after she does so, as there was no clear indication that the superhuman strength came from Jessica. A now straitjacketed Niki is sedated and placed in a room with padded walls. In "The Fix," Niki awakes to find the straitjacket removed, the drugs wearing off, and a psychologist, Dr. Witherson, looking at her. Niki insists that while the straitjacket is useless, the drugs make Jessica weak. The psychologist isn't interested in sedating Niki further, and believes she can help Niki. Niki is visited by D.L., who used his powers to enter her room and proposes breaking her out. D.L. states that he is having trouble raising Micah alone, but Niki is still resigned to her fate. After Niki gives him a bit of advice, D.L. leaves. Later, the psychologist comes back and Niki agrees to talk to her. The psychologist insists on talking to Jessica. Niki is opposed at first, but the thought of being able to see Micah and D.L. again eventually leads her to give it a chance. Niki reminisces about her sister Jessica's piano playing abilities due to the metronome that the psychologist is using to bring Jessica out. Jessica eventually comes out and attacks the psychologist repeatedly with the taser that the other woman brought for protection. Later, while in her padded cell, a man walks into her cell and tells her to get dressed. When asked for an explanation, he tells Niki that a death row inmate has admitted to the killings for which she was being held and that DNA evidence verifies the inmate's story. Once home, Micah is clearly ecstatic to have his mother home and asks her to play a game with him. Appearing to be his mother, Jessica replies that she would enjoy that, and 71

Niki is shown to be hitting a mirror, begging for release. Jessica merely looks at Niki and replies, "You were the one who wanted to be locked up, Niki." Jessica becomes Linderman's new assassin, and it is revealed that Linderman arranged to have Niki/Jessica released from prison. On Linderman's orders, Jessica kills a man by tearing him in two, throwing Matt Parkman (Greg Grunberg) out of the window in the process. (When Niki and Jessica are fighting for dominance when Jessica is about to kill the man Matt Parkman, possessing the power of telepathy, is able to hear them both, a fact which surprises Jessica.) Niki manages to "escape" a few times. She puts the photo of Nathan Petrelli, Jessica's next target, on D.L.'s pillow, which causes D.L. to question Jessica, who is still pretending to be Niki. Jessica lies and tells him that Linderman called to ask her to be a "dealer" at the casino. Jessica kisses D.L. and assures him that it is nothing more. He leaves the room but is still suspicious. Jessica murders the two FBI agents, who are working with Nathan to take down Linderman. Later, Niki, who has "escaped" once again, confronts Nathan in his room and confesses everything to him. She then advises Nathan to either take his family and run or to accept Linderman's offer. Nathan refuses, so Niki suggests that he kill Linderman instead. She gives Nathan a gun, which Jessica had intended to use on him. She tells Nathan that she does not have much time and begs him to knock her out so that Jessica can see that she is not in control anymore. Nathan complies. In ".07%", Linderman asks if he can borrow Micah for a few hours, given that he let the debt slide and he saved her from the gas chamber. Jessica coldly informs him that Micah stays out of all their affairs, and leaves. Linderman, however, sends Candice Wilmer to impersonate Niki/Jessica and give Micah permission to go with Linderman. In "The Hard Part", Jessica and DL argue about their son Micah's whereabouts, and DL blames Jessica for his disappearance. He leaves, intending to rescue Micah without help. Niki pleads with Jessica to assist him, saying that he will die without her help. DL and Jessica phase through walls and into Linderman's office. They find detailed files on their whole family, including Micah. DL is angered to find that they had been used. The pair attempt to determine Micah's whereabouts, and find a painting of Micah in what appears to be a burning New York City. D.L. and Jessica make it to New York, where they work with Matt Parkman and Mr. Bennet to find Linderman. When D.L. and Jessica corner him, Linderman offers Jessica $20 million to kill D.L. Jessica, who seriously considers the offer, frees Niki. Niki hugs D.L. and apologizes. Linderman shoots at her but D.L. sees and steps infront of Niki to protect her, and is hit instead. D.L. phases Niki out of the room after he kills Linderman. Niki then confronts Candice Wilmer, who impersonates Jessica. However, once the real Jessica informs Niki that who she is fighting isn't her, Niki is able to access her superhuman strength to knock out Candice. As Niki later leaves the building with D.L., Molly, Mohinder, and Micah, she discovers Sylar and Peter in a showdown. When Sylar summons a parking meter with his telekinesis and strikes Peter down, Niki disarms him and slams his torso with the weapon. Peter, now capable of using Niki's super-strength, tells her to go back to her family. She does so, and then watches with D.L., Micah, and Molly Walker as Nathan flies Peter into the stratosphere to safely explode. After the events in the season finale Bob from the The Company approaches Niki in fear other personalities may emerge. She refuses his treatment so that she can be with Micah and D.L., who survived a gunshot wound to the chest. She begins taking medication, but stops when she experiences unpleasant side effects. On what is meant to be her first day of work at a new job, Gina, a new personality appears, sealing Niki away. When D.L. tracks down Gina in L.A., whom he believes to be Jessica, she is dancing with another man. Upon seeing D.L., Niki returns. The two begin to leave, exchanging declarations of love for each other, when the same man dancing with Gina shows up and suddenly shoots D.L., killing him. Niki and Micah then leave Las Vegas. Niki leaves Micah with Nana Dawson, a relative of D.L.'s, to The Company to seek a cure for her condition. A promise of service is extracted as payment. In "Fight or Flight", she attacks a company worker and Bob, forcing Mohinder to shoot her with a taser. When Mohinder offers to help her escape, she stops him, explaining that she came to the Company voluntarily and they are trying to help her ("I gave up my son to be here"). Later, in the episode "The Line", she joins Mohinder as his partner, claiming to be cured. When Maury Parkman mounts an assault on the Company, he manages to corrupt her by using her nightmares against her. To stop herself, she injects herself with a modified form of the Shanti virus, which is soon discovered to be immune to the anti-bodies in Mohinder's blood. In the present at the end of "Four Months Ago..." she is released into the general population. In "Truth and Consequences", Niki returns to Nana Dawson's house to be with Micah. When Micah's backpack is stolen, he tries to convince Niki to use their powers and get it back. One night, she gets a call from Mohinder saying he has found a cure and that he's coming to give it to her. She goes to tell Micah who is supposed to be sleeping, but finds an empty bed. In "Powerless", Micah convinces her to help save Monica from the gang that kidnapped her. Niki succeeds in rescuing Monica, but is unable to escape herself when the building she's in explodes. Tim Kring, claims that her fate is "up in the air and will be determined when we come back after the strike." In the graphic novel "Walls, Part 1", it is revealed that sometime after the explosion, she was placed in a metahuman prison and put under maximum security until Peter Petrelli and Hiro Nakamura rescued every prisoner, including herself. She is also shown to have taken complete control over her body. Sometime after being freed in "Five Years Gone" it is revealed that her son and husband have been killed, Micah by the 72

explosion and D.L. by Sylar. Because of this, Jessica has simply disappeared. Niki is involved in a relationship with Peter Petrelli and works as a barroom stripper under the stage name of "Jessica". She is often emotional and in pain, which only grows when she discovers that Peter caused the explosion and not Sylar, as she originally thought. Niki has the power of superhuman strength, allowing her to pull out the door of a safe box with her bare hands, throw her husband several feet across a small area with a single hit, break away from restraining cuffs that are "strong enough to hold down an elephant", and literally tear her opponents apart. She also displays signs of increased physical durability, being able to endure a blow from a shovel in "Fallout", only to stand back up again relatively unharmed, as well as able to endure the stress inflicted upon her body by her own strength (she does not, for example, injure her hand when punching through a solid wooden door). For most of the first season, Niki is unable to use, or unaware of, this power. Instead, it is used by her alter-ego, Jessica. In "How to Stop an Exploding Man", Niki is able to fully use her super-strength after some encouragement from Jessica. Jessica is an apparent "alter" personality of Niki's, named after Niki's late sister. At the start of the series, Jessica surfaces during times of great stress, but surfaces with increasing ease as the series moves on. When Jessica surfaces, the transformation is instantaneous and almost unnoticeable, but is made apparent by Niki's sudden violent and strong-willed behavior. Jessica also freely demonstrates the superhuman strength Niki has only recently unlocked. She also gains a peculiar tattoo resembling an RNA helix on her right shoulder, a symbol which has appeared often throughout the Heroes series. Jessica seems to have been aware that she is sharing Niki's body for longer than Niki realizes, leaving notes, gifts, and instructions for Niki, and telling a thug not to "threaten our son." The side of her personality known as "Jessica" has at least been a part of Niki since her sister Jessica's death, since she remembers the event while Niki herself does not. She was also the dominant personality during the various beatings Niki's father gave her while drunk. For many years, when Niki reasserted control of her body, she could not remember anything that happened while Jessica was dominant, feeling as if she had blacked out. Niki becomes aware of Jessica with the aid of reflective surfaces such as mirrors, and begins communicating with her. Jessica's ability to surface seems to increase over time, as Jessica is able to actively surface more often and more easily than she does in early episodes. The blackout effect on Niki also seems to lessen over time; the two personalities often directly fight each other for control and seem aware of what is said even when they are not active. It is revealed in "Four Months Ago..." that Jessica is not Niki's only personality. A third personality emerges: Gina, a pseudonym Niki assumed when she ran away to L.A. when she was younger. Since the beginning of the series, Jessica has taken over and slaughtered people to protect Niki. Jessica has killed at least eleven people as of "Parasite". The following is a list of her victims: Victim(s) Three of D.L.'s gang members Two of Linderman's thugs Three of Linderman's mobsters Aron Malsky FBI agents Quesada and Alonzo Notes The three men were initially helping Jessica steal the $2 million from Linderman, but they threatened her, so she killed them. They broke into Niki's house and waited for her return. Niki buried their bodies in the desert where D.L.'s gang members were. They had information for D.L. regarding who killed his crew. Upon retrieving the $2 million from D.L. that Jessica stole, he kept it for himself, and Linderman had Jessica kill him. They were working with Nathan to take down Linderman.

Quantum 1; Quantum Pool 25 (Regenerate every hour); Willpower 5; Taint 5 (Multiple Personality Disorder); Strength 2 (1, Crush), Dexterity 3, Stamina 4 (1, Hardbody), Manipulation 3, Charisma 3, Appearance 4, Perception 2, Intelligence 2, Wits 3; Abilities: Athletics 2, Awareness 2, Biz 1, Brawl 3, Drive 2, Endurance 3, Etiquette 2, Firearms 3, Interrogation 3, Intimidation 3, Intrusion 3, Investigation 3, Melee 2, Might 4, Perform 3, Rapport 1, Resistance 3, Streetwise 3, Style 2, Subterfuge 2, Survival 2, Backgrounds: Allies 3, Backing 1, Cipher 1, Contacts 3, Dormancy (Alternate Self) 4, Node 4, Resources 2; Quantum Powers: None beyond Mega; Soak: Bashing 5 dice, Lethal 3 dice (Heals rates are tripled, reduce dice pool penalties due to injury by one, lifespan 150+ years). Sentinels Base of Operations: Currently Xavier Institute For Higher Learning, Westchester, New York; Current Members: Sentinel Squad O*N*E, Crazy Train, War Machine; Former Members: 3.14159, 1701AgL9914 (Wild Sentinel), Bastion, Big Bot, Conscience, Daria (Prime Sentinel), Delilah Fremont (Prime Sentinel), Ekatarina Gryaznova (Prime Sentinel), Machine Man (X-51), Ginny Mahoney (Prime Sentinel), Samuel Mbende (Prime Sentinel), Lao Mei-Ling (Prime Sentinel), Metallak, Mustang (Prime Sentinel), Nimrod, Number Five (Prime Sentinel), Number Two (Mark II), Number Two-B (Mark II), Angie Quail (Prime Sentinel), Sanjit Shaara (Prime Sentinel), Karima Shapander (Prime Sentinel), Source, Jrgen Tiebold (Prime Sentinel), Tri-Sentinel, XSentinels; Other Members (Honorary, Reserve, etc.): Steven Lang (Mark III creator), Master Mold (Mark I), Master Mold (Mark III), Master Mold (Wild Sentinels), Sebastian Shaw (Mark IV-V creator), Bolivar Trask (Mark I creator), Lawrence Trask (Mark II creator) 73

The Sentinel robots were created by noted anthropologist Doctor Bolivar Trask, who intended to use them to save humanity from mutants. During a televised debate between Trask and Professor Charles Xavier, Trask revealed their existence and activated the robots. Xavier and Trask were soon kidnapped by the rogue Sentinels and brought to their Master Mold. The X-Men arrived and with the help of Trask, seeing the error in his assumption that all mutants were a threat. Bolivar's son Larry built the Mark II Sentinels in an attempt to carry out his father's original purpose. Larry had previously been given a medallion by his father to block the Sentinel's from sensing his mutant genes. Trask, unaware of his lineage removed it, and was slain by his creations. Fortunately, the second generation Sentinels were tricked into flying into the sun by Cyclops. The Asgardian trickster god Loki later magically merged three Sentinels into the massive Tri-Sentinel, and sent the robot to destroy New York City by destroying the nearby nuclear power plant. Spider-Man, aided by the Uni-Power, became Captain Universe, and succeeded in destroying the Tri-Sentinel before in could carry out Loki's endeavor. However, the Tri-Sentinel's remains were gathered by a survivalist group, and rebuilt itself once again attempting to destroy the power plant, but was destroyed on a sub-atomic level by Spider-Man, with the help of Nova (Richard Rider). Project: Wideawake, a government agency headed by Henry Peter Gyrich, purchased Sentinels built by Sebastian Shaw, the mutant Black King of the Hellfire Club. Wideawake also attempted to recreate Nimrod, an advanced Sentinel that had traveled back in time from Rachel Summers' timeline. The Dark Beast, in the service of the psychic entity called Onslaught, reprogrammed a number of government-owned Sentinels. These Sentinels were opposed by the combined forces of the X-Men, the Avengers, and numerous other heroes. They also killed the parents of Hallie Takahama (Jolt), and permanently damaged Green Goblin (Phil Urich)'s equipment, forcing him to retire. In the events of Operation: Zero Tolerance, a number of humans were transformed into cyborg hybrids known as Prime Sentinels. These Sentinels were led by the robotic humanoid Bastion. The Prime Sentinels succeeded in capturing many of the X-Men. However, the President was convinced by Senator Robert Kelly and Gyrich to suspend Bastion's operations and he was captured by S.H.I.E.L.D.. Karima Shapander, one of the Prime Sentinels, subsequently had her mind restored by Magneto and Xavier. In the war against Kang, a squadron of Sentinels was sent to attack his space station. Kang, however, with his advance knowledge of robotics, easily gained control of the Sentinels and sent them back to Earth. During the course of the war, the robotic hero Machine Man was temporarily reprogrammed with Sentinel programming by Bastion. Cassandra Nova, Professor Xavier's twin sister, convinced the last living relative of Bolivar Trask, Donald Trask III, to activate an abandoned Master Mold in Ecuador. Cassandra duplicated Trask's DNA so she could issue orders to the Sentinels, then used the Master Mold to send two massive, highly adaptive "Wild" Sentinels to destroy the mutant homeland of Genosha, killing over 16 million mutants. One of these Wild Sentinels was later given a conscience by Danger. Nova also programmed a number of microscopic, nanite-based Nano-Sentinels to attack the blood cells of the inhabitants of the Xavier Institute, with which infected herself with just as she was captured by Cyclops and Wolverine. The Nano-Sentinels were all destroyed by Xorn except the Sentinels used to restore Professor Xavier's spine and legs. A deactivated Sentinel was discovered by Juston Seyfert, who rebuilt and reprogramed it in an attempt to give himself a better life. After the CSA discovered his Sentinel, Juston decided to run away and use the Sentinel's DNA Detection skills in an effort to find his mother, who abandoned him. In the aftermath of "M-Day", the Office of National Emergency (O.N.E.), a branch of the Department of Homeland Security, had Sentinels instituted at the Xavier Institute to watch over the X-Men. Many X-Men were uncomfortable with this, particularly, Rachel Summers, who considered it a real-life reminder of the anti-mutant future she originates from. This group of Sentinels is unique in that they are piloted armors. The current Sentinel Squad O*N*E was built with the aid of Tony Stark and trained by Jim Rhodes, the former War Machine. Mark 1 Sentinel: Strength 5 (2), Dexterity 4 (1), Stamina 5 (4), Charisma 1, Manipulation 1, Appearance 1, Perception 3 (2, Quantum Attunement), Intelligence 5, Wits 3; Willpower 2, Quantum 5, Taint 1; Powers: Armor 1, Disintegration 1, Flight 2, Quantum Bolt 2, Stun Attack 2 Mark 2 Sentinel: Strength 5 (4), Dexterity 5 (2), Stamina 5 (5, Regeneration), Charisma 1, Manipulation 1, Appearance 1, Perception 3 (1, Quantum Attunement), Intelligence 5, Wits 2; Willpower 3, Quantum 5, Taint 2; Powers: Armor 2, Body Modification Tendrils (10), Flight 3, Immobilize 2, Strobe (Sonic Attack) 3 Mark 3 Sentinel: Strength 5 (2), Dexterity 4, Stamina 5 (3), Charisma 1, Manipulation 1, Appearance 1, Perception 2 (1, Quantum Attunement), Intelligence 2, Wits 2; Willpower 2, Quantum 3, Taint 0; Powers: Armor 1, Flight 2, Poison (Cloud) 3, Quantum Bolt 3 Mark 4 to Mark 6 Sentinels: Strength 5 (3), Dexterity 5, Stamina 5 (4), Charisma 1, Manipulation 1, Appearance 1, Perception 2 (1, Quantum Attunement), Intelligence 3, Wits 2; Willpower 2, Quantum 3, Taint 0; Powers: Armor 3, Body Modification Tendrils (10), Bio-Luminescence 3, Poison (Cloud) 3, Quantum Bolt 4

74

Suresh, Mohinder Mohinder Suresh is a genetics professor at the University of Madras who holds a Doctorate of Philosophy degree with original research in parapsychology. He is attempting to find the truth behind the sudden death of his father, Chandra Suresh,and to continue his father's research finding the 'superhuman' beings on Earth. After hearing news of his father's death in New York, Mohinder suspects that his father was murdered to silence the findings of his genetics research. He goes to his father's local apartment to look for clues and to finish his research. However, before Mohinder can thoroughly analyze his father's findings, he realizes Mr. Bennet is still in the apartment when the intruder's phone rings. As the mysterious stranger talks to the caller about Mohinder's father and the research, Mohinder narrowly escapes. Mohinder travels to Brooklyn, where he rents his father's other apartment. Although it is in disarray, much of the material is still there and Mohinder begins to reorganize it. To makes ends meet during his lengthy stay, Mohinder takes a job as a taxi driver and picks up a passenger named Peter Petrelli, who asks him about "being special." Although Mohinder is slow to realize what Peter means, he eventually talks to him about genetics and evolution. Afterwards, Mohinder gets another fare, Mr. Bennet. Bennet acts ordinary enough at first, talking about himself, and heading home after business. However, he begins to ask Mohinder personal questions, referencing such personal details as his teaching position in India. Being spooked (likely fearing he is about to be murdered in the same manner as his father), Mohinder abandons the cab and runs away. In the second episode, Mohinder discovers that his father had compiled a program to find the "special people." Mohinder finds a man in his father's apartment. The man claims he is an exterminator, but Mohinder quickly realizes that the man was planting an eavesdropping device. The man pulls a gun, but after a struggle that leads out into the apartment hallway, a girl picks up the gun ("If you're the exterminator, why do you have a gun holster?"), prompting the man to quickly leave. The girl introduces herself as a friend of Mohinder's father and enthusiastic about his theories on genetics; her name is Eden McCain. Mohinder and Eden discover a portable hard drive in his father's pet's cage. The hard drive appears to have all the genetic research that his father had done on tracking those with special abilities. Mohinder also learns that his father seems to have had a falling out with a man named Sylar. Chandra thought Sylar was "Patient Zero," according to Eden, but on a recorded telephone message, Chandra seems to want nothing to do with the strange man. Mohinder, jumping at every noise, fears for his life and keeps a pistol cocked and ready. Fortunately, no bad people are breaking in; it's only Eden. She brings him macaroni and cheese, and they discuss his father's work. Mohinder recalls that his father never answered a question directly, but answered with another question. Frustrated, he throws his father's laptop. However, by throwing it, he accidentally reveals a small book hidden in a compartment. As they thumb through the leather notebook, they discover a list of names, apparently of people all across the globe that possess "abilities." The name "Sylar" pops up and scrawled there is his New York address. They also find a key in the book. They make their way to his apartment. They knock, but there's no answer. Mohinder produces the key that they found, but it doesn't fit. "It would have been too easy," Mohinder says. Therefore, he pulls out a screwdriver and picks the lock. They enter a very neat kitchen, with a teacup resting on the table. Mohinder takes pictures. As they go further into the apartment, they find that the walls are covered with bookshelves packed with booksall impeccably ordered. Eden notices an anatomy book laying open to a page where the face is dissected. "A little light reading before bed?" she comments. Mohinder bumps a closet door, and what he finds is astonishing: a room lit by a string of light bulbs and a map identical to his father's, but with more pins stuck in and yarn links. However, going further in, he finds a more astounding sight. Painted up in red letters are the words "Forgive Me." In smaller letters, all over the rough cement wall are written, "I have sinned," over and over. "My God, what was my father involved with?" comments Mohinder. When they return to the apartment with the police, however, the apartment has been cleaned out, with no evidence to support Mohinder's claims. Mohinder tracks down Nathan Petrelli to question him about whether he might be one of the "special people" his father was researching. Nathan, who is busy running in a congressional election, does not listen to Mohinder, but tells Peter about him. Peter then makes the connection to Mohinder and his father's book and visits Mohinder's apartment. Because Peter can not demonstrate any powers without another "special person" being there for him to mimic, they set out to visit Isaac, who Peter says can paint the future. Unfortunately, Isaac is strung out on heroin and refuses to open the door. On the subway ride back, time suddenly freezes for everyone but Peter, who meets a future version of Hiro. When time unfreezes in "Hiros", Peter tells Mohinder about the encounter, but Mohinder is now convinced that Peter is crazy. Mohinder makes a decision: he will return to Madras with his father's ashes. Peter tries to convince him otherwise but to no avail. After returning to his apartment in "Better Halves", Mohinder picks up and prepares to leave. Eden would rather he stay, flirting with and even kissing him before goes. Though Mohinder feels certain of his choice, Eden says she's sure he'll be back. In "Seven Minutes to Midnight," Mohinder returns to India to scatter his father's ashes. He debates whether to return to his job as a college professor. His former girlfriend Mira invites him to interview for a job at a company doing genetics research where she has just been made a department head. However, she says he must not mention his father's research into the evolution of super powers or consider continuing it. Mohinder talks with his mother about her decision to let his father go to the United States to look for people with 75

superhuman abilities. She tells him for the first time about his sister, Shanti, who died when she was five and Mohinder was two (Inconsistency--Episode: The Hard Part where he tells Molly that he was born a few months too late to save his sister). Shanti was "special", according to her mother, and their father loved her so much that he was afraid Mohinder would find his love for his son wanting in comparison. Mohinder also has a series of prophetic dreams, depicting a young Indian boy who guides him to various scenes showing his parents arguing and showing his father's murder. Mohinder later finds a file with a photo of the boy, named Sanjog Iyer, in his father's office. In the episode "Homecoming", Mohinder locates Sanjog playing soccer, and questions him about his visions. The young boy tells Mohinder that troubled people seek him out in their dreams, not the other way around. Sanjog also tells Mohinder that he already has the answers he seeks. Mohinder then decides to continue his father's research and accesses his father's computer files, using the password "Shanti". The files contain the names of all of the people with super powers that Chandra Suresh had located. Mohinder tells his mother that he plans to return to New York, and that he wants to seek out people with special powers to tell them of their abilities. Upon returning to New York, Mohinder began preparations to warn the people on Chandra Suresh's list of Sylar, as a number of those on the list had already been killed by the telekinetic serial killer. Shortly after, he received a phone call from Eden. Without going into details, she explained to him that she wasn't who he thought she was. She said that she was going to explain further after she "made things right" by killing Sylar, who she knew killed Chandra Suresh. Eden then hung up on Mohinder. Two weeks later in "Godsend," Mohinder learns of Eden's suicide. An officer comes by to talk with Eden's former neighbors. He asks Mohinder if he knew a woman named Sarah Ellis, to which he replies that she was on the list, he had tried unsuccessfully to locate her in LA, and had never met her before. The officer then shows him a picture of Sarah Ellis and Mohinder tells him that he knew her by a different name: Eden McCain. The officer then tells him that she was found in Lake Ramsey, having suffered a single gunshot wound to the head. Later, Mr. Bennet appears at the apartment. When Mohinder confronts him about Eden and her death, he tells Mohinder that Eden was a good person. Bennet wants Mohinder's help in finding people with abilities and "making a difference." When Mohinder refuses, Bennet asks if Mohinder is on the list, a question he sidesteps with no answer. Mohinder says he isn't interested in helping Bennet, but Bennet leaves his card anyway. Nathan Petrelli approaches Mohinder in "The Fix." Mohinder quickly apologizes for coming off as "a raving lunatic" when they first met. Nathan has come to Mohinder in an attempt to help his brother, Peter Petrelli. They begin talking, and Nathan explains that Peter is afraid of causing an explosion. Mohinder, in turn, explains Peter's unique, "sponge"-like superpowers to Nathan. Mohinder also states that he may be able to help with Peter's condition if he is able to test Peter. However, Nathan is reluctant to let Mohinder come into contact with Peter, fearing that Mohinder will "feed into [Peter's] paranoia." Still, Mohinder insists, and they leave to find Peter. When they find Peter at his apartment, he "has no time to be [Mohinder's] guinea pig." Instead, Peter briefly pretends to agree with the two before Claude appears and helps Peter escape. Recently, Mohinder has called many of those found on his father's list. To his discouragement, no one believed him until he received a return call from Zane Taylor. He went to meet with Zane and get a DNA sample, but, unknown to him, encountered Sylar at Zane's residence. Sylar, posing as Zane, teamed up with Mohinder, claiming that he could help with Mohinder's work. Mohinder, who has known for some time that Sylar was posing as Zane, drugs him when they return to Mohinder's apartment. He straps Sylar to a chair and hooks him up to an I.V., filled with curare, a liquid that prevents Sylar from using his powers. Mohinder almost shoots Sylar, but Sylar persuades him not to do it. Mohinder realizes that he needs Sylar alive for a few more minutes so he can continue his research. After he is done, Mohinder tries to shoot Sylar in the head, but Sylar stops the bullet in mid-air using telekinesis. He breaks free and tells Mohinder that he had stopped the I.V. long ago, and that Mohinder did not notice because he was so involved in his research. At the end of the episode "Parasite," Peter finds a bloodied Mohinder pinned to the ceiling. Mohinder is just barely able to reveal that Sylar is standing behind Peter before Peter is attacked. As Peter and Sylar fight, Mohinder is released from the ceiling. He manages to ram the map into Sylar, knocking him out and taking out the body of Peter but not before taking The List as well. He later takes the body to Mrs. Petrelli's house. Later on, Thompson arrives at Mohinder's apartment to convince him to work with Primatech, offering him vast resources to do research. But Mohinder is more concerned with stopping Sylar. Thompson says they both have the same interests and asks him to join forces. At first, Mohinder declines the offer, insisting that anything that happens should be under his ground, because he had the list. Then Thompson tells him of Molly Walker and her sickness and power. Mohinder goes immediately to see her. Mohinder learns that she can stop Sylar by tracking him, but needs to cure her sickness of nerve deterioration. Mohinder discovers that his sister, Shanti, had the same illness and died of it, and that his father had found a cure for it without telling anyone. Mohinder researches and discovers that by giving Molly his own functioning antibodies, it will restore her humoral immune response. Later, Noah Bennet and Matt Parkman come into the building. Molly tells Mohinder that Matt is there. Through the surveillance camera, they see Mr. Bennet and Parkman approaching the room. Bennet wants to kill Molly to protect Claire but Mohinder will not let him and holds a gun to Bennet, who is holding a gun to Molly. Matt Parkman ceases the potential gunfire and Mohinder escapes the building with Molly, Micah Sanders, Niki Sanders, and D.L. Hawkins. 76

Four months after the incident in New York, Mohinder has been giving speeches about superhumans and a fatal virus that affects only these special beings. At one of his speeches in Cairo, Egypt, he is approached by a mysterious man named Bob (who can turn objects into gold), who offers him a job at The Company. After some mean glares and tough talk, Mohinder accepts the offer, though it is later revealed that he and Noah Bennet are planning to take down The Company and his speeches had just been bait. In Lizards, Mohinder is assigned to find the Haitian by the Company. He travels to Port Au Prince in Haiti where he finds the Haitian and cures him of the Shanti virus. Mohinder later tells the Haitian to meet with Noah Bennet, to join the crusade to take down the Company. After his trip to Haiti, Mohinder returns to his apartments, where he and Matt Parkman have become adoptive fathers to Molly Walker. Mohinder informs Parkman that he will be working in New York for a while trying to take down the Company. Parkman doesn't agree with Mohinder's plans. Mohinder is then taken to Isaac Mendez loft, where the Company has transformed the loft into a laboratory for Mohinder. Mohinder searches through the loft and finds the eighth painting in Issac Mendez series of 8, that foretells the apparent death of Noah Bennet. In "The Kindness of Strangers," Parkman finds a picture of the Original 12, one of which being his father. He ask Molly Walker to find him using her ability, but Molly is reluctant and afraid to find Parkman's father, because he is the nightmare man in Molly's dream. Mohinder doesn't support Matt, but Molly agrees with terrible results. Molly is able to find Parkmans father, Maury, but this leaves Molly in a dream induced coma. Mohinder, with apprehension from Noah Bennet, takes Molly to the Company for help, not knowing what else to do. While discussing Molly with Bob at the Company, Mohinder is issued a stun gun and new assignment. While addressing the details of the assignment, Niki Sanders enters the room and attacks Bob. Mohinder is able to stop her with the stun gun, which he initially did not want to use. Mohinder later is seen next to Niki, who has been strapped to a bed in the Company facility. Mohinder, once Bob leaves the room, attempts to free Niki, however, she doesn't want to leave, believing that the Company will help her. Mohinder makes his way to New Orleans and begins to do research on a new hero named Monica Dawson. Bob is initially impressed with Monica, as she has an ability that the common has not seen before. Moral issues begin to arise with Mohinder as he is asked to inject a modified version of the Shanti virus to Monica, in the hopes that this modified version would strip Monica of her powers without killing her, as the normal Shanti Virus does. Mohinder doesn't want to use Monica as a lab rat, and tries to find comfort in calling Bennet, with no success. Mohinder's morality causes him not to inject the virus into Monica and go against Bob. Bob initially accepts Mohinder's stand on the issue and tells Mohinder he will be issued a partner to help keep everyone in line. The partner ends up being a more healthy looking Niki. Bob reveals to Mohinder that they are experimenting with the virus in order to stop a man named Adam Monroe, who is killing original members of the Company. After Noah Bennet confronts Mohinder about the painting depicting him with a Company-issue gun and a broken nose, Mohinder explains that he hasn't been given one. His nose is also fine. When Maury Parkman attacks the Company and corrupts Niki Sanders, however, his nose is broken by her. After she injects herself with the modified virus, which Mohinder cannot cure, Bob suggests tracking down Claire Bennet, whose ability might be able to produce a viable cure. He is then given the gun seen in the photo by Bob. He betrays Noah to Bob, his priorities having changed with the introduction of the incurable virus. Another picture Bennet finds depicting the future reveals Bennet lying dead on the ground, with his daughter crying in the background. Mohinder distracted Bennet while Bob went to capture Claire and extract her blood (as a cure for the mutated Shanti virus). Bennet almost killed Mohinder when Elle ambushed them, but did not; however, Mohinder's trust in Bennet was broken completely, and he assumed that Bennet would go to any lengths to protect his daughter, no matter who would be harmed or killed. After kidnapping Bob's daughter, Elle, Bennet brokers a trade for his own captured daughter. However, as the two girls are switched, Elle breaks free and tries to kill Claire and her boyfriend, West. Bennet shoots Elle in the arm, then prepares to kill Bob. He says that Bob is the heart of the Company, and if Bob is dead, then the Company dies with him. As Bennet prepares to fire, Mohinder shoots him in the left eye - exactly as in the painting. In "Truth & Consequences", Mohinder revives Bennet using Claire's blood, explaining that such acts are what the Company does. He leaves Bennet locked in a holding cell. Using Claire's blood to reinforce the antibodies in his blood, he then derives a cure for the new strain of the virus and prepares to leave for New Orleans to deliver it to Niki Sanders. However, while making his way to the airport, Sylar calls and tells him that he has Molly Walker. In "Powerless" he returns to his loft in Brooklyn to find Sylar and Maya Herrera with an asleep Molly Walker. Sylar forces Mohinder to help heal his strain of virus that is preventing him from using his powers. Mohinder takes Sylar and the others to Isaac Mendez's loft. After Maya is shot by Sylar, Mohinder proves to Sylar that he can cure the virus by bringing Maya back from the dead using the blood he took from Claire. However, as Mohinder is about to inject Sylar with a transfusion of blood Elle Bishop shows up, shocking Sylar in the back, but he manages to escape, taking the last transfusion of blood with him. Mohinder thanks Elle for saving them, saying that Sylar "would have slaughtered us all had you not been here." In "Five Years Gone", Mohinder is working as Chief Medical Advisor to Nathan Petrelli, who has been elected President of the United States and is actually Sylar impersonating Petrelli. The world has grown fearful of those with special abilities due to "Nathan" blaming the explosion on Sylar to protect his brother Peter, who was the true cause of the bomb. As President, Sylar devises a plan to gradually and systematically eliminate them 77

and has been using Mohinder's knowledge of their genetic makeup to create a serum which he declares will reverse these genetic anomalies, but in all actuality destroys them, a development which Mohinder staunchly opposes. Though "Nathan" orders Mohinder to kill present-Hiro, Mohinder instead assists Hiro and sets him free from the Haitian (who, with Parkman, had captured Hiro) by stabbing the Haitian with a syringe and killing him. The Heroes graphic novel "Monsters" shows that throughout his life, Mohinder has identified both as Hindu like his mother and atheist like his father. When he heard that his father, Chandra Suresh had died, he wondered if perhaps the goddess Kali had punished him for his lack of faith. During Chandra's ashes immersion at Kanyakumari, however, he was fluently chanting Sanskrit Upanishadic verses as prescribed by ritual. Prior to curing the Haitian, he says he has trouble believing in any God who would let the superhuman virus wreak havoc. Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Charisma 4, Manipulation 2, Appearance 3, Perception 3, Intelligence 4, Wits 3; Abilities: Awareness 2, Athletics 2, Brawl 1, Bureaucracy 2, Command 1, Computer 3, Drive 3, Engineering 1, Etiquette 2, Investigation 3, Linguistics 2, Medicine 1, Meditation 2, Perform 3, Rapport 3, Science 3 (Biology, Forensics, Nova Lore, Research);Backgrounds: Allies 2, Contacts 5, Influence 1, Resources 2; Virtues: Conscience 2, Self-Control 2, Courage 5, Humanity 5, Willpower 6 Twitchell, W.D. W.D. Twitchell is a wiry, nervous man in his late forties. He is an agent of the U.S. Department of the Interior, assigned to monitor the Endangered Species Habitat that is Perfection Valley. He hates his job. Hates the desert. He carries a small, battery-operated fan when he makes his periodic inspections of Perfection's barren landscape. Sometimes he refuses even to get out of his air-conditioned government sedan, preferring instead to talk to people through a small gap in his tinted-glass window. He's terrified of El Blanco and any other creature he meets. But Twitchell hangs in there, looking forward to the promotion his superiors dangle as a carrot a comfortable assignment in a much nicer spot, like Yosemite. Twitchell has the authority to evict everyone from Perfection Valley should he decide their co-existence with El Blanco is just too dangerous for them or for the albino Graboid. Though he can be affable, he's not above employing underhanded tactics if he thinks they might get him out of this gig and up the DOI ladder. Twitchell would be much closer to realizing his dream (and lowering his stress level) had his boss not made him the point man on any investigations into possible Graboid activity outside Perfection Valley. Twitchell, realizing he needs expert help on such assignments, has struck an uneasy deal to subcontract the work to Burt Gummer. When Burt and his partner, Tyler Reed, go off to solve other people's monster-related problems, Twitchell occasionally will pop up to monitor the mayhem in Perfection and put a reassuring spin on the potentially bad public relations that surely will be caused by Shriekers running amok in the local shopping mall. Basically, Twitchell thinks the townsfolk should "give up" and go live in nice, suburban tract homes "like normal people." Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2, Charisma 3, Manipulation 3, Appearance 3, Perception 2, Intelligence 3, Wits 3; Abilities: Academics (Law) 2, Athletics (Dodge) 2, Awareness 1, Biz 1, Brawl 2, Bureaucracy 2, Computer 1, Drive 2, Etiquette 1, Firearms 1, Intimidation 1, Intrusion 1, Investigation 2, Perform 1, Science (Graboid) 1, Streetwise 2, Subterfuge 1, Survival 2; Backgrounds: Allies 2, Backing 1, Contacts 1, Resources 3; Virtues: Willpower 5 Weapon Plus Program Weapon Plus is a clandestine program of the United States government in the Marvel Comics universe. It was created by Grant Morrison during his run in New X-Men. The program's purpose is the creation of supersoldiers intended to fight the wars of the future, especially a Mutant-Human war. The ultimate goal of Weapon Plus is the total extermination of mutantkind. The infamous Weapon X was the tenth installation of Weapon Plus, but eventually it branched off and became an independent program with similar purposes. Morrison's introduction of Weapon Plus also shed new information about the origins of Weapon X, Captain America and other Marvel Comics supersoldiers. Though during the 1940's the existence of mutants was unknown to the general public, a few individuals were aware of the coming of Homo Superior, and that they had the potential to replace baseline humans as the dominant species of Earth. Thus Weapon Plus was created to address the so-called mutant problem. What was ignored by everyone involved in Weapon Plus is that its mastermind, John Sublime, was actually the host body for a sentient bacteria present on every living creature on the planet, save for mutants, who were genetically immune to the Sublime infection. The first nine installments of Weapon Plus were partially successful. Weapon X produced a number of agents, though it branched off and even became opposed to Weapon Plus's interests. To prevent subsidiary programs from going rogue, Weapon Plus directly oversaw the creation of the last living weapons operating in the clandestine facilities of The World, employing Bolivar Trask's Sentinel technology. Throughout the decades, Weapon Plus has used increasingly more extreme methods to create its supersoldiers. Captain America was enhanced to peak human levels. Weapon X employed genetic alteration, brainwashing and memory implants. The latest creations were bred specifically to become mutant-hunting weapons much deadlier than Sentinels. 78

Weapon 0: Project: Rebirth began as collaboration between the American, British and German eugenicists led by Doctors Reinstein and Koch. When World War II began, Koch took over the German program, and Josef Reinstein (Erskine) moved to the American program. Weapon I: Project: Rebirth, headed by Professor Abraham Erskine (given Reinstein's name as a cover identity) managed to produce Captain America (Steve Rogers). However Erskine was murdered moments after Rogers was successfully empowered, the refinements he introduced which made the process successful lost with his death. With his demise, Josef Reinstein took over the American program. Two other subjects, Clinton McIntyre, a.k.a. Protocide, a failed experiment who was placed in suspended animation and was revived in the modern era by AIM, and the first mutant experiment designated Queen seem to have occurred prior to the serum being tested on Steve Rogers. Reinstein's early attempts to refine the formula resulted in African American super soldiers (most prominently Isaiah Bradley). Three hundred African-American soldiers were taken from Camp Cathcart and subjected to potentially fatal experiments at an undisclosed location, as seen in Truth: Red, White and Black in an attempt to recreate the Super Soldier formula. Only five men survived the original trials; hundreds of test subjects left behind at Camp Cathcart and the camp's commander were executed by US soldiers in the name of secrecy, the families of the three hundred were told that they had died in battle. Isaiah Bradley was the lone survivor. Although there were many later attempts to recreate or reverse-engineer Project: Rebirth's Super-Soldier Serum, none are known to have been involved with Weapon Plus except for the attempt that resulted in the creation of Isaiah Bradley's son Josiah X. Weapon Plus considers Captain America as its most successful creation, despite the fact that Rogers has been at odds with the United States government a number of times. It should be noted that Project: Rebirth was retroactively made a part of the Weapon Plus after WWII when Weapon Plus was actually formed. Weapon II-IV: Weapons II-IV experimented on animals. It is unknown if the experiments succeeded in creating a living weapon. Grant Morrison only touched lightly on this element of the Weapon Plus project during his tenure on New X-Men, but later explored the theme of animal-based weapon development in other projects such as the DC Comics publication We3. Weapons V & VI: Weapons V and VI employed various ethnic minorities as test subjects. Weapon VII: Weapon VII, aka Project: Homegrown, experimented on human soldiers during the Vietnam War. Some of the known participants who died in Project: Homegrown included Andrew Perlmutter, Michael Labash, John Walsh, James MacPherson and fourteen other unknown recruits. The only known successful subject of Project: Homegrown was Nuke, who had armored implants under his epidermis and was addicted to powerful steroids. Logan, who would later become one of Weapon Plus' victims, kidnapped Nuke as a child, and oversaw his conditioning. The United Kingdom also had its own version of Project: Homegrown, aka the Black Budget, which managed to create the team known as the Super Soldiers: Dauntless, Gog, Dreadnaught, Revenge, Victory, Invincible, Challenger, and some other unnamed super-soldiers. The Mercy Corporation, an off-shoot of S.H.I.E.L.D. that worked on super-soldiers and eventually broke off, also had its own unit of super-soldiers, using a serum similar to previous derivatives of the Super-Soldier Serum from Weapon I. Their agents included Jack Reno, Keel, Kyle, Agent Villarosa, Agent Davis and Agent Milo. Weapon VIII & IX: Weapons VIII & IX experimented on criminals and psychopaths. In Wolverine: The End, by Paul Jenkins, it was revealed that Weapon IX was, in fact, Wolverine's older brother John Howlett (first introduced in Origin), long thought deceased. However, due to the inherent instability in the possible futures depicted in Marvel comics, it is unknown if this is regarded as canon. Weapon X: Weapon X, tenth in the series, is the X-Man Wolverine, and this project would spin off into its own series of subjects. Weapon X is conducted by the Canadian Government's Department K (and secretly funded by the U.S. government) which turns willing and unwilling beings into living weapons. The project often captures mutants and experiments on them to enhance their superpowers and also mutates baseline humans. The Weapon X Project produced the anti-hero of the X-Men team, Wolverine, and other characters such as Deadpool and Sabretooth. Since the popular Wolverine's first appearance in 1974, it had been implied that he was connected to a shady and malevolent government program. In the 1991 limited series Weapon X, the project was named Experiment X and it was revealed that it was responsible for bonding the adamantium to Wolverine's skeleton, making it unbreakable, and for subjecting him to brainwashing in order to bring out his most basic murderous instincts in order to transform him into the perfect assassin. The scientists christened their new killing machine "Weapon X". Wolverine's solo series, issues #48-50 (1992) revealed that Project X also created fabricated memories in the minds of several of its subjects. Weapon X operated through Canada's Department K and was directed by Professor Thorton. At his side were Dr. Abraham Cornelius, Dr. Carol Hines and Dr. Dale Rice. John Sublime, the director of Weapon Plus, was always behind the scenes. Some of the work of Weapon X was based on the experiments detailed on the journals of Nazi scientist Nathan Essex, which were obtained by Weapon Plus after the end of World War II. The Project's original test subjects were the members of Team X, a covert ops CIA team (Wolverine/Logan, Sabretooth/Victor Creed, Maverick/Christoph Nord, Silver Fox, Mastodon, and Kestrel/John Wraith). The telepath Psi-Borg (Aldo Ferro) was involved in the creation of the victims' memory implants, in exchange for being endowed with immortality. The test subjects were policed by an adaptive robot enforcer, should any of the agents go rogue, called Shiva. 79

What Wolverine and his fellow X-Men ignored for many years is that Weapon X was part of a larger program: Weapon Plus, a United States supersoldier program created in the 1940s with the purpose of creating supersoldiers and assassins not only to be employed in conventional wars, but also to be employed for the extermination of mutants. Weapon X was the first installation of Weapon Plus that victimized mutants. What the Weapon X scientists did not foresee is that the experimentation on Wolverine would cause him to go on a murderous rampage, which allowed the escape of the other test subjects, and caused the deaths of the Professor and Dale Rice, among dozens of other members of Weapon X staff, both scientists and military. Weapon X was temporarily shut down but eventually was reinstated. Subsequent attempts at recreating the success seen by Weapon X with Wolverine include the feral woman called the Native, Kimura and X-23, the 23rd attempt to clone Wolverine, who was designed to also hunt down rogue agents. The Weapon X Re-Creation Project a.k.a. The Facility was headed by Director Martin Sutter, Dr. Zander Rice and Dr. Sarah Kinney. Like Weapon X once did, the Facility has also branched off from the main Weapon X Program. Latter creations of The Facility, now under the direction of Dr. Adam Harkins, include Predator X. At some point, Weapon X branched off from Weapon Plus' control and was solely headed up by Canada's Department K. A new generation of agents was created: Deadpool, Garrison Kane (who took on the moniker "Weapon X"), Slayback, Sluggo, and Ajax, among others. Weapon X used Logan's DNA in order to endow its agents with healing powers. The batch produced many additional failures, which were sent to a facility for dissection to determine the cause of their failures. These rejects were freed by Deadpool when he escaped from the facility. A smaller experiment was later developed by Department K with a New Zealand terrorist, who would become the third individual to be known as Weapon X, merging him with a symbiotic bacteria colony. Director Malcolm Colcord forms the third version of the Weapon X Project, designed to monitor and eliminate mutants. Colcord, once a security guard at the first Weapon X project, suffered severe facial lacerations during an escape attempt by the mutant Wolverine. Unlike the previous two installments of Weapon X, the third Project was completely U.S.-based and not only focused on the creation of living weapons, but also on the ultimate goal of Colcord, the creation of death camps. The Director initially uses Weapon X as his personal strike force to exact revenge against Wolverine. He soon begins utilizing its resources for the capturing an imprisonment of mutants in the secret government death camp called Neverland. Mutants who are not suitable to be used as military weapons would be executed, while those that are suitable are given the choice to join Weapon X or die. A number of mutants, such as Cecilia Reyes, Maggott, Ape, Tarbaby, Leech and many others were arrested by Weapon X's agents and sent to Neverland. Those mutants deemed useless to the project were killed in gas chambers, while others were brainwashed to become Weapon X operatives. The organs of the executed prisoners were then sent to the UMen The agents of the third Weapon X were Agent Brent Jackson a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent; Sabretooth, who was given new adamantium implants; the shapeshifter Copycat, Deadpool, and Mauvais. Later on, Deadpool went rogue and new operatives were recruited into Weapon X, many of who had their powers enhanced or were brainwashed into servitude. Maverick was saved from certain death and his powers were enhanced with the purpose of assassinating Wolverine, thus Agent Zero was created. Former member of Alpha Flight Wildchild was brainwashed and further mutated into a Nosferatu-like feral humanoid. Former mutant terrorist Marrow had her powers set to a controllable level, restoring the young woman's natural beauty. Sauron's personality was merged with that his Karl Lykos self and his energy-draining powers enhanced so he could fire energy blasts. Garrison Kane was furthered transformed into a cybernetic being. Aurora was kidnapped and brainwashed, like Madison Jeffries, who was extracted from the terrorist group known as the Zodiac and used to create hundreds of Boxbots loyal to Weapon X to serve as guards at Neverland. Washout had his powers enhanced, though at a heavy cost. Each usage of his powers endangered his life and eventually, he dies trying to kill Colcord. Mesmero joins willingly, while Reaper and Wildside, former members of the Mutant Liberation Front, became agents of the program in exchange for their lives. The psychic mutant Jack-in-the-Box joins after his legs and arms were amputated. He becomes a living polygraph. Unbeknownst to all, except Sabretooth, Mister Sinister was disguised as the head scientist at the Neverland facility, Doctor Robert Windsor. As Windsor, Sinister supposedly helped some mutants escape from Neverland, but he was only taking them to his own secret labs. After some time, Brent Jackson, the only human officially on the team, took over as Director, during a mutiny by the team in conjunction with an attack by mutants from the Underground. Cable led this group, in a mission to destroy Weapon X and expose its existence and its human rights violations. Washout and Garrison Kane died in the event, while Sabretooth was washed away into the sewers after a battle with Marrow. Marrow used the battle to escape from Weapon X, eventually taking over the Mutant Underground, now reformed as the third incarnation of Gene Nation. Colcord fled Weapon X, with the always loyal Jeffries, and Aurora as well. Director Brent Jackson's team consisted of Wildchild, Sauron, Agent Zero, Mesmero, Jack-in-the-Box, and newly recruited Chamber, whose face was restored by the program's scientists. Chamber was originally a double agent working for the X-Men, but was subsequently brainwashed into Jackson's service. Mister Sinister, under the alias of Dr. Windsor, remains at Weapon X. At some point, Jackson's team fought with Colcord's Boxbots. Colcord regains control of Weapon X. A person claiming to be Chamber has joined a superhero team known as Excelsior, but that person turned out to be an impostor. 80

Following M-Day, both Chamber and Mesmero are rendered powerless. Neverland is shut down and the prisoners, either powered or depowered, are executed by hosts of Boxbots. Records of the massive executions are discovered by Beast in the Endangered Species storyline, which also hints that the some of the bodies of the prisoners executed prior to M-Day were sent to Ord and used in the research to develop the cure for mutation. The Weapon X Codename: In mainstream Marvel, Logan was the first individual known as Weapon X. After Wolverine, Garrison Kane went by the alias of Weapon X as well, before leaving the Canadian Government to work as a mercenary again. A short-time later, a New Zealand terrorist was captured by the Canadian Government and subjected to an experiment which bonded him symbiotically to a bacteria colony. This symbiosis proved dangerous, as the union created a deadly energy field, which could only be contained by an armored suit, which was powered by the energy field. In the "Age of Apocalypse" alternate universe, Logan was known as Weapon X. Weapon XI: No individual with the 'Weapon XI' moniker has been seen, but John Sublime has mentioned it. A likely candidate for Weapon XI's true identity is the Hound (a mutant with the power to hunt and kill other mutants), who was transformed by the Hound Program of the US government into a techno-organic killing machine. He battled the government-sponsored incarnation of X-Factor after massacring scientists at a US government research facility, nearly killing Sabretooth in the process, but was stopped by Polaris, who was forced to use her power at its full limit. He was later after Shard, but was destroyed in an explosion after being defeated by her and Bishop. Weapon XII: Weapon Plus created Weapon XII (aka Huntsman, real name Zona Cluster 6) at the England-based facilities of The World. He was the first living weapon created employing artificial evolution and nanosentinel technology. Weapon XII was "accidentally" unleashed on the Channel Tunnel and fought XCorporation members Cannonball, M, Darkstar, Rictor, Siryn and Multiple Man. Weapon XII was eliminated by Fantomex with the aid of Jean Grey and Professor X, but at the cost of Darkstar's life. Huntsman was created to be part of the Super-Sentinels, a mutant-hunting team of superheroes with a base in a Weapon Plus space station. This team, a brainchild of John Sublime, was intended to be a publicity stunt to make the genocide of mutants much more acceptable to the public. Weapon XIII: Fantomex, a.k.a. Weapon XIII, the second of the last generation of Weapon Plus' creations Fantomex, a.k.a. Weapon XIII, the second of the last generation of Weapon Plus' creations Weapon Plus created Weapon XIII Fantomex, whose real name is Charlie Cluster 7, also at The World. However, Fantomex rebelled against his creators. Like in the case of Weapon XII, Fantomex's powers derive from Nanosentinel technology. Weapon XIV: In New X-Men #154 (May 2004), Grant Morrison's last issue of New X-Men, the telepathic quintuplets called the Stepford Cuckoos were identified as Weapon XIV. The Stepford Cuckoos link to Weapon Plus has finally been addressed in the Phoenix: Warsong miniseries, written by Greg Pak, which explores unresolved storylines from Morrison's New X-Men and Pak's Phoenix: Endsong. Weapon XV: So far, the last creation of Weapon Plus is Weapon XV, aka Ultimaton, designed to be the Super-Sentinels' grand powerhouse. He dies when Wolverine destroys the Weapon Plus space station that was designed as the Super-Sentinels HQ's. The World: The World is a secret lab owned by the Weapon Plus Project, in which the program scientists intend to create superior humans employing eugenics, nanotechnology and artificial evolution technology (time is "artificial" at the World and it can be frozen or altered in any way the Program Scientists desire). The artificial time technology employed by Weapon Plus was stolen from AIM. A low level of gamma radiation is constant present to produce mutations in the population. The human DNA of the inhabitants' ancestors in this artificial environment was spliced with sentinel microtechnology, meaning they are no longer humans in the traditional meaning of the word, as they have evolved into a race of mutated and naturally born cyborgs refined through eugenics. Because the scientists have absolute control over the time inside The World (according to Fantomex the time is "liquid"), both freezing it and speed it up so that decades and centuries can pass within it while time runs normally in the real world, this opens up for new possibilities within the areas of eugenics and genetic engineering. The most promising individuals in each generation are selected while the others are terminated. Also natural selection in the form of the survival of the fittest is possible by exposing the population to different forms of selective pressure. This way, new breeds of superhumans can be evolved within a few months, instead of hundreds or thousands of years. Half a million years inside The World represents only eighteen months on the outside. The World's facilities contains a population (with its own religion, history and culture) that is led to believe that beyond the World's limits there's nothing else than endless rock and that mutants are coming to destroy them. Like in Logan's Run, those who are selected for termination believe there is a reward awaiting them at the other side. The World is also filled with numerous experiments and prototypes of Weapon Plus, such as car-cops. The World was partially destroyed when agents of AIM attacked the facilities in order to recover the technology Weapon Plus stole from them. However, they are killed by Weapon XV.

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Xanatos, David David Xanatos is one of the primary characters of the animated series Gargoyles. In the series, he is the founder and CEO of Xanatos Enterprises and a member of the Illuminati. Xanatos is incredibly amoral, although his personality is slightly softened later in the series by his affection for his wife Fox and their son Alex. His plans are often intricate and Machiavellian. However, he is notably not vindictive as he sees revenge as foolish and tends to try to see the positive side of even his defeats. He is obsessed with obtaining immortality for himself and his family. His loyal right-hand man is Owen Burnett. Xanatos is a formidable fighter in his own right. In addition to advanced Karate and Judo skills, he also has a specialized red armored suit that he modeled off his Steel Clan that he wears frequently. He also has a highly advanced AI and cyborg clone modeled after himself, designed to do his bidding; it impersonates and represents him whenever he needs it to. This robot became the leader of the criminal group The Pack under the name of Coyote and there was a time where he actually used it to try to capture the actual Coyote spirit. David Xanatos started life as the son of Petros Xanatos, a fisherman from Bar Harbor, Maine. Young Xanatos received an anonymous letter which contained a set of priceless 10th century coins. He sold the coins for $20,000, investing the money in a series of successful ventures and eventually building his corporation. Xanatos's holdings include Xanatos Enterprises, a genetics company Gen-U-Tech, the Scarab Corporation robotics firm, and the television franchise Pack Media Studios. Despite his father's belief that Xanatos did not deserve the gift that had launched his career, Xanatos continued to claim that he would one day prove himself a self-made man. Xanatos learned of Castle Wyvern from Demona, the only remaining Gargoyle from the Wyvern Clan, and proceeded to purchase the castle and transport it, brick by brick, and reconstruct it atop his New York skyscraper, the Eyrie Building. With the castle "above the clouds," Xanatos successfully released the Manhattan Clan from their frozen sleep. Xanatos initially posed as the Gargoyles' friend, convincing them to "acquire" technology from his rival Cyberbiotics for him and ultimately attempting to destroy the gargoyles once their replacements, the Steel Clan, came online. The Steel Clan was defeated, however, and Xanatos was convicted for receiving stolen property. Xanatos continued to plot against the Gargoyles from prison, testing them and attempting to remove them from the castle. Upon his release, he committed himself to getting his own clan of gargoyles that would be loyal and obedient to him. To that end, he tried several attempts throughout the series to do that such as resurrecting Goliath's brother Coldstone and some of the other dead Gargoyles from the Scottish clan; genetically creating his own clan of mutant gargoyles, one of whom was Elisa Maza's brother, Derek; creating a clone of Goliath, and perfecting the Steel Clan. When these attempts failed, he changed focus to continuing his quest for immortality but by using sorcery, magic, and even involving himself with children of Oberon, the King of the mystical island Avalon, instead. Xanatos would meet an equal in Fox and marry her. It was on this occasion that, by inviting Goliath to the wedding and luring him into seeking reconciliation with Demona, Xanatos was able to reconstruct the Phoenix Gate. The wedding party was brought back in time to the 10th century, where Xanatos arranged for the ancient coins to be delivered to himself a thousand years in the future, as well as a message to himself detailing the instructions how to do it that he had received a some time ago. In this way, Xanatos fulfilled his own history through a predestination paradox, at the same time proving himself to his father as a "self-made man". When Demona finally betrayed Xanatos to advance her own goals of destroying the human race, Xanatos was forced to call a truce with Goliath to stop her. Goliath was later instrumental in saving Xanatos's newborn son Alexander, at which time Xanatos pledged to pay the debt back to him. When the existence of the Gargoyles is revealed to the public, Xanatos ultimately calls an end to the feud and restores the Gargoyles to their ancestral home in the castle. Strength 4, Dexterity 5, Stamina 5, Charisma 4, Manipulation 5, Appearance 3, Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 4; Abilities: Academics 3 (History), Archery 3, Athletics (Dodge) 3, Awareness 3, Biz 5, Bureaucracy 4 (Covert), Command 4, Computer 2, Diplomacy 3, Disguise 3, Drive 3, Engineering 3, Etiquette 4, Firearms 5, Interrogation 3, Intimidation 4, Intrusion 3, Investigation 4, Legerdemain 3, Linguistics 4, Martial Arts 5, Melee 4, Occult 4 (Cosmology, Herbalism, Mage Lore, Meditation), Perform 2, Pilot 3, Rapport 1, Ride 3, Science 2, Spiritual Awareness 2, Stealth 4, Streetwise 4, Style 4, Subterfuge 5, Survival 3; Backgrounds: Allies 5, Backing 5, Contacts 5, Influence 4, Resources 6; Virtues: Willpower 7

FOUNDATION

FOR

LAW

AND

GOVERNMENT

Knight, Michael "Knight Rider, a shadowy flight into the dangerous world of a man who does not exist. Michael Knight, a young loner on a crusade to champion the cause of the innocent, the helpless, the powerless, in a world of criminals who operate above the law. Michael Knight, a lone crusader in the dangerous world, the world of the Knight Rider." Richard Basehart, Knight Rider Born Michael Arthur Long, outside of Reno, Nevada in 1949, son of blue-collar people. At 20, he joined the Green Berets and spent three years in counter intelligence work in Vietnam. Captured once, he fought his way out of a POW camp, incurring an injury which required surgery - and a metal plate that was inserted into his skull.

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Back in the States, he joined the Reno, Nevada Police Department. After 10 years on the force, he was promoted to Detective Lieutenant. In 1982, in an undercover sting operation involving stolen microchips, his long-time partner, Muntzy, was killed. An informant then turned on Long and shot him in the face. Picked up on a desert highway by Wilton Knight, Long barely survived, thanks to the metal plate. Facial surgery was performed, and Michael Long became Michael Knight, a new face (which looks a lot like a young Wilton Knight), a new identity, thanks to perfect ID cards, credits cards and driver's licenses - and a new car, KITT With this new identity, no one can ever trace his source of funds, or information, and for that reason, his real identity must always remain a secret to all but Devon Miles, Bonnie Barstow and KITT. Our hero, the strong arm of F.L.A.G., is impetuous and intuitive, a not-by-the-book guy. On a case, he will be the one to get responses from people - from the crooks, fear and loathing, from the good people, admiration, and from the woman, something more than admiration. He's tenacious, a fighter, the kind of man who "rattles cages until the monkeys fall", who'll never quit. He has blue-collar sensibilities and a gentleman's demeanor - suave, with a few rough edges. These rough edges make for a few rough times with Devon Miles, his boss. While Michael and Devon often clash, it's always a matter of style, not substance. Michael's relationship with Bonnie is a little more complicated. He likes her, but she's a little stuck up. She likes him, but he's a little different from the guys she knew back home. Sparks sometimes fly, but underneath their surface animosity lurks something. Neither are quite sure what, but there's something there. The Foundation for Law And Government is a crime-fighting organization, founded by Wilton Knight. FLAG's main purpose is to fight against "criminals who operate above the law". FLAG has been run by three different individuals: Wilton Knight (until 1982). Devon Miles (1982-2000). Russel Maddock (2000 and later). Not much is known about the founding of FLAG, but it has been a subject of much speculation. Some show FLAG was founded by a young Wilton Knight, however, other stories see FLAG as brand new. Another theory often espoused is that FLAG and the Knight Foundation were secretly a front set in the same universe as Battlestar Galactica, based on both series being works of Glen A. Larson, KITT and KARR both having the distinctive "red eye" look of Cylons, the plot of Galactica 1980 being based around trying to improve humanity and its technology, the series being set only 2 years after Galactica 1980, an episode of Galactica 1980 where several damaged Cylons were captured, and lastly, as an explanation for how FLAG could have access to the incredible technologies like artificial intelligence, impossibly powerful and accurate sensors, and the molecularly bonded shell armor. More is explained as we learn that FLAG was on-line at the time before KARR was activated and Wilton Knight had a chosen man for the job of the Knight Rider. However, this man, Ken Franklyn was fatally shot by the criminal C. J. Jackson, nearly destroying Wilton Knight's dreams of FLAG. However, Wilton continued his project, but it almost came to its end again, as the industrial espionage expert Tanya Walker crossed paths with Wilton. As Michael Long (now as Michael Knight) defeated Tanya's gang, FLAG seemed to regain stability. Wilton Knight is dying of an undisclosed illness. Given a new face via facial reconstructive surgery, Long is resurrected as Michael Knight. Together with a high-tech automobile called the Knight Industries Two Thousand, Michael Knight agrees to carry on Wilton Knight's crusade of aiding the powerless. He usually was given mission objectives by the new director of FLAG, Wilton Knight's longtime friend and confidante, Devon Miles. Michael was selected for his high level of self-defense training, intelligence, law enforcement experience, and his ability and preference to work alone without assistance or back-up. Michael Knight was a special type of hero, a modern knight who avoided violence whenever possible and generally refrained from using firearms. Although most of Knight's cases were based in Southern California where FLAG was headquartered, the operation was not confined there. He could travel to whatever part of the country where trouble arose, sometimes even crossing borders into Mexico. FLAG also had facilities in Las Vegas and Chicago. FLAG's legal jurisdiction, however, was within the boundaries of the United States. The organization also owned an 18-wheeler that served as a mobile office and also offered technical support for KITT. Strength 4, Dexterity 4, Stamina 5, Charisma 3, Manipulation 4, Appearance 3, Perception 5, Intelligence 3, Wits 4; Abilities: Academnics (Occult) 1, Athletics (Dodge) 3, Awareness 4, Biz 2, Brawl 4, Bureaucracy 3 (Covert), Command 3, Computer 2, Drive 3, Engineering 3, Firearms 5, Intimidation 3, Intrusion 3, Investigation 5, Linguistics 2, Medicine 1, Melee 4, Perform 1, Rapport 1, Stealth 3, Streetwise 4, Style 3, Subterfuge 2, Survival 1; Backgrounds: Allies 4, Backing 4, Contacts 4, Influence 3, Resources 5; Merits: Agency Insider (FLAG), Top Secret Access; Flaws: Potent Blood; Virtues: Willpower 7 Comlink: KITT is in constant contact with Michael via a two-way Casio communication wristwatch Michael wore. The watch also had a micro camera and scanner that KITT could access to gather information. Knight Industries Two Thousand KITT (Model # AD-227529-B): KITT (an acronym for Knight Industries Two Thousand) is the name of a fictional computer that controls the high-tech Knight 3000, a silver Chevrolet Camaro concept hybrid. KITT was said to have been designed by the late Wilton Knight, a brilliant but eccentric billionaire and founder of the Foundation for Law and Government, (commonly shortened to "FLAG"), and its parent the Knight Foundation. 83

KITT's main cybernetic processor was first installed in a mainframe computer used by the United States government in Washington D.C. However, Wilton saw better use for "him" in the Foundation's crime-fighting crusade and eventually the system was installed in the vehicle. KITT was in fact the second vehicle built by Knight Industries with artificial intelligence. His predecessor was KARR, the Knight Automated Roving Robot. KARR was programmed for self-preservation, but this proved to be dangerous to the Foundation's interests. KARR was later deactivated and placed in storage while KITT was given to his new operator, Michael Knight (the new identity of Michael Long). KITT was essentially an advanced supercomputer on wheels. The "brain" of KITT was the Knight 2000 microprocessor which is the center of a "self-aware" cybernetic logic module that allowed KITT to think, learn, communicate and interact with humans. Although KITT wasn't programmed to have feelings, he always had an ego that was easy to bruise and displayed a very sensitive personality. The system was programmed to drive the car better than a human operator could. He also has an in-dash entertainment system that can play music and video, and run various computer programs including arcade games which Michael sometimes indulged in whenever KITT was driving. The belief that KITT was truly sentient was never discussed in the show. KITT was fully aware of himself and programmed to obey all orders given to him by his human creators, so long as they didn't violate his prime directive of protecting human life (especially Michael's) to the best of his abilities. KITT has, however been referred to as being "alive" in at least one episode. KITT's "Alpha Circuit" is mentioned quite a bit throughout the series, however its function was never clearly explained. It is most likely part of KITT's main control system which allows the CPU to drive the car. All that is really known is that the system is vulnerable to damage, (having been damaged when KITT towed a small hatchback in Episode 3, "Deadly Maneuvers"), which hinders KITT's performance in several ways. When KARR was encountered a second time, the time he spent submerged in water damaged his Alpha Circuit, which required KARR to have an operator to control his Turbo Boost function. KARR crashed into the Knight Transport vehicle, in an attempt to find new "Alpha Capacitors" to fix the problem. His driver stole KITT's experimental defensive laser system in addition to having forced Bonnie to install the new Alpha Capacitors. This is demonstrated during KITT's and KARR's first nose to nose encounter during the episode, when KARR backed off because his system was not yet up to full strength. Had the parts not been replaced, KARR would have had no reason to wait in expectation of his system gaining full strength. Unlike KARR, KITT is programmed primarily to protect Michael at all cost as well as all human life (referring to Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics). This is made clear in the pilot episode where Michael asks Devon Miles if KITT will protect anyone driving it. Devon's answer is that KITT's primary function is the preservation of human life, and Michael's in particular. Strength 20 (Towing), Dexterity 4, Stamina 6 (to resist internal damage), Charisma 2, Manipulation 2, Appearance 3, Perception (Sensors) 7, Intelligence (Facts) 5, Wits 3; Cruise Speed 100 mph, Maximum Speed 300 mph (420 with SPM); Maneuver 10; Brake 1/5 (1/10 with EBS); Armor Rating 8/10 (10/15 versus heat and fire); Talents: Awareness 4 (Sensor Systems), Athletics (Dodge) 2, Streetwise 2, Subterfuge 4; Skills: Drive 4, Etiquette 2, Repair 4 (Own Systems), Security 4, Stealth 4 (when in Silent mode); Knowledges: Chemistry 4, Computer 5, Forensics 4, Investigation 3, Law 4, Linguistics 3, Medicine 4, Science 4 Cruise Modes: On Normal, Michael had control of the car. In an emergency, KITT could still take over and activate Auto Cruise mode. In order to prevent this, one has to use the Manual Override. In Auto, KITT could drive himself utilizing an advanced Auto Collision Avoidance system. "Pursuit" is used during high-speed driving and is a combination of manual and computer assisted operation. KITT could respond to road conditions faster than Michael's reflexes could; however, Michael was technically in control of the vehicle and KITT helped guide certain maneuvers. Silent mode allows KITT to run silently using battery power in place of normal engine power. The speeds attainable in this mode are only 45 cruise, 130 maximum and this use will quickly drain KITTs battery backups. Maximum cruise time on batteries is thirty minutes. These recharge quickly however (one minute per minute of normal engine operation). Super-Pursuit mode was the result of a redesign of the car to integrate new concepts consisting of improved rocket boosters, retractable spoilers for aerodynamic stability, and movable air inlets for increased cooling. Super-Pursuit mode provided a 40% boost in speed beyond the car's original top speed of 300 MPH. Ski mode used advanced gyroscopic mechanisms to allow KITT to "ski" (driving up on two wheels). He could drive in this manner for an almost unlimited time so long as he kept above 10 mph in speed. The Third Stage Aquatic Synthesizer allows KITT to hydroplane, effectively "driving" on water, using his wheels and turbo system for propulsion. The top speed for this is 90 mph with a sustained cruise of 45 mph and a maneuverability of 6 and a braking of 3. Fuel Processor: KITT was powered by a turbine engine primarily fueled by hydrogen gas. However, his complex fuel processor allows him to run on any combustible liquid, even regular gasoline. KITT's actual fuel requirements and efficiency ratings were classified, however in one episode, KITT mentioned his fuel economy was at least 100 miles per gallon. However, when operating on fuels other than liquid hydrogen, KITT's fuel efficiency and power output may be lowered. Tri-Helical Plasteel 1000 Molecular Bonded Shell: This coating on KITTs hull provides protection from damage. It provides an armor rating of 8/10 versus all damage. Against heat and flame, his pyroclastic lamination provides resistance even more profound (10/15). The shell is vulnerable to some potent acids and at least one formula was made to completely neutralize the shell. It is also shown that long exposure to seawater can weaken the shell as in the case of KARR. 84

Turbo Boost: A series of rear mounted undercarriage rocket motors allows KITT to accelerate to incredible speeds in excess of 200 mph. When activated in combination with the Trajectory Guidance System and a pair of rocket motors mounted just behind the front tires that lift the front of the car, KITT can jump 40 feet into the air and pass over obstacles in the road. The system also allows KITT added power whenever maneuvering heavy objects such as pushing a heavy boulder off a cliff, or pulling a large vehicle out of danger. The boosters could fire forward or backward. Voice Synthesizer: KITT's voice synthesizer allows his logic module to speak and communicate. With it, KITT can also simulate other sounds, such as a police raid to fool criminals or a wild animal's growl, useful for scaring away animals intending to pee on his tires. KITT's primary spoken language is English, however by accessing his language module, he can speak fluently in German, French and Spanish. Drivers Compartment: KITT could automatically open and close his doors and T-tops. He could also lock his doors to prevent unauthorized entry into his driver compartment. He could also open his hood automatically. KITT's windows could darken to opacity for various situations. KITT had two front ejection seats, mostly used when Michael needed a boost to fire escapes or building roof tops. KITT had two CRT video display monitors on his dash for various readouts. They are controlled by two systems, the Graphic Translator (which sketches likenesses from verbal input) and the Anamorphic Equalizer (which gathered visual information from KITT's front scan bar) and micro-scanners. KITT could release oxygen into his driver compartment and provide air to passengers if he was ever submerged in water or buried in earth. This is also used to overcome the effects of certain drugs. KITT could release cryogenic gases and "flash freeze" the driver compartment. This was used once when a baby tiger managed to get inside to gnaw on his steering wheel and KITT wanted him out. This does up to five dice of cold damage to any creature in the passenger compartment. KITT could spray a gas into the driver compartment that could render an unwanted occupant unconscious. People in the compartment must make a Stamina roll (6) and achieve four successes to resist the gas. Otherwise, they will fall asleep for up to an hour. KITT could expend all breathable air from the driver compartment, however, only KARR ever used it to harm someone. KITT used this to rid the compartment of smoke after bombs were detonated in his trunk. Anamorphic Equalizer: KITT's most apparent feature is his front scan bar called the Anamorphic Equalizer. The device is a fiber-optic array of electronic eyes. When KITT's surveillance mode was active, the bar would light up and make an ominous swooping sound as it panned left and right. Occasionally, the bar could pulse in different patterns and sweep rapidly or very slowly. The scanner could see in all visual wavelengths as well as X-Ray and infrared. KITT can see in the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum, allowing him to see clearly and without penalty whenever UV illumination (such as from the sun, moon or stars) is present. Like a cat, he is able to see in conditions of very little light. KITT can see as well in darkness as in daylight, provided that there is at least some light (even faint starlight is enough). If he is in total blackness (such as an unlit underground room), he cannot see. KITT is also able to see in the infrared spectrum. Not only can he see anything illuminated by an IR light, he can see the heat given off by living things and hot objects. Hot things appear bright, cool things dark. KITT can magnify objects in him line of sight, as though he were a high-powered telescopic scope or electron microscope. This can be used to view tiny objects but it can also help see objects at a distance. The character can also see distant objects as if they were close up. The magnification provided by this is approximately x100. This negates range penalties. KITT can transmit and receive waves from the gamma- and x-ray end of the electromagnetic spectrum. This allows him to see through solid objects, at a range equal to 180 yard range. By making a Perception roll, KITT may see through solid objects. The Storyteller may increase the difficulty to scan through particularly dense objects. The scan bar is also KITT's most vulnerable area. In an attempt to stop KARR, Bonnie rigged a laser that could penetrate KARR's sensor and disable his electronics. Etymotic Equalizer: His etymotic equalizer system allows KITT to hear sound. An array of audio sensors are threaded throughout his interior and exterior. He can hear and transmit sounds that are too high-pitched or low-pitched to be audible to the normal human ear, such as dog whistles, radio waves, or security devices that utilize ultrasonic sound. KITT gains an additional three dice on any Awareness roll related to hearing. KITT can hear infrasonic or ultrasonic sound, though the Storyteller may require an Awareness roll if the sound is extremely soft or distant - just like he would with any normal whisper or distant sound. The name of this technique is slightly misleading, since it actually allows the character to perceive all broadcast waves, including radio, television and cellular telephone transmissions. The character may also transmit along such wavelengths, though he can transmit voice only. KITT can process spoken voices and determine if someone may be lying. Atmospheric Sampling: KITT can "smell" via an atmospheric sampling device mounted in his front bumper. This allows KITT to track a person by scent. He may make an Awareness roll to follow someone by scent alone. If the scent is particularly strong (for example, the person hasnt bathed in a week), reduce the difficulty by one. If the person being tracked passes through an area with a lot of other scents (like a crowded city street), walks through a stream or does anything else that might confuse or mask his scent, KITT must make another roll at an increased difficulty (+2 or more, usually). KITT is equipped with a bomb sniffer module that can detect explosives within five yards of the vehicle. Microscanners: Microscanners are tiny audio and visual sensors embedded into the grooves of KITT's body. They allow for visual tracking and display of anything around the car. He can sense all around himself more or less as readily as he can look straight ahead. He can perceive things in a 360-degree circle around himself. This prevents KITT from being surprised by people sneaking up on him from behind. Attackers do not gain Flank or rear attack bonuses to hit him. It also allows him to keep track of everything surrounding him. 85

Ultraphonic Analyzer: An ultraphonic chemical analyzer with a retractable tray with an electron scanner could analyze the chemical properties of various materials. It could even scan fingerprints and read ballistic information off bullets and compare these with a police database. Aside from the scanning tray, the system could also analyze chemical information gathered from KITT's exterior sensors. Surveillance Mode: Surveillance Mode did several things: KITT could detect people and vehicles and track their movements and discern proximity. KITT could gather structural schematics of buildings, vehicles, or other devices and help Michael avoid potential danger when he was snooping. KITT could tap into computer systems to monitor, or upload and download information as long as he could break the access codes. KITT had 10 dice for these actions (Intelligence + Computer). To alter, read or remove existing data or insert or create new information. KITT can read or alter approximately 500 megabytes of information per minute. For each success achieved beyond the first, this time is cut in half. Any changes to or deletions of information are permanent; the data must be reentered into the computer by hand. He can also change the instructions or programming used to run a computer or similar device. The difficulty of roll should be determined by the Storyteller; the more sophisticated the computer and its software, the greater the difficulty. The changes or additions to a computers software are permanent until otherwise corrected. Medical scanner: KITT has a medical scanner that includes an electrocardiograph (ECG). The medical scanner can monitor the vital signs of individuals and display them on his monitors. It could indicate such conditions as if they were injured, poisoned, undergoing stress or other emotional behavior. KITT could even monitor Michael's physical activity through sensors inside the driver seat. Override Controls: Computer Override is a hidden switch and setting dial under the dash that either completely shuts down his AI module or deactivates certain systems should the need arise. Manual Override is a function which can be activated in order to completely lock the AI from all the vehicle controls. Unlike the Computer Override, Manual Override simply keeps KITT from activating Auto Cruise or preventing anyone inside the car from doing something that would probably hurt them. KITT is still able to protest such actions vocally. Police Lights/Siren: KITT's headlights can flash red and blue as police lights, and he has a siren. Grappling Hook and Winch: KITT has a hidden winch and grappling hook system, one mounted under his front bumper, and another in a compartment behind his tail light plate. Most often the hook is connected by a strong cable, but a metal arm has also been seen. Oil Jets / Smoke Screen: KITT can spray an oil slick and a plume of smoke from under the rear bumper. Emergency Braking System: The EBS is used to slow KITT down from Super-Pursuit speeds. It consists of a forward breaking booster and air panels that extend out to create air friction. After it is deployed, the vehicle is immobile for 5 turns as the system retracts. Microwave Jammer: KITT has an electronic jamming system that played havoc on electrical systems. The system could take control of electronic machines, allowing things like cheating at slot machines, breaking electronic locks, fouling security cameras and withdrawing money from ATMs. To control, the number of successes achieved indicates the Strength of the control. If the machine (or its user or driver) tries to counteract the control, assign the machine Strength to reflect its power and resolve the situation as a resisted action. To overload, it sends a pulse of electricity or electromagnetic energy through it, stresses it so that it jams or seizes up. If a roll is successful, the machine will not work. The Storyteller may increase the difficulty of the roll for machines that are particularly advanced or difficult to affect for some reason. The jammer can also be used to magnetically charge ferrous metal items within the vicinity, causing them to attract or repel one another. This could, for example, wrench a gun from a foes hand or trap an armored guard against the metal bars of a prison cell. A magnetically charged ferrous object exerts an effective Strength equal to the 3 plus the successes scored on the roll. KITTs dice pool for jamming is 10 (Intelligence + Computer). Laser Power-Pack: KITT can fire a high powered ultra-frequency modulated laser capable of burning through steel plating. Like most of KITT's components, the schematics for the laser device are classified. The laser is computer targeted (7 dice) and does 13 dice of damage. The range of the attack is 1000 yards and the vehicles pack has enough power for 10 shots before it requires recharging. Flame Thrower: KITT has flame throwers mounted under his bumpers. Difficulty is a 5 with a dice pool of 7 dice. The range of the flame throwers is 10 yards and each shot does 10 dice of fire damage. Tear Gas Launcher: KITT can dispense a cloud of tear gas along with his smoke screen. Tear gas is commonly used by military and law-enforcement agents when killing the opponent is not the main goal. Severe eye irritation, coughing and gagging incapacitate the victim. All dice pools are reduced by three dice for 10 minutes after exposure. A gas mask, similar breathing apparatus or other forms of self-contained breathing prevents the effects of the gas. Passive Laser Restraint System: The restraint system helped protect Michael and any passengers from the shock of sudden impacts and hard stopping, especially after Super-Pursuit Mode. It is speculated that this is a primitive form of an inertial dampening device. Any damage resulting from a collision or sudden movement is reduced by five dice while this system is active. Magnesium Charges: KITT can launch magnesium flares, which can also be used to divert heat-seeking missiles fired at him. Rotating License Plate: KITT can rotate his KNIGHT license plate to reveal a fictitious one reading "KNI 667". Michael used this to evade police when an APB was placed on him. 86

Fire Extinguisher: KITT could put out small fires from a CO2 sprayer in his bumpers. These have a range of five yards. Homing Device: In dire emergency, Michael can activate a secret homing beacon hidden inside a gold pendant he wears around his neck. The beacon sends a priority signal that can remotely activate KITT and override his programming so that he rushes to Michael's aid. Other Knight Industries Vehicles F.L.A.G. Mobile Unit (The Semi): KITT has access to a mobile "garage", sometimes referred outside the show as "The Rook", which was a semi-trailer truck owned by the Foundation. The mobile unit usually roamed somewhere near Michael's location. The trailer has an extendible ramp that dropped down and allows KITT to drive inside even when the truck is in motion. The trailer was loaded with spare parts and equipment for KITT. It also had a computer lab where technicians Bonnie or April would work and conduct repairs and maintenance. At the front of the trailer is a small office area. During early episodes, the trailer was plain white. In later episodes, of the first season and beyond, it was painted black with a gold stripe and a gold Knight chess piece emblem. The laboratory area was redesigned in the second season with more a pseudo lounge appearance. The truck cab itself was always black, though gold pin striping was added when the trailer's exterior was changed to black and gold, and three different trucks served as the tractor itself. The first had no sleeper compartment, and the latter two did, as well as other visual differences. Other than coloring, a common factor between all three versions of the Semi was that it had a single-stack exhaust, with the stack on the right side. All were GMC General tractor trailers. The first was a 1980 General with no sleeper compartment. The second and third were both 1984 Generals with a sleeper, although the shape of the sleeper differed between the two, with the third being more aerodynamic. Knight Industries Three Thousand (Alternate): The Knight Industries Three Thousand (K.I.T.T.) is an upgrade to The Knight Industries Two Thousand (K.I.T.T.) voiced by Val Kilmer. KITT is a 2008 Ford Mustang GT500KR and has similar features as compared to the original KITT including the ability to morph into a "Super Pursuit mode", a new effect achieved primarily with CGI animation. The new KITT boasts the following features among others: 550 horsepower solar hybrid engine, sports-tuned suspension, Xenon headlamps with infrared night-vision, metallic paint with nanotech enhanced camouflage including morphing License Plate, military satellite access, FBI database access, selfregeneration and damage repair, high-speed Internet, Artificial Intelligence, voice-activated GPS, Apple Wireless Keyboard in the glove box under an accessory drawer, biometric Interface to access security features, wireless headset to communicate with passengers within a limited distance, biomedical Scanner. It is important to note that if KITT's Artificial Intelligence is offline, the self-regeneration mechanism is inactive, making him as vulnerable as an ordinary car. Part of the shutting down procedures of KITT's AI includes the release of the clutch pedal as well as a stick shift to allow manual control. Other details from the pilot film: Driving cross-country, KITT can average a speed of 191 mph (307 km/h). (627 mi (1,009 km) in 3 h 17 min). Although largely solar powered, KITT does use gasoline; with 91% of the energy being recycled, he averages 167 miles per gallon. Instead of the famous communicator watch, KITT communicates with his operators via a wireless headset, and can access wireless phone networks. Since KITT can tie into numerous computer systems, he is able to emulate many of the functions of the watch, such as unlocking doors. The 2008 update to Knight Rider includes a new KITT the acronym now standing for "Knight Industries Three Thousand". The KITT platform is patterned on a Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR and differs from the original Two Thousand unit in several ways. For example, the 2008 KITT utilizes nano-technology, allowing the car's outer shell to change colors and morph itself into similar car forms temporarily, including its license plate. The nanotech platform is written as needing the AI active in order to do any of these effects, unlike the original car's gadgets and super "molecular shell" which allowed it to endure extreme impacts. These nano-tech detriments are shown as when the bulletproof ability of the car windows is lost and the villains are able to shoot through to the driver when the AI is deactivated. These new effects are achieved primarily with CGI animation. While the original series stated that the original KITT was designed by Wilton Knight, the 2008 TV movie says that Charles Graiman designed the car and the AI for Wilton Knight, and was subsequently relocated to protect him and his family. Also, some have noticed the car model name (GT-500 KR) bears the initials of the series, though this is merely a coincidence as the initials actually stand for "King of the Road." The 2008 model is a 40th Anniversary tribute to the original Shelby Cobra GT-500 KR, produced in 1968. KARR (Knight Rider): KARR (the Knight Automated Roving Robot), is a fictional character and a villain from the cult television series Knight Rider. KARR is the prototype version of KITT, originally designed by Wilton Knight and built by his company Knight Industries. Upon completion of the vehicle, KARR's CPU was installed and activated. However, a programming error made the computer unstable and potentially dangerous. The project was put on hold and the car was placed in storage until a solution could be found. Unlike KITT, whose primary directive is to protect human life, KARR was programmed for self-preservation, making him a ruthless and 87

unpredictable threat. He does not appear as streetwise as KITT, being very nave and inexperienced and having a child-like perception of the world. This has occasionally allowed people to take advantage of his remarkable capabilities for their own gain. Despite this, he does ultimately consider himself superior and unstoppable and due to his programming, the villains don't usually get very far. KARR demonstrates a complete lack of respect or loyalty, going so far on one occasion to eject its driver to save weight and increase its odds of escape. Once KITT was constructed, it was presumed that his prototype KARR had been deactivated and dismantled. However, the latter did not occur and KARR was placed in storage and forgotten following the death of Wilton Knight. When two thieves break into the warehouse where KARR is "sleeping", they unwittingly reactivate him and he escapes. When the two thieves realize how useful the vehicle could be, they use KARR to go on a crime spree. Michael and KITT are sent to recover KARR before anyone gets hurt. Fearful of being taken back to storage and certain deactivation, KARR is unwilling to go back to the Foundation, and flees when Michael and KITT come looking for him. KARR's only weakness is his primary directive of self-preservation, and Michael used this to his advantage. When KARR threatens to destroy KITT in a head-on collision, Michael plays "chicken" with him, knowing KARR will veer out of KITT's path in order to protect himself. Unable to stop in time, KARR drives off a cliff and seemingly explodes in the ocean. Although KARR was believed to have been destroyed, this wasn't the case. KARR was damaged and ended up buried in the sand on the beach below the cliffs. When the tide had gone out, a young couple stumbled upon the partially buried car, dug it out, and reactivated it. This time, KARR was furious and had only one clear motive: revenge against Michael and KITT. KARR was still damaged, however, after the last encounter with KITT and forced the young couple to disguise him and then drive him around to carry out his plans. In a ravine, KARR challenges Michael and KITT to a final showdown. After releasing the young couple, KARR fires a stolen laser and damages KITT. However, Michael and KITT destroy KARR's laser by reflecting the beam back to the emitter. Damaged, KARR prepares for another attack. KITT and KARR both turbo boost and collide in mid-air. KARR is blown to pieces. Michael and KITT survive the impact; however at the end of the episode, amongst the wreckage, KARR's CPU module is lying undamaged on the ground, its LED still flickering. Originally, KARR appeared identical to KITT, with a red light scan bar, and the only physical difference was a yellow LED voice modulator on his dash (KARR's voice modulator is the prototype to the one seen on KITT in the later seasons). When KARR returns in "K.I.T.T. vs. K.A.R.R.", KARR's scan bar is now a yellow hue. KARR later gets a two-tone paint job incorporating a silver lower body into his familiar all-black finish. KARR's scanner originally made a droning noise, but in the comeback episode it sounds similar to KITT's but with a slight reverb audio effect added to it. The sound of KARR's engine, originally sounding rough and "fierce", here sounds similar to KITT's, again affected by a reverb. KARR's voice is also different. KARR's personality is different in the comeback episode. His child-like perceptions are diminished into a more devious personality, completely cold, and bent on revenge. His self-preservation directive is no longer in play when KARR is close to exploding after receiving severe damage: he willingly turbo-jumps into a mid-air collision with KITT hoping that his own destruction would also spell his counterpart's. Even KARR's modus operandi is different. Servile enough in the first episode, he aims to actually make use of other persons, anyone, to serve his own needs. One explanation of this change could be as a result of the damage he received after falling over the cliff at the end of "Trust Doesn't Rust", which further malfunctioned his programming; Indeed, KITT himself is seen to malfunction and suffer change of personality as a result of damage in several other episodes. In "Trust Doesn't Rust", KARR checks basic human desires by querying an internal pre-loaded database, a parallel to the actual Cyc project. In "Trust Doesn't Rust", the voice of KARR was provided by voice actor Peter Cullen, better known as the voice of Optimus Prime in The Transformers cartoon series. In "K.I.T.T. vs. K.A.R.R.", KARR was voiced by Paul Frees. Frees was uncredited on-screen for his role, leading Peter Cullen to sometimes be wrongly credited as providing KARR's voice in "K.I.T.T. vs K.A.R.R." The creators gave KARR a three bar LED voice display. Midway through Season One (from the episode "Hearts of Stone"), KITT was given a three bar LED of his own (previously his voice display had been a flashing red square). KITT's "voice bars" were red and all appeared from the middle of the display; KARR's were yellow, and the outer two bars protruded from the top and bottom. It is never explained how KARR survived the seemingly fatal explosion at the conclusion of "Trust Doesn't Rust". The only apparent damage that the vehicle sustained was a dislodged what resembles a scart socket under the dashboard and the mysterious Alpha circuits which are mentioned several times throughout the show. Bonnie explains in Season One's "Deadly Maneuvers" that the Alpha Circuits on KITT can only be damaged by towing another vehicle. KARR storms the Foundation's Mobile Semi in search of these Alpha Capacitors in "K.I.T.T. vs. K.A.R.R." KRO (Knight Reformulation One): K.R.O., short for Knight Reformation One, was designed to be a replacement for FLAG's highly successful revised prototype super car, KITT. FLAG's engineers put all of the years of experience and technological advances they'd developed while KITT was in service and put it into the shell of a Ferrari. KRO was suppose to spearhead the Foundation's efforts into a new decade. Unfortunately FLAG apparently didn't take as much care selecting KRO's driver, Martin Jantzen, as they did building KRO. He proved to be to unstable and was pushed over the edge by his car\driver relationship with KRO which also warped KRO's personality. KRO became extremely dangerous, resulting in the deaths of several technicians before he was shut down. He was later 88

reactivated during the KRO mission and had to be hunted down my TKR in much the same way FLAG's first prototype, KARR, was. He was eventually destroyed and his driver killed, when he was buried in molten metal. Along with his long list of capabilities, KRO's scanners were specially configured to search for weaknesses in his targets, and exploit them. This proved to be a problem for TKR since FLAG had decided to incorporate special weak spots into their vehicles after the incident with KRO so they could be stopped easier if they went out of control. Knight Reformulation One (K.R.O., Modified Ferrari GTS): K.R.O. is a Series One Knight Foundation vehicle, Marland Technologies Project #17-328-2. Driver: Martin Jenson; License Plate: KRO; Driver Override Code: N/A KRO did not have this feature built in because the idea of the driver symbiosis was overlooked. After Kro killed six people and was deactivated, the D.O.C. was installed in the other five TKR vehicles; Functions: Grappling Hook, Holographic Projector, Infra-Scan, Intruder Control-Arm Restrains, Ceiling Laser, Steering Wheel Shock, Microwave Laser Beams, Remote Locator, Tracking Beacon, Video data Bank, Voice Print Analysis. Dante: Nickname: N/A; Make: 1997 Ford Expedition; Seating: 5; Top Speed: 160MPH; Weapons and Accessories: Six Front Missiles, Six Side Missiles, One Front Laser, One Roof Rocket Launcher, Two Front Knockout Darts, Aquatic Capabilities Dante is the wise-cracking SUV of the group. He relies heavily on hiw witty sarcasm and blunt remarks to comunicate his opinions. He always manages to tease each member of the group, including his fellow motor vehicles. Regardless of his somewhat snub-nosed attitude, however, Dante has proven himself very loyal and capable on any given mission and always pulls through. Dante has a lot of fun teasing Kyle about many things, including his relationship with Jenny. In arguments or battle-of-quips, Dante will usually take Kyle's side against the others, unless of course it's just between the two of them. Though he talks back to Kyle a great deal, Dante is also very fond of his driver and expresses concern for him whenever Kyle is in grave danger, particularly in #7 In Your Dreams where Kyle is on his deathbed. As soon as he knows Kyle is OK, though, Dante always returns to his smart-alec self. Dante thinks of himself as the leader of the other cars, and takes on that role in various chapters throughout the fanfic series, including #8 Impossible Target as well as the chapter called AI Power in season 04. The other vehicles often do not appreciate his bossiness, but they also appreciate his leadership abilities (that he got from Kyle, no doubt) as well as his "fast-inputting" in tough situations. Dante is a modified sport utility vehicle large enough to hold the entire TKR team. He's the traveling command post. Fast, versatile, rugged, and his personality is Kyle to the extreme. Whereas Kyle will sometimes keep his opinions to himself for the sake fo peace and harmony, Dante will confidently express his opinions in his haughty british manner. And he loves ribbing Kyle about his obvious attraction to Jenny. He loves making his passengers feel uncomfortable. And he never hesitates to deflate his driver. Domino: Nickname: Dom; Make: 1997 Ford Mustang GT Convertible; Seating: 2; Top Speed: 180MPH; Weapons and Accessories: Six Front Missiles, One Front Laser, Two Front Tracking Darts, Two Front Knock-out Darts Domino is an asset to the rest of the team. She is always a calm voice amidst confusion and never loses her temper, unlike the others. She is very compassionate to the feelings of others, and is also quite emotional. Like Erica, she can also use her sexy voice to gain many an audience, and even to startle some unsuspecting cuties. Kyle, Jenny and the others all enjoy having Domino around to add some spice to things, as well as to offer her expertise. Domino is one of the very few members of the team who does not constantly bug or argue with her partner. She and Jenny share a bond quite unlike the others, in that they do not hold any negative feelings for the other, and they display their affection for each other in positive ways. Domino is always keeping an eye out for her driver in dangerous situations, and worries a great deal when Jenny is in trouble. On the outside, Domino and Jenny are a great match because they are both sexy and appealing. However, while Domino openly flaunts her stuff and does not hesitate to flirt with any handsome guy she sees, Jenny is much more reserved and instead channels her energies on the missions. Domino is slowly trying to break her of this. When it comes to the other cars, Domino has different relationships with each. Besides the rapport she has with Dante, who playfully calls her the Bimbo-Mobile, Domino also exchanges friendly insults with Kat, since it is obvious the less-sexy motorcycle is a tad jealous of the sports car. Where Beast is concerned, Domino every so often displays signs of jealousy that Beast is more interested in Jenny than in her. Whether she actually "likes" Beast, she never really says. And, like the rest of the team, she merely puts up with Plato's rantings. Jenny's car is a modified Mustang with a seductive power and an exotic voice of experience. She's the counterpoint to Jenny -- fast, sleek and sexy. She loves to flirt, and constantly tempts Jenny into taking more risks, especially in her personal life. Domino loves to gossip which often leads to conflicts with the other car personalities. Jenny takes it all in stride. Even though Domino is the opposite of her own shy, reseved self, she has a bond with her car. They're girlfriends in a way. It's just a little strange to see a car telling a woman that she should act more feminine and to be more open to a man's interest. Attack Beast: Nickname: Beast; Make: 1997 Ford F-150; Seating: 3; Top Speed: 160MPH; Weapons and Accessories: One Roof Rocket Cannon -- 360/degree range, One Rear Flame Thrower, One Front + One Rear Hook & Cable, One Front Microwave Laser, Four Front Grill Knock-out Darts, One Front Crash Shield, Reinforced Steel Shell/Molecular Bonding 89

Beast is the grouch of the bunch. He is gruff and tough and exudes physical power and brunt force, much like his driver. He is often the one called upon to blow something up or knock something down, and always takes great pleasure in doing so. His ability to break through walls proves very useful in many chapters, including #7 In Your Dreams. He is always impatient to rush into action, and prefers the up-front approach to sneaking around. Also, for some reason he has an abnormal crush on Jenny, something that not even Trek can explain. Beast does not like taking orders from anybody, including his driver, Duke. The two of them are so much alike they are constantly arguing and debating. Beast is always making fun of Duke, but deep down Duke knows Beast really does care, and is glad to have him as a driver. Though Duke has often appealed to Jenny about switching cars, he and Beast just wouldn't be content to be apart. Awww... Beast more or less has a blase relationship with the other cars. He ignores them when he feels like it, and argues with them when he disagrees. On occassion he'll work with them and back them up when needed, but he doesn't really have a close bond with any of them. The exception to this might be Dante, whom Beast gets a kick out of rescuing, then teasing him about it later. Duke's car is part all-terrain vehicle, part tank. It's loaded with a succession of winches, cranes and a laser cannon. The Beast is stubborn. He has a mind of his own. He doesn't like taking orders from Duke, and feels free to talk back to him. He also growls a lot. It's just part of his charm. He also has a crush on Jenny. He's always asking why she can't be assigned to him. Whenever Jenny's a passenger in the Beast, he's a pussycat, doing everything to make sure her ride is comfortable and enjoyable. The Beast is the only one who can come close to breaking Duke's cool. They have a love-hate relationship. But at the end of the day, you know the Beast is fiercely loyal to Duke, and would do anything to protect him. Kat: Nickname: N/A; Make: 1997 Honda Blackbird; Seating: 2 (1 comfortably); Top Speed: 175MPH; Weapons and Accessories: Three Front Missiles, One Front Mini-Laser, One Side Missile (right), Combo Car / Separation Kat is the brown-nosing tattle-tale of the group. She does not hesitate to rat on any other members of the team, especially Erica, from whom she derives a great pleasure of getting into trouble. Kat would sooner deactivate herself than tell a lie, particularly to their leader - though she has been known to break her own rule once or twice. Because of her honesty, Kyle can trust her implicitely about anything. Kat is always reliable and is a very hard worker. Kat and Erica are always at odds since Erica just wants to have fun and Kat is all-business. It's sometimes a wonder why Kat isn't paired with Jenny and Erica with Domino since, on the outside at least, those matches seem more sensible. But aside from the almost constant bickering between them, Kat and Erica nonetheless respect each other. In fact, Kat has been known to actually worry about Erica's welfare on a number of occasions, and Erica couldn't get through a mission without Kat's help. Though they may disapprove of each others' polar-opposite methods, perhaps it is for this reason that they make such a great team. Kat is forever expressing herself as superior to the other vehicles, even to Dante, at whom she takes jabs every once in a while. It is true enough that Kat has a very large database, but every so often she must admit that the other cars are just as important to the team as she is. Erica can't understand how she wound up with Kat as her primary vehicle. Kat is one half of a hybrid motorcycle and sidecar that joins together with another to form a high pursuit vehicle. She's the polar oposite of her dark side, mysterious driver. Kat is a "goody two-shoes" who's overly concerned with rules and regulations. She's got a strong moral compass, a very clear and traditional idea of right and wrong, that often gets in the way of how Erica wants to do things. When Erica dresses in a revealing gown to infiltrate an important affair, Kat can't help but point out, "Erica, this is a funeral." And yet, if the cars are supposedly a computer-simulated extension of their driver's personality, then Kat just adds to the mystery of Erica. How could this be even a small part of Erica's character? It implies that Erica's seemingly amoral traits are nothing but a facade. Plato: Nickname: N/A; Make: 1997 Honda Blackbird; Seating: 2 (1 comfortably); Top Speed: 175MPH; Weapons and Accessories: Three Front Missiles, One Front Mini-Laser, One Side Missile (left), One Front Electrical Staff, Combo Car/Separation Plato is more or less an enigma. No one, with the exception of Trek, can understand what he is saying since he speaks using pop culture quotes and strange, fragmented sentences. The team needs Trek around in order to glean any knowledge from Plato. Since Plato's personality came from Trek, the reason for this is quite clear. Plato, though eccentric, proves extremely valuable to the team for the reason that because of his unique insight into things, Plato has given them lead after lead when otherwise they'd all be stuck. Plato and Trek have a very strong, unique bond. They are best friends and would suffer intolerably if ever separated. They go everywhere and do everything together, from completeing missions to staying up all night watching old reruns. For the most part, the others think their relationship is either cute or weird. They all do appreciate Plato and Trek's contributions to the team, and would have to admit that some of the missions wouldn't have been successful without the dynamic duo. Plato does not talk much to the other cars since doing so would just be futile. The only one Plato really talks to is Trek. Every once in a while Kat will adress Plato, but she doesn't really expect to understand his reply, if he even gives one. Plato is usually very quiet and only speaks up occasionally. Though they may not all understand him, there is no doubt that the other vehicles and humans alike all respect him. 90

Trek's half of the high-pursuit vehicle he shares with Erica has the voice of a brainiac, the nerd who is totally consumed with facts, figures and data. Plato and Trek have a unique relationship. Plato is the only one who understands Trek, and Trek is the only one who understands Plato. It's like Trek created his own best friend. The computer-human symbiosis is at its most efficient with these two personalities, and no one else can figure it out. Plato talks in a shorthand that only Trek, the consumer of all information, can seem to comprehend. In analyzing a situation, Plato may recite a line of poetry, or use a line of dialogue from an obscure television show. From this, without missing a beat, Trek will extrapolate what Plato means. So for instance, faced with jumping a ravine, Plato will cryptically respond "Evil." Trek will interpret this as "Not evil as in bad, but Evel, as in Knevil, and his failed attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon because he hit his rocket booster too soon." Unfortuantely, for the other team members, Plato doesn't like talking to anyone else. So this invariably leaves the other TKR members to solve the puzzle of what Plato means when Trek isn't around. High Speed Pursuit Vehicle: Nickname: Combo Car; Top Speed: 210MPH; The High Speed Pursuit Vehicle AKA Combo Car is the combination of Kat and Plato, the two motorcycles. As the HSPV, they can reach speeds far greater than their teammates to outrun almost any vehicle. Also, with their unique ability Kat and Plato can separate into two vehicles in order to gain more maneuverability or duck out of the path of an approaching missile. This technique proves very useful on many occasions. KIFT (Knight 4000): The second version of KITT, known as the "Knight 4000", appeared similarly to that of a Pontiac Banshee prototype in the movie Knight Rider 2000. The vehicle had numerous 21st Century technological improvements over the previous 1980s version of KITT, such as an advanced amphibious mode (which allows the car to ride on water like a speedboat), a virtual heads-up display (or V-HUD, which utilized the entire windshield as a video display), and a microwave stun device that could remotely incapacitate a human target and bring them down (similar in application to a taser). The Knight 4000 has most of KITT's original features including a few new and improved systems. Voice Activated Controls - The Knight 4000's dashboard is less "cluttered looking" than KITT's original dash with most of the controls now being completely voice activated rather than having to push a button. Virtual Reality Heads-up Display - Rather than dash-mounted CRT displays, the Knight 4000 utilizes a virtual reality heads-up display (VR-HUD) that makes use of the entire windshield as video monitor. Microwave Stunner - Much like the new non-lethal Seattle police sidearm, the Knight 4000 is equipped with a microwave stunner that can bring down a criminal by disrupting the central nervous system and rendering them immobilized. Thermal Expander - The Knight 4000 is equipped with an offensive weapon which consisted of a microwave projector that caused the temperatures of targeted objects to quickly rise and either ignite or explode. Fax Machine - The Knight 4000 can print out faxed messages from a dash mounted printer. Amphibious Mode - The Knight 4000 can float and maneuver on water much like a boat. The system was actually a major improvement over KITT's original hydroplane ability which during the original series was prone to malfunctions during its experimental phase.

INDEPENDENT INSPIRED

AND

NOVAS

Banzai, Buckaroo Buckaroo Banzai was born in the winter of 1950 in London, the son of two scientists: Masado Banzai, a brilliant Japanese research physicist whose work in theoretical quantum mechanics is reported to have "rattled" Einstein, and Sandra Willoughby, the daughter of the eccentric Scottish-born Texas mathematician Edward McKay Willoughby. Sandra Willoughby fell in love with Masado Banzai when she was sixteen and married him twelve years later, after becoming an expert in her own right in the field of negative mass propulsion. The couple fled Japan at the outbreak of World War II and eventually settled in Texas. Their son grew up in Colorado and Arizona and was named "Buckaroo" because of his father's love for the American West. In 1946 Masado Banzai and Sandra Willoughby joined forces with Masado's old friend and colleague, Professor Toichi Hikita, who shared their belief that one day man would be able to pass unharmed through solid matter. Their researches culminated in 1953 in the Texas desert, when Dr. Banzai took controls of a jet car equipped with an early version of the Oscillation Overthruster. But the experiment ended tragically: Buckaroo Banzai's parents were killed in an explosion as the four-year-old child looked on. Hikita raised young Buckaroo, using the entire world as his classroom, and the boy grew up to be, among other things, an extraordinarily skilled neurosurgeon. Dissatisfied with a life devoted exclusively to medicine, Buckaroo Banzai perfected a wide range of skills. He designed and drove high-powered automobiles. He studied bujitsu and particle physics. His skill with a sixgun was reputed to eclipse that of Wyatt Earp. He spoke a dozen languages and wrote songs in all of them. His band, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, was one of the most popular, hard-rocking bar bands in east Jersey, though it's members were not professional musicians at all but rather cartographers and botanists, linguists and propellant engineers, an entomologist and an epidemiologist. All of these experts in the oddest fields of endeavor were

91

drawn to Buckaroo, and all of them came and went like the wind on the prairie - Rawhide, Reno, the Swede, Perfect Tommy, Big Norse, Pecos. Descriptions of Buckaroo Banzai are rare, but in Buckaroo Banzai, Reno recalls his first meeting with him as follows: "I have always found it remarkable how a confident and open person can make a strong lasting impression in the space of a single moment, but that was just what I found to be the case with B.Banzai. A ready smile and a firm handshake attached to a body that seemed to be made entirely of sinew captivated me immediately. I suggested that we walk outside , and he agreed. In the sunshine his face is smooth, unmarked. A smile plays constantly around his lips, but his eyes are deep and thoughtful, of an unusual color I cannot readily describe. Neither can I recall who spoke first, a phenomenon I have found common among others when they have been asked to recall their first encounters with the man. I tend to believe it is the eyes, of such an unusual hue and hypnotic intensity that they could make one believe almost anything. In short, within the first minute of our meeting I believe I had decided to follow him anywhere with the slightest hesitation." Later in his book, still recalling that first meeting when he was inducted into the Cavaliers, Reno adds this observation: "Buckaroo, like most true geniuses, was utterly without arrogance, a simple man in the best sense of the word. Decency towards others was not something he had to work at; it was as involuntary with him as breathing. On the other hand, I have seen him an hour after killing a man and found him to be perfectly composed." The contradiction, Reno concludes, is apparent only to the Western mind. Precious light is shed on the mystery of the man's personality by the following laconic note, which is apparently the only time Dr. Banzai has discussed himself in print: "It was quite by chance that I became involved in scientific investigation and began to study the psychology of crime. Although I was born in London during a visit of my parents to England, I spent my early days on the vast ranges of Colorado and Arizona and there was taught how to ride and shoot by the red-skinned Sioux warriors, who strangely seemed to enjoy showing an Amerasian boy their tricks. Until I was fourteen I went to school in Denver and later I continued my education in Massachusetts, Texas, and England, taking my medical degree from Harvard. In this way a love of travel and the craving for excitement and danger were stimulated in me from childhood. After my first introduction in Monte Carlo to the forces which wage unceasing warfare against the shadowy underworld of crime, I realized that in their ranks was a possibility of escaping from the dreaded monotony of a life of routine. Buckaroo Banzai" Other notes: Saw his parents killed in their jet car attempt. Proposed to Peggy Simpson on the bank of the Thames River while at Merton College, Oxford. A fall wedding in New York was planned. She was murdered on their wedding day by agents of the evil Hanoi Xan. Met Sidney Zwibel at Columbia P&S, where they shared Thornburg's histology class and, later, an enzymology class. Has written numerous tomes on science and philosophy, including Beyond the Realm of Atomic Particles and Massless Photons and Future History (coauthored with Prof. Hikita). Inspiration (Daredevil) 7 (Intuitive 4, Reflective 2, Destructive 1); Willpower 9; Strength 3, Dexterity 5, Stamina 4, Charisma 4, Manipulation 4, Appearance 4, Perception 5, Intelligence 5, Wits 4; Abilities: Academics (Cosmology, History, Occult, Research) 5, Animal Handling (Riding) 5, Archery (Zen) 3, Athletics (Dodge) 4, Awareness (Intuition) 5, Biz 4, Bureaucracy (Covert) 5, Carousing 2, Command 5, Computer 3, Diplomacy 3, Disguise 3, Drive 5, Endurance 2, Engineering 5, Etiquette 4, Firearms 5, Gambling 3, Gunnery 2, Heavy Weapons 2, Hypnosis 3, Instruction 4, Intimidation 3, Intrusion 4, Investigation 5, Legerdemain 4, Linguistics 5, Martial Arts 5, Medicine (Herbalism) 5, Meditation 4, Melee 5, Might 3, Navigation 3, Perform 5, Pilot 3, Rapport 4, Resistance 2, Savvy 2, Science 5, Seduction 4, Stealth 5, Streetwise 4, Style 5, Subterfuge 3, Survival 4, Tactics 4, Throwing 3; Backgrounds: Allies 5, Backing 6 (In Charge), Contact 6 (Kingpin), Followers 6 (Legions), Influence 6 (Renown), Mentor 4, Nemesis 5, Reputation 5, Resources 4, Sanctum 3; Merits: Ambidextrous, Code of Honor, Concentration, Daredevil, Enchanting Voice, Iron Will, Lucky, Natural Linguist, True Love. Equipment: Colt Peacemaker (aka Single Action Army), .45 Colt caliber, 6 round, 4 3/4 inch barrel, Brass Frame (Note: Pg. 161-2 of the Book quotes Reno as saying "They were the Navy Colts he used only when going in search of Hanoi Xan, massive heavy pistols which had belonged to his father."), Katana, Guitar (Fender Stratocaster, blond body with Maple neck) Baracus, Bosco Albert Sgt. First Class (E-7) Bosco Albert Baracus is a Vietnam Veteran (SS# 554-04-3106). His nickname "B.A." (for Bad Attitude) was earned because he had a fiery temper and a habit of punching out commanding officers. Born in Chicago on November 3, 1955, Bosco (real first name is Elliot) served in Vietnam as a weapons and munitions officer with Colonel John Hannibal Smith, Lieutenant Templeton Face Peck, and Captain H. W. Howling Mad (a.k.a. members of the US Armed Forces "The A-Team). The A-Team was ordered by an officer named Colonel Samuel Morrison to rob the Bank of Hanoi in 1971, Unfortunately, Morrison staged his death and stole the money (some one million dollars in yen/pesetas) netted from the bank robbery. Consequently, the US Army assumed the A-Team had robbed the bank on their own. They were captured by Colonel Roderick Decker, but B.A. and the rest of the A-Team escaped from Fort Bragg, a maximum security military prison, and went underground in Los Angeles. From seclusion, B.A. and his pals hired themselves out as soldiers of fortune/urban vigilantes to help people in need. They were assisted by Los Angeles Courier Express reporter Amy Amand Allen (a.k.a. "Triple A") and later by Tawnia Baker, Amy's fellow reporter at the newspaper. 92

Boscos personality traits include his constant scowl and threatening statements like "Don't mess with me, Sucker!", I pity the fool and Shut up fool. Despite his sour demeanor, Baracus is a talented mechanic with vivid technical imagination. In a few moments, he can turn old spare parts/machinery into rocket launchers, armored tanks or machine guns. When he is not battling the bad guys, Bosco likes to drink milk and to spend time helping kids as a volunteer at a LA youth center. He also likes to wear lots and lots of gold jewelry around his neck (to match his heart of gold) Boscos Achilles heel is his fear of heights. So whenever the A-Team needs to travel on a plane, they have to sedate Baracus with a drug (put in his milk) or conk him over the head to bring his along. B. A. once said "If it's safer to fly than drive - how come they don't put parachutes in cars?" While on terra firma, Bosco drives the A-team around in his black-with-red trim 1983 GMC G series van (License plate numbers: 2L8-3000; S96 7238; 2A22029; and 2E14859). Eventually, Bosco and the rest of the A-Team were captured by General Hunt Maxwell who offered them a deal. They could either face a firing squad for murder and robbery charges or volunteer for covert assignments for the US Government. Being practical people Bosco and his buddies chose to work with Stockwell. They set up headquarters in Langley, Virginia (home of the Central Intelligence Agency) and were issued the code name "Empress 6." (Stockwell was "Empress 1"). And although Bosco was no longer on the run, he still had to be drugged or bopped on the head to travel on an airplane to his assigned destinations. Some Bosco stats: Height: 5 feet, 10 inches; Hair: Black; Eyes: Brown; Blood Type AB- Negative (the same type as Murdock); Wounded: Upper thigh, shoulder and leg. In college Bosco was a football player but and lost the MVP trophy to his rival, quarterback Jason Duke ("The Duke"), whom he and the rest of the Team helped rescue from crooked gold miners years later. Boscos mother lives in Chicago on the North Side of the city at 700 Foster Avenue. She gave Bosco the childhood nickname "Scooter" because he liked to scoot a toy car given to him by his father around on the floor. And despite Bosco's apparent animosity towards his colleague H.M. Murdock, they are really best of friends. Sgt. Bosco "B.A." Baracus is a fictional character in the 1980s action/adventure television series, The ATeam played by Mr. T. B.A. Baracus appeared on The A-Team from the series beginning in 1983 until its cancellation in 1987. The A-Team is a group of ex-United States Army Special Forces who were wrongly convicted of a crime during the Vietnam War. Managing to escape from the military police, they fled to Los Angeles, where as fugitives, the A-Team work as soldiers of fortune, using their military training to fight oppression or injustice. B.A., along with Hannibal Smith, Templeton "Faceman" Peck, and H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock make up the A-Team. A rough-and-tough fighter, the character of B.A. Baracus is basically that of the public persona of Mr. T himself. He is known for his trademark mohawk hairstyle and his gold jewelry. While the other members of the team regularly resort to disguises, scams and subterfuge to achieve their goals, B.A.'s distinctive appearance and confrontational attitude usually lead to a more direct approach to problems, which often involve either his skills at hand to hand combat, or his mechanical talents. As revealed in the pilot episode, the "B" in B.A. stands for Bosco, however it is never explained what the "A" stands for. In recent years, many sources have listed B.A.'s middle name to be "Albert" however, this was never mentioned in the series or any of the publicity that went with it. When asked what the "B.A." stood for, the standard reply is "Bad Attitude" (it is said he used to enjoy beating up senior officers in Vietnam). (The more obvious expression, "Bad-Ass", would have been over the TV censorship line at the time.) B.A.'s childhood nickname was "Scooter", which he detested. He is a highly-skilled mechanic and has an amazing talent for making impressive machinery out of just about any ordinary parts that they have available to them. Hannibal once said to B.A., "With a pair of pliers and a little time, you could fix anything but dinner." He is also an excellent fighter and is invaluable in hand-to-hand combat. Because of his massive size and strength, he has a unique fighting tactic, which involves grabbing his opponents, lifting them over his head, and hurling them in the air. He is easily angered to the point of rage, and often greets people with a growl or a snarl. He is most often upset by Murdock and frequently addresses him with the phrase "You crazy fool!" Despite his reputed attitude, he is a nice guy at heart. He has a special fondness for children, occasionally working at a youth center teaching sports to the kids. A teetotaler, B.A. never touches alcohol, preferring milk instead. He suffers an intense fear of flying ("I ain't gittin' on no plane!"), especially when the plane in question is flown by Murdock. This difficulty is often overcome by other members of the team drugging him, knocking him unconscious, or, as in one episode, hypnotizing him, so he can be transported without objection. However, in one episode, he is on a plane pretending to be a maintenance technician with Murdock when the plane suddenly takes off. He immediately falls into a catatonic state while Murdock tries to revive him. Furthermore, in two episodes "The Sound of Thunder" and "Quarterback Sneak" B.A. hops onto a helicopter which is piloted by Murdock. Perhaps one could say in dire situations, B.A. is willing to fly, and indeed he voluntarily boards an airplane to travel to Chicago when his mother is in danger, although this is not shown on-screen. As revealed in a few episodes, B.A. and Murdock share the same blood typeAB negative, the rarest type. B.A. drives a customized 1983 GMC van, painted black and grey with a red stripe, black and red rims, and a rooftop spoiler. B.A. is extremely protective of his van, and becomes furious if it gets the smallest scratch. He refuses to let anyone else drive it, with the notable exception of episode 12 of the third season, Hot Styles, in which B.A. mysteriously only appears for a few seconds. In fact, B.A. usually insists on driving, no matter what vehicle. 93

Quantum 1; Quantum Pool 22 (Regenerate every hour); Willpower 7; Strength 4 (1, Crush), Dexterity 3, Stamina 5 (3, Resiliency), Charisma 3, Manipulation 3, Appearance 3, Perception 2, Intelligence 3, Wits 4; Skills: Academics 3, Awareness 2, Athletics 4, Brawl 4, Drive 5, Endurance 5, Engineering 5, Firearms 3, Legerdemain 1, Interrogation 3, Intimidation 5, Intrusion 3, Investigation 3, Medicine 1, Melee 4, Might 5, Perform 1, Resistance 5, Science 3, Stealth 1, Streetwise 4, Style 2, Subterfuge 2, Survival 4; Backgrounds: Allies 4, Cipher 4, Dormancy 1, Node 1, Resources 3; Flaws: Phobia (Flying), Secret (3 points, Hanoi Bank Job); Quantum Powers: Body Modification: Extra Health Levels 5; Soak: Bashing 11 dice, Lethal 6 dice (two extra bruised health levels, Lifespan 180+ years), Health Levels OK x13, -1, Inc. Bodine, Jethro Jethro was incredibly ignorant and self centered. He was particularly proud of his education: he spent 12 years at school before passing the sixth grade. After that, he decided to go to college. He managed to enroll late in the semester at a local secretarial school due to his financial backing, and earned his diploma by the end of the day because he didn't understand what was going on in class and was too disruptive. Many stories in the series involved Jethro's endless career search, which included such diverse vocations as brain surgeon, Hollywood producer, and soda jerk. While working as a producer, Jethro called himself "Beef Jerky", a wannabe playboy and man-about-town sophisticate. Out of all the Clampett Clan, he was the one who made the most changes from 'country bumpkin' to 'city boy.' Another running gag is that Jetho was known as the "Six foot stomach" for his ability to eat: in one episode he ate a jetliner's entire supply of steaks. Jethro could never succeed in any career he tried, although in the non-canonical 1981 TV-movie version of The Beverly Hillbillies, he finally found the career he best suited for, becoming a Hollywood studio mogul. "If brains was lard, Jethro couldn't grease a pan." - Jed Clampett Jethro Bodine was the lovable but dumb as a rock nephew of Jed Clampett on the CBS sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies. Max Baer Jr. played Jethro for all 274 episodes (106 black & white, 168 color plus a 2 hour sequel) for the duration of the television show, 1962 to 1971. Jethro's shit-eating grin, redneck ways, silly schemes to constantly reinvent himself (as a hippie, millionaire playboy, movie star, brain surgeon and "double-naught spy" among others) and 6th grade education endeared his character to audiences, helping to make The Beverly Hillbillies the most popular sitcom in TV history. He easily towered over the other characters on the show (Max Baer Jr. was 6' 4") and was as dumb as he was strong, eating like a pig and chasing every attractive woman in sight. In June of 1966, Jethro finally earned his grade school diploma, although he never quite got the hang of ciphering. Jethro's immediate family played a pivotal role in the development of the series. His mother, Cousin Pearl Bodine, suggested Jed move to Beverly Hills in the first place. Jethro's sister, Jethrene Bodine (also played by Max Baer Jr.) had a part during the first year of the show. Jethro Bodine is a mathematician who is an assistant professor of mathematics at East Beverly Hills University. Professor Bodine is famous for having developed the ciphering method of multiplication and division and is thought to have developed Cauchy's Number. He pioneered the "times" and "guzinta" concepts the rudiments of which are explained in his seminal classic "Ciphering", a leading graduate-level textbook in number theory. Professor Bodine has been compared with Ramanujan, India's most famous folk mathematician. Prior to his appointment, Professor Bodine did his grade school studies at Millicent Schuyler Potts School where one of his favorite subjects was arithmetic. Professor Bodine's uncle, philanthropist Jed Clampett, endowed the university's new mathematics building and nearby chicken shed the month when Professor Bodine was named to the mathematics faculty. Professor Bodine taught George W Bush everything he knows about counting, and Bill Clinton everything he knows about women. Quantum 1; Quantum Pool 25 (Regenerate every hour); Willpower 5; Strength 4 (1, Lifter), Dexterity 2, Stamina 3, Manipulation 2, Charisma 2, Appearance 3, Perception 3, Intelligence 1 (1, Mathematical Savant), Wits 2; Abilities: Academics 1, Arts 1, Athletics 4, Biz 2, Brawl 3, Command 1, Drive 2, Endurance 3, Engineering 2, Firearms 4, Investigation 1, Medicine 1, Melee 3, Might 4, Perform 1, Pilot 1, Rapport 2, Resistance 3, Science 1, Stealth 2, Style 1, Survival 4; Backgrounds: Allies 1, Backing 4, Contacts 3, Dormancy 3, Influence 3, Resources 5; Quantum Powers: Armor 2, Luck 3; Soak: Bashing 9 dice, Lethal 7 dice (Heals rates are two times normal, Lifespan 150+ years). Brooks, Eric The man known as Blade was born into a world of blood and darkness over seven decades ago. His mother, a prostitute, was forced to seek a stranger's assistance when she experienced severe labor complications. The stranger, Deacon Frost, claimed to be a doctor, but he was actually a ravenous vampire. Frost feasted on the woman as she gave birth, passing on a series of enzymes that altered her baby. The enzymes entered the infant's bloodstream, transforming him into a Dhampir - a being tainted by a vampire's kiss, but not converted. Frost was driven away before he could slay the child, but Blade's mother died. Orphaned, Blade was raised at Madame Vanity's brothel, his mother's workplace. He knew how his mother had died, but he did not fully understand it until he was nine years old. Walking home one evening, he saw an old man attacked by vampires. Blade threw himself into the melee, courageously driving away the demons. The old man turned out to be Jamal Afari, a great jazz trumpeter and a dangerous foe of the undead. Afari moved into Vanity's and mentored Blade, tutoring him in both music and combat. Blade developed into a human killing machine, 94

specializing in the use of teakwood daggers; but despite Afari's positive influence, Blade fell prey to the local criminal element. He briefly joined the Bloodshadows street gang, claiming leadership after driving out the group's previous head, Cutter. Blade also took Cutter's woman - Glory - for his own; but when the Bloodshadows ran afoul of the vampire Lamia, Glory was converted into one of the undead. Blade slew Lamia and resolved to accept his destiny, focused once more on battling the undead. When the vampire lord Dracula turned Afari into a vampire that Blade was forced to destroy, this intensified his hatred for the undead. Partnered with Azu, Ogun, Musenda and Orji Jones, Blade journeyed to China, where he tricked Dracula into an ambush and they slew the vampire; however, Dracula rose again within the night and gleefully slaughtered Blade's allies. Blade continued his crusade alone for a time, eventually attracting the attention of Quincy Harker, whose passion for destroying the undead nearly equaled Blade's own. Blade initially scorned Harker's methods as too slow, but after an unsuccessful battle with Dracula on board an oceanliner, Blade began to recognize the need for allies. Working with Frank Drake, Rachel van Helsing, Taj Nital and Quincy Harker, Blade tracked Dracula to one of his many lairs and once again plunged a stake deep into the vampire's heart; unfortunately, Dracula soon revived. After another battle in the Parisian underground, Dracula tore out Blade's throat, leaving him to transform into a vampire; but Blade recovered from the wound, realizing for the first time that he was seemingly immune to vampire bites. Armed with this knowledge, Blade left Harker's group to focus on finding his mother's killer; however, he was sidetracked by the Legion of the Damned, a cult of vampires based in London and answering to Marguerite D'Alescio, a human agent of Dracula. Madame Vanity, who had once employed Blade's mother and had helped raise him after her death, was slain by the Legion, sending Blade into a terrible rage. Intent on stopping the Legion from creating the Sunlight Serum that would have allowed vampires to move freely during the day, Blade teamed with Inspector Kate Fraser to track the Legion to their lair. There they rescued Blade's lover, Saffron Calder, and ended the group's threat. They also found taped evidence that cleared Blade of a number of trumped-up charges that the group had pinned on him. Months later, the hunt for Deacon Frost took Blade to Boston, where he was astonished to find Harker's team and their mortal enemy Dracula working together against a greater threat, Doctor Sun. Blade spurned this alliance at first, unwilling to work with a vampire, but joined them after realizing how dangerous Sun was. While battling Sun's forces, Blade caught a glimpse of Frost. Once again deserting Harker's band for his own mission, Blade resumed his search for Frost and soon found Hannibal King, a private eye whom Frost had transformed into a vampire. Unwilling to trust each other but united by their hatred of Frost, King and Blade joined forces to pursue Frost, encountering a vampiric doppelganger of Blade in the process. Finally, King and Blade tracked down Frost and seemingly destroyed him in a powerful explosion; but like all too many of Blade's vampire foes, Frost would eventually return. After Quincy Harker's death, his band of vampire hunters began to drift apart. One of them, Rachel van Helsing, was killed by Dracula and turned into a vampire before Wolverine destroyed her. Blade, Drake and King teamed with Doctor Strange to cast a spell called the Montesi Formula, which seemingly wiped out all vampires on Earth. For the first time in his life, Blade lacked a clear purpose. Seeking direction, he formed the Borderline Investigations firm with Drake and King; however, the agency soon fell apart due to financial constraints and uneasy personal relations among the partners. Later, Drake sought Blade's help with a personal crisis. The spirit of Drake's new wife, Marlene McKenna, had been fused with that of Rachel Van Helsing by the demonologist Smirnoff, who had sacrificed hundreds of college students in the cult known as the Belonging to amplify Dracula's power. Blade used Marlene as bait to lure Dracula, who had been revived by the demon Asmodeus. During a terrible confrontation with Dracula, Blade was badly beaten and his mind snapped. Convinced that his allies were standing between him and Dracula's demise, Blade became a threat to everyone around him. Drake found the best mental help money could buy for Blade, who was temporarily housed in an asylum. He recovered, due in part to the aid of Doctor Strange, who mystically transmuted Blade's hatred of vampires into a more generalized distaste for all things occult. Strange did this because Blade and his allies were fated to play a vital role in thwarting the demon mother, Lilith. Blade renewed his partnership with Drake and King as the Nightstalkers, and the trio were soon hired by Lilith herself to attack the Ghost Rider and John Blaze as supposed threats to humanity, a battle Ghost Rider barely survived. Blade threw himself wholeheartedly into their new business, eager to eradicate the occult world. The group immediately drew the attention of the Department of Occult Armaments (D.O.A.), a division of Hydra headed by Belial. Blade's dislike of the supernatural almost led him to sacrifice King to the group, but in the end he put aside his doubts and risked his life to save his friend. The Nightstalkers next aided the Punisher, who had been caught in a mystical war between Shiv and Adam Casim. Blade next found himself in conflict with Morbius, who was desperately seeking a way to end his pseudo-vampiric existence. Their battle attracted the attention of an ancient alchemist named Stonecold and his vampiric ally, Vic Slaughter. Trading one obsession for another had done little to moderate Blade's personality, and he often came dangerously close to harming innocents. Using a page from the cursed Darkhold to become mystically powerful, Blade sought to wipe out all supernatural beings. He fought and slew many of the Midnight Sons, a loose-knit mystical confederation that included the Nightstalkers, and began calling himself Switchblade to further distance himself from his past life. Though much of the damage he caused was erased from existence, it was not erased from Blade's mind. Overwhelmed by guilt, Blade used the mystical knife known as the Edge of Intrados to 95

summon and examine visions of his life. Finally seeing how dangerous it was to be ruled by his obsessions, he felt hopeful about his future for the first time. A battle with the child of Lilith known as Short-Circuit soon followed and the growing rift between King and Blade was seemingly set aside forever, as Blade swore to prevent King from ever losing control of his vampiric self. Unfortunately, the Montesi Formula had begun to weaken. Varnae, the original Lord of Vampires, returned to life and Hydra created a Dracula clone called Bloodstorm. Dracula's wife, Domini, came seeking aid to retrieve her kidnapped son, Janus. While the rest of the Nightstalkers embarked on a plan to track down Bloodstorm, Blade took on the task of finding Janus. His investigation led him to Kennedy Airport where the man behind the kidnapping was boarding a plane headed to New Delhi. Blade's heart was broken when he discovered that his old ally, Taj Nital, had been transformed into a vampire and was now serving Varnae, who had orchestrated the kidnapping. During a massive struggle between Varnae, Bloodstorm and the Nightstalkers, all save Blade were seemingly destroyed. Blade felt extreme guilt over the fact that his only friends were now dead, leaving him to carry on his war alone. He swore to continue the search for Janus, but to date the child has not been located. He soon found a new ally in Bible John Carik, a member of the mystical Cathari sect, guardians of an ancient mystical library. Alongside Carik, Blade battled a strangely reborn Dracula and a false Deacon Frost. He also attempted to forge a normal life for himself outside of vampire hunting. Befriending a woman named Julia Suarez, he rented an apartment from her under the name Frank Blade. He clashed with Marie Laveau, Steppin' Razor and Night Terror while the trio were reviving Varnae once more. Blade's spirit briefly traveled back in time, experiencing the life of 17th-century vampire hunter Jonas Cray. Laveau later sent her agents, the Vampz, to kill Bible John but Blade once more halted her plans. Meanwhile, Carik's visions of Hannibal King and Frank Drake eventually culminated in the revelation that the two men had somehow merged with Bloodstorm to form this new Dracula. Blade and a future version of himself known as Crossbow were instrumental in helping King and Drake return from this state, though Dracula's true soul retained possession of the body they had once shared. Drake has yet to recover from these events. Blade was soon summoned to New Orleans by the enigmatic beauty Dominique Levant, who led him into the midst of a vampiric coup of sorts involving the living vampire Morbius and the powerful Ulysses Sojourner. Sojourner sought to unify all vampires on the East Coast, but Blade halted the scheme. Remaining active in New Orleans, Blade teamed with Brother Voodoo to thwart Marie Laveau and Deacon Frost's attempts to build an undead army. Later, Blade and Spider-Man encountered the vampire Henry Sage and learned of the development of the Daywalker formula, an evolution of the Sunlight Serum. Continuing to refine his techniques and equipment, Blade helped Spider-Man try to capture their former ally Morbius, who had fallen under the sway of a vampire known as the Hunger. During their confrontation, Morbius bit Blade, who soon realized that his blood enzymes were not enough to protect him from his foe's unique form of vampirism. Transforming into the thing he hated most, Blade became a Daywalker, a vampire able to move about in the sunlight and lacking most of the vampire's traditional weaknesses. Blade was now driven by bloodthirst, however, and he struggles to this day to cope with his hunger for human blood. Shortly thereafter, Blade was captured by Silvereye, a S.H.I.E.L.D. division devoted to developing its own cadre of vampire soldiers. The Silvereye division was partially a front for a scheme engineered by Darius Venginian, a vampire who sought to resurrect an ancient vampiric demon known as the Reaper. He also sought to program Blade into becoming a Silvereye pawn, but this plan failed when Blade broke free of his programming. The vampire-hunting twins Mosha and Mikado aided Blade during this adventure and accompanied him when he fled the scene, swearing to have nothing more to do with S.H.I.E.L.D. in the future. Blade's partnership with the twins was brief, and he was alone again when he faced a terrifying breed of multistage vampires known as the Tryks. Blade was seduced by their queen, who hoped that their progeny would eventually allow her kind to rule the Earth. Most recently, Blade teamed up with a new group of vampire hunters, thwarting an immense vampire conspiracy threatening the entire planet, led by Dracula himself. Dracula was destroyed once again, though his eventual resurrection seems to be assured. Despite his terrible losses and his own transformations, Blade continues in his crusade. He believes that mankind is locked in a war for its very soul and that he alone can stem the rising tide of evil. Fueled by a constant craving for vengeance against the monsters who have tainted his own humanity, Blade will never rest until all the vampires of the world have been destroyed. Real Name: Eric Brooks; Aliases: Daywalker, Switchblade, Frank Blade; Identity: Secret; Occupation: Vampire hunter; Citizenship: U.S.A.; Place of Birth: Unrevealed; Known Relatives: Unnamed mother (deceased); Group Affiliation: Formerly Noah van Helsing's vampire hunters, Nightstalkers, Midnight Sons, the Nine, Quincy Harker's vampire hunters, Ogun Strong's vampire hunters, Bloodshadows gang; Education: High-school equivalent; Height: 6'2"; Weight: 180 lbs.; Eyes: Brown; Hair: Black Quantum 3; Quantum Pool 30 (Regenerate every hour); Willpower 7; Taint 6 (Feed on human blood to power abilities); Strength 4 (2, Crush), Dexterity 4, Stamina 4 (2, Health, Regeneration), Manipulation 2, Charisma 1, Appearance 3, Perception 3 (1, Bloodhound, Electromagnetic Vision, Hyperenhanced Hearing), Intelligence 3, Wits 3; Abilities: Arts 1, Athletics 3, Awareness 3, Command 4, Computer 1, Drive 3, Endurance 3, Engineering 1, Firearms 4, Interrogation 3, Intimidation 4, Intrusion 3, Investigation 2, Linguistics 2, Martial Arts 5, Medicine 1, Melee 4, Might 4, Rapport 1, Resistance 3, Stealth 3, Streetwise 3, Subterfuge 2, Survival 2; Backgrounds: Allies 3, Cipher 4, Contacts 2, Influence 3, Node 3, Resources 2; Soak: Bashing 6 dice, Lethal 3 96

dice (Heals rates are four times normal, ignore 2 points of damage penalty, one extra Bruised health level, Lifespan 150+ years). Bukowski, John Following a freak accident during a concert, when his electrical guitar shorted out and hit him with 20.000 volts, rock musician Johnny B discovered he could now attract, absorb and discharge large amounts of electricity. Finding that water could cause a potentially fatal short circuit, he retired from the music business and sought help from Dr. Billy Hayes, who recruited the rocker for his Misfits of Science. Real Name: John Bukowski; Identity/Class: Human mutate; Occupation: Rock musician; Affiliations: The Misfits of Science, Dick Stetmeyer, Humanidyne Institute, Link, Brick Tyler; Enemies: Unknown; Known Relatives: None; Aliases: None; Base of Operations: Humanidyne Institute Quantum 5; Quantum Pool 30 (Regenerate every 15 minutes); Willpower 6; Taint 4 (Feed on Electricity, Vulnerable to Water Damage like acid if it hits him); Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 5, Manipulation 3, Charisma 4, Appearance 3, Perception 2, Intelligence 2, Wits 4; Abilities: Arts 1, Athletics 2, Awareness 1, Biz 2, Brawl 3, Drive 2, Endurance 3, Engineering 2, Intimidation 2, Linguistics 1, Melee 2, Might 1, Perform 3, Rapport 3, Resistance 3, Streetwise 2, Style 3; Backgrounds: Allies 3, Attunement 1, Backing 2, Cipher 1, Contacts 4, Influence 1, Node 5, Resources 3; Quantum Powers: Elemental Mastery (Electricity, Blast, Lethal Blast, Sphere) 3, Hyperrunning 4, Quantum Conversion (Electricity) 3, Quantum Regeneration (Special, Doesnt Rquire Willpower but does require ready source of electricity to recharge from) 5; Soak: Bashing 5 dice, Lethal 2 dice (Heals rates are two times normal, Lifespan 150+ years). Chase, Jonathon Superheroes have had many tricks up their sleeves over the years, but Jonathan Chase was really different. He had the ability, inherited from his father in some faraway jungle, to turn himself into animals - all sorts of animals, from a pussycat to a black panther. To most people he appeared as a wealthy, cultured young professor who taught "animal behavioral sciences" at New York University. To the police, he was a valued consultant on the use of animals in criminology. But to criminals, he was a snarl in the night, the sudden hiss of a cobra, the cry of an observant hawk. The transformations were at will, and dramatic; his breathing grew heavy, his hands began to show ripples and contractions, his nose grew a snout, and whiskers and fangs began to emerge. All of this was seen in intriguing, unconnected close-ups. Only two mortals knew of Chase's secret powers, his hip black helper, Ty Earle, with whom he had shared a few scrapes in Vietnam, and a pretty police detective named Brooke. Brooke had stumbled on his secret by accident, and now worked with him on cases. She also found he had a certain well, animal magnetism, but nothing much came of their budding romance during the short run of this series. Instead, viewers were treated to a steady diet of coy remarks ("I was a real pussycat," "He's probably out catting around"), while the heavy breathing was reserved strictly for business. Years later Jonathan Chase encountered the superhero Nightman, and it was discovered that his daughter had also inherited the shape shifting powers. Real Name: Professor Jonathan Chase; Identity/Class: Human, either mutant or mystically altered; Occupation: Professor of Behavioral Science; Affiliations: Nightman; Enemies: Unknown; Known Relatives: Teresa Chase (daughter); Aliases: None known; Base of Operations: New York Quantum 4; Quantum Pool 50 (Regenerate every 30 minutes); Willpower 6; Taint 0; Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Manipulation 2, Charisma 3, Appearance 2, Perception 3, Intelligence 4, Wits 4; Abilities: Animal Training 4, Athletics 3, Bureaucracy 3, Brawl 3, Drive 3, Engineering 1, Etiquette 3, Firearms 2, Investigation 3, Linguistics 5, Melee 2, Occult 2, Rapport 2, Science 4, Stealth 3, Subterfuge 1, Survival 4; Backgrounds: Allies 2, Contacts 3, Node 1, Resources 4; Quantum Powers: Shapeshift (Animals Only) 5; Soak: Bashing 3 dice, Lethal 1 dice (Heals rates are doubled, Lifespan 150+ years). Claude Claude is a fictional character in the NBC drama Heroes, portrayed by Christopher Eccleston, who joined because he was enthusiastic about playing an English hero. In "Godsend" he claims to be called "Claude Rains" which is the name of the actor who played The Invisible Man in the 1933 adaptation of the book. It has not been revealed if this is in fact his real name or an assumed name to protect his true identity. Claude is gruff, bitter and misanthropic. Claude seems to know much more about anything than he usually lets on. But whenever asked about certain people or events, he merely responds with either extremely vague answers, or changes the subject entirely. He is also invisible. He lives unseen in New York City, stealing what's convenient, though he does have a soft spot for a small flock of pigeons. Claude first appears in the episode "Godsend" during one of Peter Petrelli's prophetic dreams, in which he is seen laughing before Peter explodes. When the two run into each other later in the episode, Peter is able to see Claude despite his invisibility, and is in fact mimicking Claude's power himself. Shocked at being seen, Claude assaults Peter. In the following episode, "The Fix", Peter follows him and tries to enlist his help in stopping the impending catastrophe, as well as in controlling his powers. Claude insists their powers cannot be controlled, and demands that Peter stop following him. Later, he seeks out Peter and assists him in escaping Nathan Petrelli and Mohinder Suresh, then tells him he's now willing to teach him. However, he warns that it will be extremely difficult. Claude tries to instruct Peter on how to use abilities he has absorbed by clearing his mind of all 97

attachments. Peter denies this at first, but becomes more sympathetic to the idea after witnessing a romantic encounter between Simone and Isaac on the apartment rooftop. Claude throws Peter off of the building, intending to force him to fly. Peter instead falls on a taxi cab, impaling his chest, but regenerates his wounds with the power he'd absorbed from Claire earlier. At this point, Peter realizes that instead of clearing his mind, he has to remember the people he met, and how he felt when meeting them. However, several powers then begin to overwhelm him at once, until Claude knocks him unconscious. The two are next shown continuing their training in "Unexpected", where Claude draws out Peter's telekinesis with means that involve beating him with a wooden pole. Just as the two reach relatively amiable terms, Claude is hit by TASER fire from Mr. Bennet, tipped off by a jealous Isaac Mendez. Peter throws Claude off the roof and flies away with him, vanishing as they go. Claude recovers without injury, but is so apprehensive about being assaulted by what he proclaims was the reason he went to hiding in the first place that he ends the partnership then and there, walking out of Peter's life. In the following episode "Company Man", it is revealed that Mr. Bennet and Claude worked together as partners when Bennet originally joined "The Company". It is also revealed in the graphic novel "Hell's Angel" that Claude and Bennet were sent to capture the pyrokinetic human, Meredith Gordon, but when the house caught on fire, Claude ordered Bennet to help her child Claire Bennet. He is also the one who started Claire's teddy bear collection. The three of them managed to escape before the building burned to the ground. A short time afterward, Claude became disillusioned with the company's goals and refused to "hunt his own people". Mr. Bennet was ordered to dispose of Claude after it was discovered he had hidden someone with an ability. After being shot by Bennet, Claude stumbled over a traffic barrier and onto the bridge railing, and ended up suspended on his back between the two. He slowly turned invisible as he hung there, leading Bennet to believe that he was dead. Prior to his partnership with Noah Bennet, Claude worked with a man called Haram, as per the Heroes web comic "Golden Handshake". The last chapter of this comic also shows his last name begins with the letter "R", although at the time there was confirmation that the last name was "Rains", as the first use of this name was a joke about the actor who originally played the "Invisible Man". Claude has the power to render himself invisible to the naked eye. This power is limited to the visible spectrum. It does not make him inaudible, nor does it mask his body heat or other such emissions, allowing him to be tracked through thermal imaging or similar methods. In addition, Claude has the ability to see others using the same power; Peter, having copied Claude's power, can see him as easily as any normal person when invisible. Claude's power also extends to everything in his immediate vicinity, namely his clothes and other personal effects. This is exemplified when Claude grabs a woman's purse and hands it to Peter, which becomes visible as Peter holds it in his arms. Claude also demonstrates the ability to render other people invisible through physical contact. Claude seems to have complete control of his power. In the episode "Company Man", Claude claims to Mr. Bennet in a flashback that he was present during several meetings but could not be seen. It is worth noting however that he stated to Peter Petrelli that he has been invisible for quite some time in order to hide from Bennet and The Company, implying that his constant invisibility is his choice. Quantum 1; Quantum Pool 45 (Regenerate every hour); Willpower 8; Taint 0; Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4, Manipulation 5, Charisma 2, Appearance 3, Perception 4, Intelligence 4, Wits 3; Abilities: Athletics 4, Awareness 3, Brawl 4, Bureaucracy 3, Command 2, Drive 2, Endurance 4, Firearms 3, Interrogation 3, Intimidation 4, Intrusion 5, Investigation 3, Melee 2, Might 2, Resistance 4, Science 2, Stealth 5, Streetwise 4, Subterfuge 3, Survival 4; Backgrounds: Allies 1, Attunement 5, Cipher 5, Contacts 4, Node 2, Resources 1; Quantum Powers: Invisibility 4; Soak: Bashing 4 dice, Lethal 2 dice (Heals rates are doubled, Lifespan 150+ years). Dinallo, Gloria Gloria "Glo" Dinallo believed her father had been an alien. To her mind, this was the explanation for the telekinetic powers she possessed. Unfortunately her lack of conscious control had caused her to gain a police record for vandalism and assault, labeling her a delinquent and landing her in the custody of a probation officer, Jane Miller. A former patient of Billy Hayes, she was recruited by the scientist into his Misfits of Science. Her desire to stay on the team was influenced not a little by her interest in fellow member, Johnny B. Real Name: Gloria Dinallo; Identity/Class: Human mutant, possibly human / extra-terrestrial hybrid; Occupation: Delinquent; Affiliations: The Misfits of Science, Dick Stetmeyer, Humanidyne Institute, Link, Brick Tyler; Enemies: Unknown; Known Relatives: Unnamed father (whom she believed had been an alien); Aliases: None; Base of Operations: Humanidyne Institute Quantum 2; Quantum Pool 24 (Regenerate every hour); Willpower 5; Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Manipulation 2, Charisma 3, Appearance 3, Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 3; Abilities: Arts 2, Athletics 2, Awareness 1, Brawl 2, Drive 1, Endurance 3, Intrusion 2, Legerdemain 1, Melee 1, Might 1, Resistance 3, Stealth 1, Streetwise 2; Backgrounds: Allies 3, Backing 2, Contacts 4, Mentor 2, Node 1, Resources 1; Quantum Powers: Telekinesis 3; Soak: Bashing 3 dice, Lethal 1 dice (Heals rates are two times normal, Lifespan 150+ years).

98

Graham, Will Character Type: Government Agent with possible Psychic Powers; Will Graham is one of the main characters of the novel Red Dragon. He is an FBI profiler who has the ability to empathize with psychopaths. In the book, as well as the two film versions of it, Graham is portrayed as being disturbed, even disgusted, by his ability. Graham is seen as one of the few people to be Lecter's intellectual equal, something Lecter himself acknowledges. Will Graham was originally a homicide detective in New Orleans who had grown up poor in Southern Louisiana. He left to attend graduate school in forensic science at George Washington University. After attaining his degree, Graham went to work for the FBI's crime lab. Following exceptional work both in the crime lab and in the field, Graham was given a post as teacher at the FBI Academy. During both his field work while at the crime lab and the Academy, Graham was given the title of "Special Investigator" while he was in the field. In one of Graham's field cases during the 1970s, he was tracking a serial killer, who had been stabbing young women, many of them college coeds, for eight months. He eventually caught the killer, Garrett Jacob Hobbs, known as the Minnesota Shrike, and killed him. When Graham found Hobbs at Hobbs' home, Hobbs was repeatedly slashing his own daughter's throat. When Graham appeared, Hobbs' wife was on the apartment landing, bleeding from multiple stab wounds, and clutched at Graham before he kicked in the door. He then shot Hobbs to death (Hobbs' daughter survived and eventually returned to normal life following intensive psychotherapy.) Graham was profoundly disturbed by the incident, and was referred to the psychiatric ward of an unnamed major hospital. He eventually returned to the FBI. In 1975, he began to track down another serial killer, known as the "Chesapeake Ripper", who was removing organs from the victims. He turned to world famous psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter for help. After looking around Lecter's office during a consultation, he saw the antique medical diagram Wound Man, whose wounds matched exactly those of one of the Ripper's victims, and realized that Lecter was the killer he sought. Graham went to Lecter's outer office and made a phone call to the FBI's Baltimore Field Office. Lecter sneaked up on Graham and stabbed him in the abdomen, nearly disemboweling him. Lecter was arrested and Graham spent months recovering in a hospital. A tabloid reporter, Freddy Lounds, sneaked into the hospital where Graham was recuperating, photographed Graham's wounds and humiliated him in the National Tattler. Graham's heroic capture of Lecter made him a celebrity. Three years later, Graham, now living with his wife Molly and her son Willy in Marathon, Florida, is persuaded by his former boss, Jack Crawford, to come out of retirement and help the FBI again in the "Tooth Fairy" case. The Tooth Fairy, actually a man named Francis Dolarhyde, had killed two families on a lunar cycle, the first in Birmingham and the second in Atlanta. After studying the crime scenes, Graham consults Lecter on the case, but Lecter gives him only vague brainteasers as clues, and sends Dolarhyde Graham's address in code, threatening the safety of his wife and stepson. The family is moved first to a cottage owned by Crawford's brother, but Molly later decides to take Willy to stay with her late husband's parents in Oregon. Graham resumes tracking Dolarhyde, eventually linking him to a video production company. When Graham, Crawford and FBI agents arrive at Dolarhyde's home to arrest him, they find that the killer had set it on fire while his blind girlfriend, Reba McClane, was inside, and then apparently committed suicide. Graham rescues and consoles McClane, and returns home, believing Dolarhyde's reign of terror is over. However, at the end of the book, Dolarhyde's apparent suicide is revealed to have been a ruse. Dolarhyde attacks Graham and his family at their Florida home, stabbing Graham in the face before being killed by Graham's wife. Graham and his family survive, but he is left disfigured. A brief reference in The Silence of the Lambs, the sequel to Red Dragon, implies that his wife had left him soon after that, and he is now "a drunk with a face that's hard to look at." In Michael Mann's film version of the book, Manhunter, Graham is played by William Petersen. In Brett Ratner's 2002 edition, Red Dragon, he is played by Edward Norton. Neither film adaptation has Graham as seriously injured by Dolarhyde as the book's climax suggests. In the novel, Graham's wife, Molly, has a son, Willy, from a previous marriage. In both films, Willy is Graham's child. In the novel, Molly's son is named Willy; in Manhunter, Willy becomes Kevin; in the film Red Dragon, Willy becomes Josh. The reasons for these name changes has never been explained, though it seems plausible that casual viewers may get confused by referring to both Graham and his son with similar first names (Will and Willy, respectively). In the film Manhunter, Graham's "gift" is never explained (an extra scene in the Director's Cut shows a conversation between Graham and Dr. Chilton, in which Chilton inquires Graham about his abilities). In the novel, Graham carries a heavily modified Charter Arms .44 Bulldog revolver. In both the film and novel Red Dragon, Graham's gift is classified as making him an 'eideteker', a person with eidetic memory. Quantum 2; Quantum Pool 24 (Regenerate every hour); Willpower 6; Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Charisma 2, Manipulation 3, Appearance 1, Perception 4, Intelligence 3 (Eidetic Memory), Wits 4; Abilities: Academics (History, Law, Occult, Politics, Research) 3, Athletics (Dodge) 2, Awareness (Intuition) 4, Biz 2, Bureaucracy (Covert) 2, Command 2, Computer 3, Drive 3, Endurance 3, Engineering 1, Etiquette 2, Firearms 3, Interrogation 5, Intimidation 2, Intrusion (Security Systems) 2, Investigation (Enigmas) 4, Melee 3, Rapport 5, Resistance 3, Science 3, Stealth 1, Streetwise 3, Subterfuge 4, Survival 1; Backgrounds: Allies 2, Backing (FBI) 2, Contacts 3, Influence 1, Resources 3; Soak: Bashing 3 dice, Lethal 1 dice (Heals rates are two times normal, Lifespan 150+ years). 99

Grimm, Ben Ben Grimm grew up in poverty at 7135 Yancy Street, on Manhattan's Lower East Side. His drunken father couldn't hold down a job, so much of their family's income came from Ben's older brother Dan, who led the Yancy Street Gang. Ben idolized his brother, and when Dan was killed in a gang fight, Ben grew increasingly bitter-especially after his aunt Sophie died of cancer that same year. Ben joined the Yancy Street Gang himself, eventually becoming its leader; however, when his parents were killed in an accident, the teenage Ben was forced to move uptown to live with his new guardians, his Uncle Jake and Aunt Alyce. The Yancy Street Gang denounced Ben as a sellout after he moved away, developing an enduring grudge against their former leader. A respected medical doctor, Jake had pulled himself up from the Yancy Street slums and hoped he could help Ben make something of himself as well. Jake and Alyce were tough but loving parents, and while Ben resisted them at first, their unconditional affection gradually won him over. Ben finished high school, discovering his natural football talent along the way, and won a full-ride sports scholarship to State University. Ben roomed with Reed Richards, who dreamed of someday building a starship; Grimm jokingly promised that if Reed ever built it, he would fly it. Ben became a star quarterback at State, and spent much of his time trying to coax his more socially awkward roommate out of his shell. Outgoing and popular, Ben soon found a steady girlfriend in Alynn Cambers, his first true love. When Alynn abruptly dropped out of school, Ben tracked her down and proposed marriage. Though she loved Ben, Alynn wanted a Hollywood acting career, which left no room for a serious relationship. She rejected the heartbroken Ben's proposal, eventually becoming a star as she had planned. After finishing college, Ben joined the U.S. military to continue his education and pursue his longtime dream of becoming a pilot. After training in a series of military operations, he shifted from combat duty to become a test pilot, one of the best in the Air Force. He formed close friendships with fellow pilots Desmond Pitt and Mick Clancy and found new love with scientist Dr. Linda McGill. As a test pilot, Ben undertook dangerous assignments on occasion, notably when the Pentagon recruited him to fly government agents Carol Danvers and Logan into Russia, supposedly to test a series of radio transmitters. The trio were shot down but managed to fight their way out of Russia while Logan completed his true mission, capturing the Russian Project: Red Storm. Ben eventually moved into the astronaut training program, where his colleagues included fellow pilot John Jameson. Reed had begun to build his starship and asked his old friend Ben to be its pilot. When the government abruptly cut off their funding, Reed asked Ben to help him make an unauthorized test flight before the project could be shut down. Ben feared that the ship might not be adequately shielded against cosmic radiation; but Reed's girlfriend Sue Storm -to whom Ben was somewhat attracted-played on Ben's machismo and he acquiesced. Joined by Sue and her kid brother Johnny Storm, they successfully launched the ship into space, but cosmic rays penetrated their shielding and forced them to crash-land back on Earth. The radiation had mutated them into superhuman beings-unluckily for Grimm, who transformed into the grotesque, scaly-hided strongman dubbed the Thing. The quartet decided to use their powers for the betterment of humanity as the Fantastic Four. Wandering the streets of New York shortly after his transformation, Ben was attacked by a terrified group of Yancy Street Gang members and fled into the sewers, where an encounter with some wretched tunneldwellers helped give Ben the determination to cope with his own situation. Returning home, Ben met his girlfriend Linda, who fled in fear of Ben's monstrous appearance. She soon sought Ben out again, trying to comfort him and expressing a willingness to continue their relationship; but he felt she would be better off without him, so he feigned an insane rage and threatened her, scaring her away. They never reconciled, and Dr. McGill went on to marry another man, raising a family and continuing her scientific career. Ben built a new life for himself as part of the FF; one notable early foe was the Impossible Man, a mischievous alien who later became a friend to the FF in general and Ben in particular. The super-strong Namor and the Hulk would encounter Ben repeatedly as both allies and enemies over the years, and the Hulk would become one of Ben's toughest recurring opponents. The Thing often partnered with the Human Torch to fight foes such as the Beetle, the Terrible Trio, Professor Jack and Kang. Initially, Ben spontaneously reverted to his human form for random intervals; but he always returned to his Thing form, and his mutation eventually stabilized in a more rock-like appearance. Early on, Ben was so unhappy with his condition that it sometimes compromised his loyalty to the team: for instance, when Doctor Doom forced the FF to undertake a time travel quest, Ben found a new life in the past as the legendary Blackbeard the Pirate and very nearly abandoned his teammates to remain in the 18th century; later, Ben briefly agreed to serve Diablo in exchange for a possible cure for his mutation, though he soon turned on the evil alchemist to save the FF. Over time, Ben came to accept his new form, albeit somewhat bitterly. An immense help in this regard was the Puppet Master's stepdaughter Alicia Masters, a blind sculptress who claimed she could see the inner beauty of Ben's soul. Alicia and Ben fell in love and dated for years, though the insecure Ben was never entirely sure if he was worthy of Alicia and feared she would eventually abandon him. Other women in Ben's life included the alternate future Femizon named Thundra (an admirer) and the cat-woman Tigra (a good friend). For years Ben and Avengers butler Edwin Jarvis have organized a series of floating super-hero poker games, attended by players such as Nick Fury, Wolverine, Blake Tower, Doctor Strange, Beast, Human Torch, She-Hulk, Black Cat, Archangel, Spider-Man and many of the Avengers. Ben has also teamed up in action with a dizzying array of super heroes over the years, ranging from icons like Captain America and Iron Man to fringe 100

figures such as Son of Satan, Straw Man, Brother Voodoo, Jack of Hearts, Stingray, Blue Diamond and the Living Mummy. Ben even befriended his longtime enemy Sandman when the villain reformed. One special ally was the orphaned alien man-child Wundarr, who came to regard his "Uncle Benjy" with a familial affection that lingered even after he evolved into the enlightened Aquarian. When Wundarr was housed at the high-tech research facility Project: PEGASUS for study, the Thing joined their security staff to keep a closer eye on him. During his association with the Project, Ben helped protect PEGASUS from menaces such as the Grapplers and the Nth Man (both sponsored by Roxxon Oil), and he formed close friendships with fellow PEGASUS staffers Quasar (Wendell Vaughn) and Bill Foster. Over the years, Reed and others sought various cures for Ben's condition, some of which were temporarily successful. During a period where Ben had made a seemingly permanent reversion to his human form, the FF hired super-mercenary Luke Cage to serve as Ben's replacement; however, Ben soon rejoined the FF after Reed provided Ben with a suit of strength-enhancing armor that outwardly resembled his Thing form. Before long, Ben had transformed into the Thing again; but over time, Reed began to suspect that Ben's inability to assume human form was a strictly psychological limitation tied to Ben's relationship with Alicia, who had fallen in love with him in his Thing form. Reed theorized that Ben's fear of losing Alicia was the only thing preventing him from resuming his human form at will, but he was unsure of this theory and kept it to himself, not wanting to undermine Ben's romance. When the FF were among the many super heroes forced to fight in the Secret War on the Beyonder's Battleworld, Ben discovered that he could resume his human form at will-probably due in part to his prolonged separation from Alicia, though Ben assumed it was caused by some strange properties of the planet Battleworld itself. When the war ended, Ben decided to remain behind, recruiting SheHulk to take his place in the FF. Ben had a series of strange encounters, unaware they were mostly formed from his own subconscious-including Tarianna, an idealized warrior woman with whom Ben fell in love, and the sorcerer Grimm, an evil mystical personification of Ben's human side. Tarianna and Grimm eventually killed each other, leaving Ben unable to retake human form. Returning to Earth, Ben learned too late of Reed's theory that his transformations had been psychologically-based, and also discovered that Alicia had apparently left him for Johnny in his absence. Feeling bitter and betrayed, Ben quit the FF altogether and hit the road, trying to find himself. He briefly joined the motorcycle stunt-riding Thunderiders, where he met and became smitten with champion sportswoman Sharon Ventura, a virtual twin of Tarianna. During his travels, Ben became a friend and mentor to the troubled young mutant runaway Vance Astrovik. Ben, Vance and Sharon all became involved in the Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation, a professional wrestling league for super-humans (Sharon having become a superhuman and taking the codename Ms. Marvel). Ben befriended fellow wrestler Demolition Dunphy and began associating with the new western roster of the Avengers, whose leader Hawkeye worked relentlessly to recruit him. Ben was the reigning UCWF champion for some time, but personal concerns (including his growing awareness of corruption in the sport) led him to purposely throw an exhibition match and quit the league. He finally accepted Avengers membership, but resigned and went into seclusion the very next day after mutating into an even more monstrous form. He found sanctuary and acceptance in the subterranean realm of his old foe the Mole Man, who was planning to raise a new continent where his subjects could live above ground; but when the FF revealed that this process would cause devastating killer earthquakes, the Thing reluctantly sided with them and helped thwart the Mole Man's plans. Having nowhere else to go, and having reverted to his standard Thing form by then, Ben rejoined the FF. When Reed and Sue retired from active FF duty to focus on raising their son, they left Ben in charge. He recruited Crystal and Ms. Marvel to replace them and served capably as team leader, starting a romance with Sharon that deepened after new cosmic radiation exposure further mutated them both, turning Sharon into a sort of "She-Thing" and Ben into an even stronger, more hideous spiky-hided Thing. Their romance continued through several more changes of form (with Ben eventually settling back into his classic Thing form), even after Reed and Sue rejoined the group; but they were estranged after Sharon accepted Doctor Doom's aid in regaining human form. Ben has not yet had a serious relationship since his split with Sharon, though he has flirted with Reed's old friend Alyssa Moy and briefly dated Damage Control executive Kathleen O'Meara. When the Alicia who had eventually married Johnny was revealed to be the shape-shifting Skrull spy Lyja, the FF found and rescued the real Alicia, but she and Ben have remained only good friends. Ben has maintained a bizarre enmity with the Yancy Street Gang, his former peers having passed down their resentment of Grimm to the next generation of Yancy punks. Over the years, the gang has perpetrated a seemingly endless series of practical jokes, verbal abuse and petty assaults on Grimm, though many of the practical jokes credited to the Yancy crowd were actually played by a sneaky Johnny Storm. At the same time, the Yancy Streeters take a perverse pride in their distinguished alumnus, and have been known to come to Ben's aid on occasion-they seem to think only they have the right to abuse him. Though estranged from the gang, Ben has remained friendly with some of his childhood chums from Yancy Street, including Cholly (now owner of the Yancy Street Bar and Grill), helicopter pilot Hopper Hertnecky and old high school buddy "Slugger" Sokolowski. Ben has also kept in touch with his uncle Jake, who married a new wife-the much younger Petunia "Penny" Grimm-after Alyce died. Ben took a great liking to Petunia, whom he often jokingly described as a little old lady until the FF actually got to meet the beautiful Mrs. Grimm in person. Alynn Cambers also renewed her friendship with Ben (though not their romance), seeking his guidance and support after a stroke left her disfigured and partially crippled. 101

The Fantastic Four are not just Ben's friends; they have become his surrogate family, and he is like a beloved uncle to Reed and Sue's children, Franklin and Valeria. When he was killed during a recent battle with Doctor Doom, the rest of the FF followed his spirit to the gates of Heaven itself, where the heavenly Creator restored Ben to life. The Thing remains the big-hearted, brick-hided backbone of the FF to this day, ready to rattle evildoers with his Sunday punch and his eternal battle cry: "It's Clobberin' Time!" But even the strong bonds of friendship between the members were tested when a tragedy in Stamford, Connecticut led to the deaths of hundreds of innocent people near a schoolyard and pushed forward a Superhero Registration Act. While Johnny was attacked and beaten into a coma by a group of angry New York citizens, Reed and Sue broke up after Reed spent more time working with the Registration forces and their leader, Tony Stark, then being concerned for Johnny's pain. In frustration and a refusal to pick either side - each being distasteful to him in some way - Ben quit the country and moved to France. After a very short career alongside the French super team Les Heroes de Paris, Ben soon found himself drawn back to America and joined the majority of his team against the Registration forces. Though their leader, Captain America, soon turned himself in after an epic battle in downtown New York that ended up doing more damage than the help he had imagined. And in the aftermath, the Fantastic Four were left to decide what to do with their fractured relationships and team. The Thing's mutated physiology grants him tremendous superhuman strength and durability, the levels varying with his different forms. There have been periods where Ben could assume human form at will; however, these situations seldom last long. He also has enhanced stamina and lung capacity, and increased resistance to sensory and temperature extremes. His reflexes are above-average by human standards despite his immense mass, and he retains a reasonable level of agility and dexterity. Ben is an exceptionally skilled and experienced pilot, proficient with many varieties of both conventional and exotic aircraft, and was also trained as an astronaut. He is uniquely gifted in the art of hand-to-hand combat (a skill Ben honed long before he became the Thing), though his fighting style tends to be a rather loose brawling technique all his own. In his youth, Ben was a talented football player. Like the rest of the FF, Ben wears highly durable costuming composed of unstable molecules. In a few early outings as the Thing, Ben wore a helmet that concealed his face, but he soon discarded it; he later resumed wearing a helmet when he was recovering from facial scars inflicted by Wolverine, scars which were later healed by Hyperstorm. Real Name: Benjamin Jacob Grimm; Aliases: Bashful Benjy, Uncle Benjy, The Ever-Lovin' Blue-Eyed Thing, Idol of Millions (self-proclaimed), Grim Ben, Dr. Josiah Verpoorteen, Blackbeard the Pirate ; Identity: Publicly known; Occupation: Adventurer; former construction worker, security guard, astronaut, test pilot, college football player, student, wrestler; Citizenship: U.S.A.; Place of Birth: Manhattan, New York; Known Relatives: Daniel Grimm (father, deceased), Elsi Grimm (mother, deceased), Daniel Grimm Jr. (brother, deceased), Dr. Jacob Grimm (uncle and former legal guardian), Alyce Grimm (aunt, deceased), Sophie Grimm (aunt, deceased), Petunia "Penny" Grimm (aunt), unnamed maternal grandmother (deceased), Franklin Richards (godson); Group Affiliation: Fantastic Four; formerly Avengers, Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation, Thunderiders, pawns of Grandmaster, Project: PEGASUS staff, Defenders associate, NASA, U.S. military; Education: College graduate (State University), U.S. military pilot training, NASA astronaut training; Height: 6'; Weight: 500 lbs.; Eyes: Blue; Hair: None (formerly brown as Grimm) Quantum 4; Quantum Pool 30 (Regenerate every 30 minutes); Willpower 6; Strength 3 (4, Crush), Dexterity 2, Stamina 3 (5, Hardbody, Resiliency), Manipulation 2, Charisma 2, Appearance 1, Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 3; Abilities: Academics 1, Athletics 3, Awareness 1, Biz 1, Brawl 4, Bureaucracy 1, Command 3, Drive 2, Endurance 5, Engineering (Aircraft) 3, Firearms 1, Intimidation 3, Melee 2, Might 3, Pilot 4, Resistance 5, Science 3, Streetwise 3, Survival 2; Backgrounds: Allies 3, Attunement 1, Backing 4, Contacts 5, Eufiber 2, Influence 3, Resources 4, Sanctum 3; Quantum Powers: Armor (Superheavy) 4, Quantum Bolt (Wind, Bashing) 4; Soak: Bashing 25 dice, Lethal 17 dice (Heals rates are seven times normal, ignore five points of damage penalty, three extra Bruised health level, Lifespan 250+ years). Guevara, Max In early 21st century United States, Max Guevara (X5-452) is a genetically enhanced transgenic supersoldier. She was created in the government lab, "Manticore," and lived there with other "X-5" children until the year 2009, when she and eleven other children escaped. From that time, Max has lived in hiding, fearful of being recaptured by one of her guardians, Colonel Donald Michael Lydecker (John Savage). At the same time, she is desperate to locate her "brothers and sisters" and attempts to do so with the help of Logan Cale (Michael Weatherly), the cyber-journalist, "Eyes Only." Max was genetically engineered, and carried to term by a human woman, some time around the turn of the 21st century. She was created for a secret government supersoldier program called "Manticore", then located in Gyllette, Wyoming. As with almost all Manticore's soldiers, Max has a barcode on the back of her neck, with her identifying number sequence (332960073452). She is an X-5 model and is thus referred to as X5-452. Max Guevara is the name that she gave to herself. Max and her X-5 "brothers and sisters" were raised and trained by Colonel Donald Michael Lydecker (John Savage) who also had a role in the components of their creation. He trained them to be soldiers using harsh and brutal techniques, described by Max later as torture. During their training, Max was the subject of at 102

least one brutal medical experiment involving the re-healing of deliberately shattered limbs. Max also was required to take part in an exercise involving the hunting down and killing of a prisoner, her reaction to which haunts her later. The brutality of the X-5's lives eventually led to escape. In 2009, led by Zack (X5-599) (William Gregory Lee) and pursued by Manticore, twelve of the X-5s escaped through a snow-filled forest. Max fell into a frozen pond, and having learned how to hold her breath underwater for long periods of time, managed to outwit the men looking for her. She was eventually found by a sympathetic Manticore nurse who took Max to her house, a move which eventually allowed Max to escape to the world outside. Sometime after her escape, when Max was living with a foster family, on June 1, 2009, terrorists detonated an electromagnetic pulse weapon in the atmosphere over the U.S., which destroyed the vast majority of computer and communication systems. The United States became a place of chaos and anarchy. Over time this anarchy was replaced with a combination of martial law, corruption, and crime. By the year 2019, Max is living in Seattle, Washington. She works as a bicycle messenger for Jam Pony, giving her freedom to travel around the city, and resides as a squatter in an abandoned building, first with Kendra (Jennifer Blanc) and later with Original Cindy (Valarie Rae Miller). Other friends from work include Herbal Thought (Alimi Ballard) and Sketchy (Richard Gunn). Max also lives a secret life as a cat burglar, in order to fund the expensive search for her missing brothers and sisters. It is during one of these attempts that she meets Logan Cale, the cyber-journalist "Eyes Only." Cale allows her to escape from his apartment, however, since he is interested in learning more about her. Through the use of security footage he discovers who she is and invites Max to his apartment. It is there that he identifies her as one of the escaped X-5s. Max and Logan make a pact: he will help her find her missing siblings if she will help him solve mysteries. Logan also helps to protect Max from Lydecker, who is searching for her and the other escaped X-5s. Through their work together, Max and Logan eventually fall in love. Their feelings for each other, however, become complicated when Max finds Zach, who is also in love with her, and concerned her loyalty to Logan may compromise her safety. Eventually, as more siblings are discovered, and after Manticore betrays the escaped X-5's and murders one of them, Tinga, a plan is developed to attack Manticore, destroying its genetic engineering facility, one which eventually involves Lydecker who defects after he is betrayed and targeted for execution by Manticore's director Dr. Elizabeth Renfro/Madame X (Nana Visitor). While the mission is successful, both Max and Zach are caught, with Max being critically injured. Zach sacrifices himself to save Max. With Max last seen having apparently fatal injuries, and now a secret prisoner of Manticore, she is assumed to be dead by Logan. At Manticore, now relocated "An hour south of Seattle", after receiving medical treatment for her injuries, Max is tortured by Renfro in an attempt to persuade her to use her Manticore designation X5-452 rather than her name "Max"[5]. Upon the apparent success of this torture, she is re-integrated with the other X-5s. Renfro attempts to solicit her help when Eyes Only repeatedly threatens Manticore with exposure but Max refuses. In the mean time, Max is required to take part in a breeding program intended to replace Manticore's genetic engineering facility and is coupled with a clone of Ben, Alec (Jensen Ackles). Max also secretly befriends an early creation of Manticore, half-human, half-dog, Joshua (Kevin Durand), the only Manticore creation without a bar-code. Max subsequently escapes, apparently with Alec's help, only to find Alec has betrayed her and that she has been infected with a virus designed to kill Eyes Only. In revenge, she broadcasts the location of Manticore, and returns to free the transgenics before Renfro is able to wipe out Manticore and all evidence of its existence. These events eventually lead to public knowledge of the transgenics. Max's problems are also further complicated when Lydecker mysteriously disappears and Max is suddenly being hunted by Ames White. White is both an agent for the government and a member of a breeding cult which spans back centuries into humanity's past. It is his goal to find and destroy the Manticore transgenics particularly Max, who is revealed to have been created for a special purpose by White's father, Sandeman, the designer of all the Manticore transgenics. At the same time, Max tries to help Joshua (Kevin Durand) whose physical appearance makes life outside of Manticore difficult. Max also, at times unwillingly, teams up with Alec, despite a personality conflict and Alec hurting Max in several ways. Eventually, Max, Joshua, and Alec team up with other transgenics to fight those who discriminate against them. Max and the other X-5 children were given extensive combat training while at Manticore, including martial arts, infiltration, marksmanship with many weapons, and computer technology. Max, while an exceptionally powerful and astute fighter, has a standing personal philosophy which she states several times throughout the series: "I don't do guns." While outwardly indistinguishable from any normal human (except for the bar code on her neck), Max possesses several physical and mental enhancements as a result of genetic engineering. This genetic makeup is often connected with images from classical mythology (first indicated by the name of her original home, Manticore, a character in Greek mythology). It is further demonstrated through a conversation in the pilot episode: MAX - I know they made me. Even got the designer label on the back of my neck to prove it. LOGAN Technical term for you is Chimera. MAX - Yeah, made-up creature, like in mythology. Head of a lion, body of a goat. Your basic hodgepodge. Of her genetic make-up, she notes in Season One, Episode 2, Heat: Kendra was right. I am in heat, or something like that... all because they spiced up that genetic cocktail called me with a dash of feline DNA. So I 103

can jump fifteen feet of razor wire and take out a 250-pound linebacker with my thumb and index finger, which makes me an awesome killing machine and a hoot at parties. But it also means that three times a year I'm climbing the walls, looking for some action. Max also displays her affinity for cats in the pilot episode of the series, when she meets Logan for the first time while attempting to steal a statue in his apartment. When Logan asks why she was interested in the statue, Max replies, "because it's the Egyptian goddess Bast. The goddess who comprehends all goddesses, eye of Ra, protector, avenger, destroyer...giver of life who lives forever." Max could thus be described (like the comic book character Catwoman) as a "cat burglar." As a result of her genetic makeup and training, Max has the following special abilities: Enhanced strength, speed, agility, reflexes, durability, stamina and coordination. Accelerated healing. Enhanced eyesight, hearing, and night vision. Enhanced immune system. Eidetic memory. Very high I.Q. Expert martial artist and sharpshooter. Specialist in CQB, infiltration and tracking. Computer proficiency. Peak athletic condition. Just as Superman becomes weak after exposure to Kryptonite, Max also has an achilles heel which can leave her virtually helpless. In her case, it is a "design flaw": the inability of her brain to create enough serotonin. This condition leads to uncontrollable seizures and complete powerlessness. Of her condition, Max states, "Im supposed to be a revved-up girl... truth is, Im a lemon." In the same manner as Underdog with his "Underdog Super Energy Pill", and Popeye with his can of spinach, Max's powers can be revived through external means: either through the food supplement, tryptophan, or by drinking a glass of milk. In season 2 this no longer became an issue as the government captured her and repaired the faulty genes (this was never expressly stated in the show but it was implied in season one that design flaws in the genetic codes of the transgens could be repaired and in the second season after being captured by Manticore her serotonin levels were never an issue). While her primary training as a child (both negative and positive) came from Zach and Lydecker, as an adult, Max was influenced by a number of other individuals, including Logan, Original Cindy, and Joshua. She also befriended Phil, The Street Sweeper a deluded moral crusader who lends his exoskeleton to Logan so the paralyzed man could walk once more. She went out of her way to rescue gene therapy test subject, Jude Thatcher from being captured by Lydecker. Max considers the other X-5 children to be her only real family. Ben or X5-493 (twin of Alec/X5-494), her brother, becomes deranged after the escape and eventually Max must kill him. Max and Zach eventually find Brin or X5-734, who has a fatal design flaw and realizes she has no choice but to return to Manticore. Max also encounters Jace who did not escape and resented Max for having done so. When Jace discovers she is pregnant, however, she defects from Manticore, informing Max that she'll name her baby after her sister. Tinga/Penny or X5-656 is married to Charlie and has a highly gifted son, Case who is kidnapped by Lydecker and eventually trades herself in exchange for her son's release. She (secretly tearfully) has to send her nephew away, knowing she may never see him again! Two other X-5s are Krit or X5-511 and Syl. Max has a genetic twin Sam (X5-453) who was in a different unit. Sam never escaped Manticore's influence until Max brought it down, and bears resentment towards her twin sister. Real Name: X5-452; Identity/Class: Artificially engineered, genetically altered human; Occupation: Bike courier for Jam Pony, thief; Affiliations: Logan Cale (a.k.a. Eyes Only), Original Cindy (Cynthia McEachin), Sketchy (Calvin Theodore), Joshua, Zack (a.k.a. X5-599), Brin (X5-734), Tinga (X5-656), Alec (X5-494), Asha Copeland, Isaac (Joshua's younger brother, deceased), the Street Sweeper (Phil), unidentified man-child vigilante (aided and protected Max from Manticore's new stealth hoverdrone gunship), Wendy White (Ray's mother, deceased) Mule (a transhuman, deceased), Dac (a transhuman, deceased), Father Destry; Enemies: Colonel Donald Michael Lydecker, Ames White, Manticore Director Elizabeth Renfro (a.k.a. Madame X); Known Relatives: Zack (half-brother), Brin (half-sister, deceased), Tinga (half-sister, deceased), Alec (half-brother), Ben (X5-493, half-brother, deceased), Case Smith (nephew), Charlie Smith (brother-in-law), Jace (sister), Max (unborn nephew or niece), Sam (X5-453, twin/cloned sister), Ray White (nephew), C.J. & Ames White (halfbrothers), Sandeman (genetic father; his donated DNA was used to create the X5's); Aliases: Max Guevara; Base of Operations: Seattle Quantum 5; Quantum Pool 30 (Regenerate every 15 minutes); Willpower 7; Taint 1; Strength 4 (2, Crush, Lifter), Dexterity 4 (3, Catfooted, Enhanced Movement, Physical Prodigy), Stamina 4 (3, Durability, Health, Regeneration), Manipulation 2, Charisma 3, Appearance 4, Perception 4 (2, Electromagnetic Vision, Hyperenhanced Hearing), Intelligence 5 (1, Eidetic Memory), Wits ?; Abilities: Academics 2, Arts 2, Athletics 5, Awareness 4, Brawl 5, Bureaucracy 3, Command 4, Computer 3, Drive 4, Endurance 4, Engineering 3, Firearms 5, Interrogation 4, Intimidation 4, Intrusion 5, Investigation 3, Legerdemain 4, Linguistics 4, Martial Arts 5, Medicine 2, Melee 5, Might 4, Pilot 3, Rapport 3, Resistance 4, Science 2, Stealth 4, Streetwise 3, Subterfuge 3, Survival 4; Backgrounds: Allies 3, Backing 2, Cipher 5, Contacts 4, Mentor 2, Node 1, Resources 2; Soak: Bashing 7 dice, Lethal 4 dice (Heals rates are five times normal, ignore ? points of damage penalty, ? extra Bruised health level, Lifespan 180+ years). House, Gregory Dr. Gregory House is a tenured doctor at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. He heads the Department of Diagnostic Medicine, with three fellowship positions taking on the role of understudy. Dr. House has a keen understanding of medicine, with an innate ability to diagnose medical conditions with ease. Socially, 104

however, he has been described as a misanthrope, but this lack of social connectivity is most likely a willing one. House was born to John -- a Marine Corps pilot -- and Blythe House. While he has stated that he loves his mother, he has tried to avoid both parents due to the overbearing moral compass of his father. He received his undergraduate degree from Johns Hopkins University, and entered into the School of Medicine at Hopkins. Dismissed for cheating on an academic examination, he enrolled at the medical school of the University of Michigan, where he met his future employer, Dr. Lisa Cuddy. Dr. House is a board-certified diagnostician with a specialty in nephrology and infectious diseases. During his early medical career, he met the future Stacy Warner -- a constitutional lawyer -- in a paintball tournament which pitted doctors versus lawyers. They lived together for five years. During their relationship, House named Stacy to be his medical proxy. This legal consent came into play when House suffered from an idiosyncratic infarction in the right leg that went undiagnosed for 48 hours. This missed diagnosis by his doctors caused muscle death in his quadricep. While in pain, House diagnosed an impending heart attack on himself and went into cardiac arrest, and was clinically dead for 60 seconds. Because of the necrotic tissue in his leg, he requested a bypass, triggering more pain, and requested a chemically induced coma to manage the worst parts of the pain, thus activating Stacy's status as medical proxy. Stacy to go with the middle-ground procedure and decided against amputating the dead muscle, causing severe loss of utility in the right leg. After this, House could not forgive her for this decision, and eventually pushed her away, resulting in the demise of their relationship. Within five years of his initial leg infarction, House hired a medical team of three fellows: Dr. Eric Foreman, a neurologist, Dr. Allison Cameron, an immunologist, and Dr. Robert Chase, an intensivist. Through the actions of his team and himself, he has been responsible for the treatment of patients with unique and apparently idiosyncratic conditions. He is often considered to be rude, with terrible bedside manner (when he does choose to meet his patients), and refuses to follow through with many ethical considerations of his profession. He has been described as egomaniacal, condescending, and narcissistic, but has shown brief periods of empathy and sympathy for the patient at hand. He has breached hospital protocol to save the life of a critically ill patient, and has often employed criminal tactics of burglary (through the use of his team) to investigate possible environmental illnesses. While one may attribute his misanthropy to his leg injury, Dr. Cuddy has noted that the attitude began long before his injury. Dr. House's philosophy is simply put in the following manner: "The truth of the human condition is that everyone lies. The only variable is about what." His skepticism in the patient and his medical team has led to the discovery of illnesses. He has been noted to use any means necessary to accomplish the task at hand, even if it means breaching societal standards and ethical protocols. As a result, he has distanced himself from Drs. Chase, Cameron, and Foreman, who left him a few years after their initial fellowship to work in other areas of practice at Princeton-Plainsboro (except for Dr. Foreman, who was hired as head of diagnostic medicine at New York Mercy Hospital, but was terminated for unethical practices). Nevertheless, he has retained the friendship of Dr. James Wilson, an oncologist. While he has been abusive to Dr. Wilson as well, House has occasionally been truly supportive of his friend, but only in the most dire of times (such as Dr. Wilson's divorce). He requires a cane for mobility in his right leg (although an experimental treatment did enable use of his leg for a while). Through a bet, it has been established that Dr. House is addicted to Vicodin, a narcotic painkiller. His overuse of the drug has led to legal problems, physical side effects and Dr. Wilson losing his own practice. Inspiration 6 (Intuitive 4, Reflective 2); Strength 5, Dexterity 4, Stamina 5, Charisma 4, Manipulation 5, Appearance 4, Perception 5, Intelligence 5, Wits 4; Abilities: Academics 5 (Anthropology, Archaeology, History, Medical Literature), Athletics 3, Awareness 5, Brawl 2, Command 4, Computer 3, Drive 3, Firearms 1, Intimidation 3, Intrusion 4, Investigation 5 (Medical Diagnosis), Legerdemain 3, Linguistics 5, Medicine 5 (Diagnostics, Nephrology, Psychology), Melee 4, Occult 3 (Mythos), Perform 3, Rapport 1, Ride 3, Science 3 (Botany, Chemistry, Geology, Zoology), Stealth 4, Streetwise 3, Subterfuge 5, Survival 3; Backgrounds: Allies 2, Backing 4, Contacts 5, Followers 3, Influence 3, Resources 4; Dynamic Knacks: Indisputable Analysis, Mad Scientist; Willpower 7 Howard Duckworld, a planet in another dimension where intelligent life evolved from waterfowl, resembles Earth in an astounding number of ways, including the fact that ducks speak English. (In fact, Howard mistook Earth for Duckworld on his arrival, until he saw the hairless apes wandering around.) Howard was born the eldest son of Dave and Dottie, but beyond enjoying his rocking horse on Christmas as a baby, he disappointed them in every other way. He couldnt hold down any job, be it serious or frivolous, and couldnt fit in to any group. Instead, he figured he had no use for society, despite his ability to adapt to any situation and society, and found content as a malcontent. Howard found himself trapped in a world that he never made when the power-hungry demon Thog the Nether-Spawn used his magic to shift the interdimensional Cosmic Axis in hopes that all realities could be collapsed into one under his control. Howard was plucked from Duckworld and dropped into the middle of the Florida Everglades on Earth-- the site of this world's Nexus of All Realities. Reluctantly, Howard joined the 105

similarly-dislodged Korrek the Barbarian and Earths Jennifer Kale, Dakimh the Enchanter, and the Man-Thing in stopping the forces of Thog. When the battle was over, Howard accidentally fell off the otherdimensional Stepping Stones of Oblivion and landed in the city of Cleveland, Ohio. In Cleveland, Howard was almost immediately arrested for believing to be disrupting the peace. (Actually, the culprit was Garko the Man-Frog who had stumbled into an encounter with Howard.) However, the police soon released him, not wanting to face the public ridicule for having booked a duck. Howard then hoped to find a job, perhaps by solving a series of murders, and instead found himself in an encounter with the vampiric Hellcow. Despondent that he might never get home or even a job, Howard happened upon the castle of the costumed criminal accountant Pro-Rata. He rescued young life model Beverly Switzler, escaping with the timely arrival of Spider-Man. Bev invited Howard to stay with her, and the two even fell in love. Although Howard has attempted to live as normal a life as possible, considering that he is a talking duck on a world of human beings, he has continually run afoul (so to speak) of various unusual menaces, most notably the members of the Band of the Bland and his archnemesis Doctor Bong. However, through cleverness, persistence, and (perhaps most of all) good luck, Howard has always managed to defeat or escape his adversaries. Howard came to public notoriety when he became a candidate for the United States presidency on a very minor party ticket known as the All-Night Party. However, the general populace refused to believe that Howard is a real talking duck, thinking of him instead as a small person in a duck suit, and the public dismissed his candidacy as a joke. Bev eventually asked that she and Howard separate. Howard, despite his feelings for her, agreed but embarked on a series of wanderings that took him around the country, from Chicago, to New York, and San Francisco. His adventures finally led him back to Cleveland, whereupon he and Bev reunited. After the two reunited Howard faced several different and strange foes such as Ducktor Doom (Larval Earth), Spider-Ham (Larval Earth), Captain Americana, Jackpot, Grey Panther, Kidney Lady, Mister Chicken, Pinball Lizard, and several other creatures and people with fantastic (and sometimes lame) powers. When Howards nemesis Doctor Angst attempted to squish all realities into a universal state of inertness, Howard was chosen by the cosmic entity called the Critic to join She-Hulk in confronting Doctor Angst and the Band of the Bland, and the universes were restored to their rightful order. Later, Howard encountered the young mutants Chamber and Skin, who were on the run of the mutanthunting X-Cutioner. Howard helped them escape and make their way back to their team, Generation X, at the Massachusetts Academy. Howard stayed at the Academy briefly, forming a friendship with the children Artie, Leech, and Franklin Richards. About the same time, the Academy was targeted by the villain Black Tom, and Man-Thing rescued the children, Howard, and an alien refugee Tana Nile. This unlikely band of heroes helped Man-Thing restore balance to the Nexus of All Realities before being returned to the Academy, and Howard soon parted company. When a group of heroes was restored to reality after being shunted to Franklin Richards' Counter Earth, the Nexus of Reality was damaged. Howard, because of his experiences passing through the Nexus, found a fragment of it became lodged within him. The Cult of Entropy, led by Mahapralaya, hoped to kill Howard in the Man-Thing's swamp and thus destroy the Nexus, Howard was rescued by the Man-Thing and Ellen Brandt. The Man-Thing merged with the Nexus fragment by pouring itself down Howard's throat and being regurgitated. Mahapralaya and the cultists were forced to flee, and Howard left for Cleveland. More recently, Bev found a new job at a dot com company, only to find it was run by Dr. Bong and was captured. Howard rescued Bev, but in the process was thrown into a vat of chemicals that transformed him into a humanoid rat, and in revenge, Dr. Bong destroyed Howard and Bevs house. They found refuge in the Boarding House of Mystery, but were still pursued by Dr. Bong. Finally, by using the Amulet of Pazuzu, Howard was able to defeat Dr. Bong. Afterward, he was asked to go on the Iprah talk show, but Iprah was possessed by the demon-angel hybrid Deuteronomy. Howard destroyed Deuteronomy by using the cigar from the Saint of Therapists, but a puff on that same cigar instantly disintegrated Howard. In the afterlife, Howard had a conversation with God about the meaning of life, and God allowed Howard to return to the body of duck and return to Earth. He was most recently seen at the trial of She-Hulk and vouched for her not to be erased from history. Howard the Duck has no superhuman powers, although it is suggested that Howard possesses a high degree of as yet undefined magical powers. Howard is a self-styled master of Quack Fu, an obscure martial art usable only by waterfowl. When Howard possessed the trident of the Son of Satan he possessed vast mystical powers. At one point, Howard possessed a special "Iron Duck" suit of powered armor which possessed a flamethrower, a lamp, and springs enabling him to leap as high as one story. As Duckman, he had the Duckmobile and a utility belt filled with unrevealed paraphernalia. Real Name: Howard (full name unrevealed); Aliases: Count Drakula, Dirk Byrd, Dark Mallard of the Night, Dopey Duck, Drakula, the Drivin' Drake, Duckboy, Duck-Man, the Ducknight Detective, the Feathered Fury, Howard the Human, Iron Duck, Killmallard, Leonard the Duck, Master of Quak Fu, Mister Duck, Pondhopper, Santa Claus, Shang-Op, Son of Satan, Osama el-Braka; Identity: Publicly known (most people believe Howard is a small person in a duck suit, not a real talking duck); Occupation: Adventurer, cab driver, reluctant warrior; former nursing home attendant, poster child for Ducktitis, baby sitter, video store clerk, 106

burlesque show director, computer salesman, actor, dish washer, amateur wrestler, repossession man, presidential candidate, construction worker, poet, and folk singer.; Citizenship: Formerly Duckworld; Place of Birth: New Stork City, Duckworld; Known Relatives: Dave (father), Dottie (mother), Theresa (sister, deceased), Orville (brother, deceased); Group Affiliation: Formerly the Defenders, Daydreamers, To Hack and Back Cab Company, Circus of Crime, All-Night Party, ally to Dakimh the Enchanter, Jennifer Kale, Man-Thing, Korrek the Barbarian, She-Hulk, Spider-Man, and many others.; Education: Four-year college degree and limited training in various martial and mystic arts; Height: 27; Weight: 40 lbs.; Eyes: Brown; Hair: Yellow/White Quantum 1; Quantum Pool 22 (Regenerate every hour); Willpower 5; Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Manipulation 2, Charisma 3, Appearance 2, Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 2; Abilities: Academics (Politics) 1, Arts 2, Athletics 1, Biz 1, Bureaucracy 1, Command 2, Drive 3, Endurance 3, Engineering 2, Investigation 1, Martial Arts 3, Medicine 1, Melee 1, Might 1, Perform 2, Resistance 3, Streetwise 1, Style 1, Subterfuge 1; Backgrounds: Allies 5, Backing 3, Cipher 4, Contacts 5, Followers 2, Influence 2, Resources 3; Quantum Powers: Luck 3; Soak: Bashing 3 dice, Lethal 1 dice (Heals rates are two times normal, Lifespan 150+ years). Jameson, Jennifer Jennifer Walters, the meek and mousy lawyer cousin of Bruce Banner, was the daughter of Sheriff Morris Walters. Agents of Nicholas Trask, a crime boss who had crossed paths with her father, shot and seriously wounded her on a day when her cousin was in town. Bruce gave her a blood transfusion, as no other donors of her blood type were available; the radioactive blood mutated Jennifer as it had her cousin, transforming her into the She-Hulk. Although Jennifer was at first savage while in her form as She-Hulk, she eventually gained the same intelligence she had as the normal Jennifer Walters. She quickly came to appreciate the confidence and assertiveness that had come with being She-Hulk. For a long time, she felt more comfortable in her form as She-Hulk than in her "normal" form as Jennifer. But she has gradually grown comfortable in both forms, and realized that she has much to offer the world in both her forms. After a brief solo career, she joined the Avengers and temporarily replaced the Thing in the Fantastic Four. During her tenure with the Fantastic Four, the She-Hulk had to prevent a radiation leak in a downed S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier. This radiation exposure apparently mutated Jennifer to the point that she could not transform back into her original form. But this was an agreeable turn of events for her, since she preferred her She-Hulk form anyway. It was revealed much later that the "genetic block" was in fact purely psychological, shortly before a similar block locked her in non-Hulk form. That block proved to be temporary. After the Fantastic Four, the She-Hulk rejoined the Avengers and joined the staff of District Attorney Blake Tower, where she met Louise "Weezi" Mason, formerly the Golden Age super heroine called the Blonde Phantom; during this period, she discovered that Mason had manipulated Towers into hiring She-Hulk so that Mason could again star in a comic book and thus avoid dying of old age. Mason's husband, also a former comic book character, had passed away three years ago, but other, more popular characters from the era, such as Captain America and Namor the Sub-Mariner, were still around. While doing some legal work for Heroes for Hire, she also went on a few adventures with them and spent some time dating Luke Cage. Later She-Hulk was a member of the short lived hero group the Fantastic Force. Jennifer currently works as a lawyer for the Superhuman Law division of the New York law firm of Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg, & Holliway. Now able to change forms at will again, Jennifer is rediscovering she sometimes has wildly different views and opinions in each form, where as the She-Hulk she has come out publically in favor of the recent Superhuman Registration Act, yet as Jennifer Walters she understands the views of those against the Act. Like her cousin, Jennifer possesses great strength, durability, endurance and a healing factor. Unlike her cousin, she almost always retains her full intelligence and personality as She-Hulk. She is also able to switch from She-Hulk to Jennifer Walters, but does not always have control of her transformation. In the past, Jennifer's inability to switch forms was due to a psychological block. Jennifer has learned a Ovid body-switching technique, but rarely uses it. The Scarlet Witch also put an enchantment on She-Hulk so that anyone who wishes to harm She-Hulk will not be able to perceive her while she's in the form of Jen Walters. While useful it later backfired and was removed by Doctor Strange. Wears a gamma-charger to help regulate her changes from She-Hulk to Jen Walters and vice-a-versa. Real Name: Jennifer "Jen" Walters Jameson; Aliases: Jade Giantess, Shulkie; Identity: Public; Occupation: Lawyer, Magistra of the Living Tribunal; Citizenship: U.S.A.; Place of Birth: Los Angeles, California; Known Relatives: John Jameson (husband), Morris Walters (father), Robert Bruce Banner (Hulk, cousin); Group Affiliation: employee of Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg, & Holliway, (Formerly) Avengers, Brides of Set, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Force, Heroes for Hire; Education: Degree in Criminal Law; Height: 5'10" (in human form) 6'7" (as She-Hulk); Weight: 140 lbs (in human form) 650 lbs (as She-Hulk); Eyes: Green; Hair: Brown (in human form) Green (as She-Hulk) Quantum 5; Quantum Pool 45 (Regenerate every 15 minutes); Willpower 5; Taint 5 (Hormonal Imbalance: Lust, Skin Color: Green); Strength 3 (4, Crush, Lifter, Quantum Leap), Dexterity 2 (2, Enhanced Movement), Stamina 4 (3, Durability, Hardbody, Health, Regeneration, Resiliency), Manipulation 3, Charisma 3, Appearance 3, Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 3; Abilities: Academics (Law) 2, Athletics 2, Biz 2, Brawl 3, Bureaucracy 1, Drive 1, Endurance 4, Etiquette 3, Interrogation 3, Intimidation 2, Investigation 3, Linguistics 2, 107

Melee 2, Might 3, Perform 3, Rapport 2, Resistance 4, Streetwise 2, Style 3, Subterfuge 2; Backgrounds: Allies 3, Backing 3, Contacts 4, Dormancy 4, Influence 1, Node 4, Resources 3; Quantum Powers: Invulnerability (Physical and Energy) 2, Sizemorph (Growth, Permanent) 1; Soak: Bashing 16 dice, Lethal and Aggravated 12 dice (Heals rates are five times normal, ignore three points of damage penalty, one extra Bruised health level, Lifespan 180+ years). Jones, Henry Junior Dr. Henry Walton Jones, Jr. was a bullwhip-toting, fedora-wearing archaeologist with overdeveloped ophidiophobia. He was most famously known as Indiana Jones or Indy, and known as Henri Defense during World War I. Born July 1, 1899 in Princeton, New Jersey, Jones' life was forever changed when he accompanied his father on a world lecture tour from 1908 to 1910. Throughout his travels, Jones encountered many important figures in history who shaped his outlook on life. In 1916, Jones quit High School and briefly joined the Mexican Revolution before spending three years fighting in World War I. Following the war, he attended the University of Chicago, where he studied under Professor Abner Ravenwood. After graduating college, Jones lived life as an archaeologist and adventurer; Though professionally he was a college professor, Jones continued to travel the world. He found numerous famous artifacts throughout his career, including the Sankara Stones, the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail, and one of the crystal skulls. Indiana Jones was born Henry Walton Jones Jr. to a Scottish-born professor of medieval literature, Henry Jones, and his wife Anna on July 1, 1899, in Princeton, New Jersey. "Junior" accompanied his father on his travels throughout the world, where he learned to speak, read, and write 27 languages, including French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Swedish, Greek, Arabic, Turkish, Vietnamese, Swahili, Latin and Chinese, as well as some Hindi. Learning the language of the country was a lesson imparted to him by a young T.E. Lawrence, a life long friend Indy would call Ned, though the world would eventually call him 'Lawrence of Arabia'. By age 9, young Henry had adopted the name of his beloved dog Indiana for himself, though his father would continue to refer to him as "Junior" throughout his adult life. In 1912, Indy's mother Anna died of yellow fever, an event which created a rift in the family that survived her. To allow himself time to recover, Henry Sr. moved himself and his son to Utah. Here Indy kept busy as a member of the Boy Scouts, having achieved the rank of "Life Scout." It was here, while attempting to secure the Cross of Coronado from thieves, that Indy learned to use a bullwhiphis first crack of the whip left the scar on his chinand also where he received his trademark fedora. This adventure also led to his aversion to snakes. Jones and his father had moved back to Princeton by 1916. On spring break from high school in that year, while visiting family down south with his father, Indy and his cousin secretly hitched south across the border to see the senoritas. Caught in a border clash with Mexican revolutionaries, and impulsively trying to get back a screaming woman's stolen dresses, Indy took off on horse back after the receding marauders. Hopelessly outnumbered and outmatched, Indy was captured and almost shot; however, at the last moment he was released by Pancho Villa himself. He joined this army of revolutionaries, playing a part in the Mexican Revolution of 1916. It is during this time that he met the Belgian Remy Baudouin, and the two quickly became friends. After learning the truths about revolution and warfare, and becoming disillusioned, Indy decided to join Remy in heading for the Great War in Europe, a war he felt had to be fought. After settling a score with an old enemy, Demetrios, and recovering an Egyptian artifact that had been lost to Howard Carter and Indy during his first archaeological adventure in 1908, Indy and Remy left Mexico, departing from Veracruz for Europe and war. After a brief stopover in Ireland in time to witness 1916's Easter Rising, and engage in fisticuffs with future prime minister Sean Lemass, Indy and Remy reached London and the recruiting office of the Belgian Army (as this was not only Remy's country of birth, but the only army that wouldn't ask awkward questions about age). Enlisting under the pseudonym Henri Defense, Indy, along with Remy, settled in to wait for their call-up papers. Indy spent this time falling in love with the young suffragette Vicky Prentiss, but his proposal was rebuffed and, heartbroken, Indy joined a newly-married Remy (to Suzette, a war widow with a number of kids) at the train station to head for Le Havre and basic training. After seeing action first at Flanders, where all their superior officers were wiped out, Indy and Remy were sent to join with French troops at the Somme. Here, Indy and Remy were subjected fully to the horrors and pressures of trench warfare, and were engaged in several pushes, a gas attack and the terror of German flamethrowers. Mistrust was rife in Indy's unit, but after some initial difficulties the unit pulled together enough to take their target. Victory did not last long as German reinforcements were quick to swamp the combined French/Belgian defense and Indy was swiftly captured while most of his unit was killed. Remy vanished in the confusion, apparently hit. Indy was sent to a prison camp, where he joined an escape attempt already in progress. However, he was quickly recaptured and moved to a maximum security prison at Dusterstadt. After many escape attempts Indy, with the help of Charles De Gaulle, broke free and, after a brief flirtation with the idea of heading home to America and continuing high school, rejoined what was left of his unit, including a recovering Remy, who Indy was happy to see still alive. In an effort to get out of the trenches, Indy joined a courier unit attached to French High Command. But when forced to deliver orders that would result in the pointless death of thousands of his fellow soldiers at

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Verdun, Indy sabotaged his own bike, thereby postponing the massacre, at least for a week or so. This action got Indy fired from courier duty and thrown back to the trenches, rejoining Remy. While on leave in Paris, Indy engaged in a tumultuous sexual affair with Mata Hari, a first for young Indy. While it ended badly, Mata advised Indy to request a transfer to the somewhat tamer fight in East Africa. Indy followed her advice and, with Remy in tow, arrived on the African continent in November 1916. Indy was promoted to lieutenant, and assigned to a unit near Lake Victoria. Indy's ego and haste, however, led to the two getting lost in transit, and while trying to get back to their unit and avoiding a court martial, Indy managed to get caught up with a team of old men under British Command, the 25th Royal Fusiliers. Here Indy was tricked into helping destroy a giant cannon mounted on a train and also fooled into kidnapping the German military genius Paul Erich von Lettow-Vorbeck (whom they were eventually compelled to release). Jones and Remy finally managed to make it to Lake Victoria and join their new unit. During October, Indy and Remy join what Indy believed to be a fight for the indigenous population against the German aggressors. Indy quickly became a skilled, talented and rather vicious officer. During one charge, he disobeyed direct orders, continuing the charge despite an order to retreat. Because of Indy's quick thinking, however, the battle was won and he was subsequently promoted to captain, much to the chagrin of Major Boucher, his direct superior. His unit's next mission was to march across the Congo to retrieve a weapons shipment that ran aground in West Africa. The unit set off, and traveled through Christmas 1916 and into the first weeks of 1917. Unfortunately, the entire unit became seriously ill, and only a fraction of the unit survived. With the death of Major Boucher, Indy assumed command. However Indy had come to realize that this fight in Africa was between White men, fighting for African land, and began to wonder what he was doing there. Devastatingly at the units destination they were denied extra troops for the journey back and, still feverish and exhausted, Indy and a dozen men headed back onto the river. Indy and his men promptly fell to the fever, but luckily were rescued by the doctor and humanitarian Albert Schweitzer, a German who ran a hospital in the jungle. Indy initially distrusted Schweitzer due to his nationality, but soon saw reason. From Schweitzer Indy learned lessons that would turn his life around: up until meeting Schweitzer, Indy thought he was becoming a man that would demand respect, a military man whose life revolved around orders and discipline. Schweitzer taught Indy a reverence for life and he and Remy pledged themselves to ending the war and the bloodshed. To that end Indy and Remy joined the Belgium secret service before forging their own transfer to the far more efficient French secret service. The two were split up, Remy being sent to Brussels to become the French contact with the Belgian resistance, known as the White Lady. Indy is shuffled around to various fronts and missions, as French intelligence initially knows not what to do with him. After a brief sojourn as a reconnaissance photographer with the American volunteers of the Lafayette Escadrille, Indy is assigned a series of courier missions, such as a defection plea letter for the aircraft designer Anthony Fokker, and a desperate attempt for a separate peace with Austria. Next Indy spent a few months in S.t Petersburg in the Analyst Department, and he and his friends there become caught up in the Bolshevik revolution. A promotion to military intelligence saw Indy back in Western Europe, and then as the main French agent in Cairo, where his skills were brought to bear by his old friend T.E. 'Ned' Lawrence in the liberation of Beersheba in Palestine. Later, while in Italy, Indy struck up a rivalry with Ernest Hemingway for the affections of a beautiful Italian girl, who eventually married someone else, leaving Indy and Ernie with a lasting friendship. As the war drew to a close, Indy saw missions in Eastern Europe. At one point, he was engaged to Molly, an American school teacher in Istanbul. Tragically, however, she was killed by a bullet meant for Jones. Indy's depression was somewhat lifted by his reunion with Remy; and the war's end found the two on assignment in the trenches to arrest an Indian officer. This snowballed into a post-war quest for Alexander the Great's lost diamond, the "Treasure of the Peacock's Eye." The adventure took them from Alexandria to India and on to the South China Seas. However, after an illuminating run in with the Polish anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski, Indy realized that finding the diamond would have very little impact on his future plans, which was to finally start studying as an archaeologist. In fact, by continuing this wild search, he was only delaying what he had wanted since the age of nine. So he and Remy parted ways, with Remy's obsession with the Peacock's Eye leading him to unknown ends. Indy headed home, but before he reached Le Harve for the homeward voyage he was brought on to work as a translator at the Paris Peace Conference, where his disillusionment with the war and politics became complete. He saw not only the seeds of a second world war, but also a war in Vietnam and every conflict in the Middle East for years to come. Indy was finally ready, after four years, to head home. Indy's homecoming found his father emotionally unmoved. Henry Sr. acted as though nothing had transpired. This seeming lack of emotionality did not, however, outlast Indy's declaration that he would not be studying in Princeton, as his father had wished, but rather in Chicago. Indy left his father cold, and would not speak to him again for years. At the University of Chicago and under the tutelage of Professor Abner Ravenwood, Jones studied archaeology. During his off-campus hours, Indy waited tables at Colosimo's Restaurant, and frequented jazz bars with his reluctant roommate Eliot Ness and jazz clarinetist Sidney Bechet. With Ness and Ernest Hemingway, Indy investigated the murder of his boss, nearly ending up a victim of Chicago's nascent mob families. During the summer of 1920, Indy earned money for his tuition in New York theaters and back west in 109

Hollywood where Indy took a job working for Carl Lemle head of Universal pictures. There while trying to get Erich Von Stronhiem to finish his movie he encountered Irving thalberg, Jack Warner and John Ford. Indy eventually graduated from Chicago in 1922 and moved onto a graduate program in linguistics at the Sorbonne in Paris. In Greece, on his first properly qualified archaeological dig with his professor Dorian Belecamus, Indy became embroiled in a plot to kill King Constantine and the Oracle at Delphi. This experience refocused Indy's archaeological aims, which had been flagging somewhat after the routines of college, where only the lecturer Abner Ravenwood managed to make the subject exciting. In 1925, Indy took his first teaching job as a doctor of archaeology at London University for the summer program. Here he romanced one of his students, Deirdre Campell as, over the following two years, they were swept up in various mysteries involving Stonehenge and the Mask of Comototz in Guetamala. Their turbulent relationship culminated in marriage aboard a boat off New Orleans. Sadly, during a search for the hidden city of the Ceiba, and the long lost explorer Percy Walcott, Deirdre Jones was killed in a plane crash that Indy only survived due to the grace of forces unknown. Later that year, in 1926, while still in a bad emotional state, Indy joined his old archaeology professor, Abner Ravenwood, on a dig in Jerusalem. The pair found an artifact known as the headpiece to the staff of Ra. Still reeling from the death of his wife, Indy romanced Abner's daughter Marion. The intense courtship was cut short as Dr. Jones abruptly left the Ravenwoods; he would not see Marion again for ten years. The next ten years in the Indiana Jones' life were spent scouring the globe, getting involved in many different adventures: the quest for Noah's Ark on Mount Ararat, the search for the last unicorn's horn, the Philosopher's Stone and the interior world of Easter Island; cavorting with the likes of the Sky Pirates, giants, dinosaurs, sea devils, vampires, and looking for the Heart of the Dragon in 1935. All the while, Indy worked as a lecturer in various colleges around America and Europe, eventually settling in Marshall College in order to fund his expeditions into the world of archaeology. In the latter adventure, the search for the Heart of the Dragon, Indy encountered Wu Han, who became a close friend, and also found, attempting to pick his pocket, the homeless orphan Short Round. Wu Han would be killed later that year when Dr. Jones faced the gangster Lao Che in Shanghai after Lao demanded the remains of Nurhachi. Dr. Jones, along with nightclub dancer Willie Scott and Short Round, escaped to India, where they ran into a plot by the Thuggee cult to steal the Sankara Stones. After an action-packed adventure to destroy the Thuggee and get the Sankara Stones, they all make it to America. After placing Short Round in the care of an American orphanage, Indy took off again, unable to keep still. In 1936, Jones narrowly escaped with his life after retrieving the Golden Idol of Fertility in Peru. That same year, Jones was contacted by the United States government to beat the Nazis in retrieving the Ark of the Covenant. During this adventure he encountered Marion Ravenwood for the first time in ten years. Indy also learned that Abner, his mentor, had apparently been killed in a landslide some years before. He had dragged his daughter half way around the globe and had died, leaving her his cantina, the Raven, on the side of a mountain in Nepal, all due to his obsessive search for the lost Ark. Indy and Marion briefly rekindled their relationship, and though Indy helped Marion set up a new, jazzier version of the Raven in Manhattan, the relationship did not last. The adventures continued, as Indy became as accustomed to danger as he was to breathing. He moved to Barnett College and continued his adventures with academic help from his close friend and colleague Marcus Brody, a friend of his father who followed Indy from Marshall to Barnett. In 1938, Indy retrieved the Cross of Coronado on a freighter during a hurricane, a quest, for Indy, as old as his hat. Later that year, he was hired by Walter Donovan to help search for the Holy Grail, and rescued his father from the Nazis also seeking the relic, during which he finally healed the rift between him and his father that had been created with the death of his mother. Indiana's adventures continued, as did his teachings. In late 1949, Indy was contacted by an old American Indian friend named Grey Cloud to help solve the mystery of the Sasquatch that has been seen roaming the great forests of the Pacific Northwest. With Short Round, recently arrived in the US after completing his own adventurous education, Indy and Grey Cloud track the Sasquatch back to a mysterious vessel-like structure hundreds of years old. Inside, Indy comes across a human skeleton and decides that the Sasquatch and the strange vessel shouldremain part of "the Great Unknown". (Star Wars Tales #19) The winter of 1950 saw him in Wyoming, fleeing armed goons with his close friend, Great Cloudto whom Indy told tales of his experiences as a waiter in 1920 Chicago. As the Red Scare grew, Indy was targeted by anti-Communist sympathizers who spotted him talking to Russian spies, trying to pursuade him to search the mysterious Crystal Skull. A student protest against him forced him to run away with the help of one of his young students, a greaser. Jones was later contacted by the United States government to retrieve the Crystal Skull before the Communists. Upon discovering that his ex-girlfriend Marion Ravenwood has been kidnapped Indy begins his journey to find the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Accompanied by the young greaser, and a Yale colleague by the name of Mac, Indy fights off the Communists and their beautiful female leader, Agent Spalko. Jones eventually had a daughter, Susan, in 1958 and three grandchildren: Caroline, in 1958, Mark/Spike, in 1977, Lucy, in 1982 and Annie, in 1986. Indy's oldest grandchild, Caroline, gave birth to his first great-grandchild, Harry, in 1988. Sometime in the years between 1957 and 1992, Indy had also suffered a wound to his right eye, which required him to wear an eyepatch. In 1993, ninety-four year old Jones was living 110

in New York City with his daughter and grandchildren. Now using a cane to aid in walking, Jones enjoyed relating stories of his youth to anyone he could get to listen. The following statistics represent Indiana in the prime of his life. We do not know what effect drinking from the holy grail had on his already enhanced physiology. Real Name: Henry Jones Junior; Identity/Class: Normal human; Occupation: Archaoleogy professor; former soldier, spy, stage hand; Affiliations: Sallah Mohammed Faisel el-Kahir; Marcus Brody; Remy Baudoin, Jock Lindsay, Short Round, Captain Simon Katanga, Wilhelmina 'Willie' Scott, Wu Han; Enemies: Rene Belloq, Lao Che, Walter Donovan, Mola Ram; Known Relatives: Henry Jones Snr. (father), Anna Jones (mother, deceased), Deirdrie (wife, deceased), Grace Brady (paternal aunt), Frank Brady (cousin); Aliases: Indy; Base of Operations: Active worldwide, but based in Princeton Type of Inspiration: Personal Stupidity/Bravery; Orgin: Academic; Nature: Explorer; Alleigance: Aeon Society for Gentlemen; Inspiration (Heroic) 6 (Intuitive 4, Destructive 1, Reflective 1), Willpower 8; Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Manipulation 2, Charisma 4, Appearance 3, Perception 4, Intelligence 4, Wits 3; Abilities: Academics (Archaeology) 6, Animal Handling 4, Athletics 3, Awareness 4 Brawl 4, Bureaucracy 2, Command 3, Drive 2, Endurance 5, Etiquette 3, Firearms 3, Investigation 6, Linguistics (Ancient) 6, Melee 3, Might 2, Rapport 2, Resistance 2, Science 2, Stealth 3, Style 2, Subterfuge 3, Survival 4; Backgrounds: Allies 4, Backing 4, Contacts , Influence 3, Reputation 3, Resources 3; Heroic Knacks: Death Defiance, Enhanced Impact, Jack of All Tongues, Resilient, Trick Shot (Whip) Kent, Clark Clark Kent is the Last Son of Krypton. Born as Kal-El on Krypton to Jor-El and Lara-El, he was sent to Earth after his planet was about to be destroyed. Clark's ship crash landed in Smallville, Kansas and he was adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent. Over the years, Clark has developed many native Kryptonian powers that grow stronger each year as he gets older. After the death of his father, Clark dropped out of Central Kansas A&M. He singlehandedly manages his family's farm, the Kent Farm. In the late spring of 2008, Lex Luthor destroyed the Fortress of Solitude causing it to collapse on him and Lex. Clark survived the collapse of the Fortress and was rescued by Oliver Queen. Most of Clark's personality traits are the direct result of his modest farm upbringing. Clark was very close to both of his parents; he was respectful, obedient, and highly valued their approval. Raised with a strong moral background, he does not like invasions of privacy, thinks the bad guys should be punished, and wants things to be fair. Clark is hard-working and usually does not place much value in material possessions. Two traits of Clark Kent that have been prominent for most of the series have been his positive view on humanity and his self-loathing of not being human. He is idealistic and has the ability to always find the good in people, which manifests itself into a willingness to trust others, even to a fault. (An exception by Season Three being Lionel Luthor). Clark's optimistic opinions may also be somewhat inherent; while amnesiac, he retained a positive attitude of the people around him. He strongly believes that feelings such as compassion are synonymous to the human race, and thinks humans are, on the whole, noble beings. Clark has often expressed a desire to be human or loathing of being an alien, probably because he feels his biology hinders his humanity, despite several people telling him that humanity is more than biology.[1] This self-loathing is probably why Clark internalizes situations; he believes everything is his fault, because of him, or about him. It deeply affects him when his loved ones suffer because of his secret. He feels fully responsible and fails to consider that people who love him would willingly suffer for him.[2] He often feels guilt about things over which he had no control and does not consider himself a hero because he feels he causes most of the trouble.[3] It may also explain part of his constant fear of sharing his secret, assuming that anyone will be repulsed by what he is because that is how he feels himself. Currently, Clark struggles with the realization that he cannot save every person in danger and feels like his heroic deeds are inadequate. This inferiority complex also extends to how Clark feels about his own race, quick to judge that Kryptonians are evil until he realized that they, like humans, had good and evil people something proven by General Zod, an evil Kryptonian renegade, and his biological father Jor-El, a good man trying to stop Zod's actions on Krypton. Clark has also realized that Kryptonians were capable of love and compassion. Currently, he has made some improvements toward accepting who he is. He is grateful for his abilities and proud of his compassion for humans, seeing it as a strength.[4] Clark has begun to realize that the circumstances surrounding his destiny affect a greater circle than his small hometown. He seemed torn on exactly when he will continue his Kryptonian training, but had clearly decided to embark on it in the near future. However, after reuniting with Lana Lang in the fall of 2007, he abandoned these plans and declared his intent to attempt to make a "normal" life with her on the farm.[5] It remains to be seen what Clark will plan to do since Lana decided to end their relationship and move away. Clark can be impulsive; he often acts before thinking things through. Even though his intentions are good, he does things without considering the real-world repercussions first. Unsurprisingly, Clark has a hero complex, often trying to save lives at any and all costs. He has willingly risked his own life to save his loved ones and has, on many occasions, offered the Kents' home to individuals seeking refuge.[6] Clark is also very comfortable around children and enjoys situations in which he gets to be a "big brother" figure.[7] Additionally, because he closely guards his secret, Clark can sometimes be dishonest. He often makes up lies to explain his sudden presence or absence, or how he has knowledge of mysterious things. Ironically, 111

though, Clark highly values trust in a relationship. He seems slightly less mature than his friends, although this could be the result of his sheltered upbringing. Clark has also been known to whine, mope, or pout, especially about his roller-coaster relationship with Lana Lang.[8] His family and friends have repeatedly told him that he shouldn't bottle up his emotions until they get the best of him.[9] Clark is afraid of heights despite the fact that he can survive a fall at terminal velocity. He is habitually late, despite super speed. He is good at math, enjoys playing football and basketball, and likes astronomy and journalism. The general trend of Clark Kent's powers and abilities is that they grow more powerful each season. Each new Kryptonian power generally manifests itself suddenly and uncontrollably, and Clark must establish control without exposing his secret. The Smallville series begins with Clark aware only of his super strength and super speed. Within each season, the highest limits of Clark's abilities are used to describe the gradual evolution of these powers. The failures and limitations of these powers will also be noted when discovered. Clark has yet to master four of Superman's most common abilities: flight, the arctic version of superbreath, telescopic vision, and microscopic vision (although Clark has been noted to see across long distances with X-ray vision). Clark's powers are linked to the Earth's sun. Baern mentions that Clark's powers are the result of the Earth's yellow sun. He can absorb and store solar energy, which means he can grow increasingly powerful. If Clark's powers have upper limits at all, it is currently unknown. Clark recovers from kryptonite exposure more rapidly when he is exposed to sunlight. (Pilot, Perry, Fallout, Nemesis) Although Clark took over a decade to develop powers beyond strength and speed, other Kryptonians arriving on Earth as adults have in most cases developed nearly the full array of Kryptonian superpowers in a very short time, including Kara Kent, Raya, and the Disciples of Zod. This is likely due to Clark's age, whereas other Kryptonians have arrived on Earth when they are much older. Clark can lift trucks and machinery, and punch through reinforced steel. Most of the time, he uses his super strength to take care of the Kent Farm. Clark has been seen lifting farm equipment, plunging fence posts into the ground, or driving nails into wood with his thumb. (Sneeze) He seemingly had this ability when the Kents first found him. Note that Clark's power is magnified if he is in direct sunlight. It is possible that Clark's strength also contains a component of kinetic energy transfer or contacttelekinesis (or tactile-telekinesis as it is called in the comics), as he has performed feats such as lifting a tractor by its front bumper and catching a car by its hood without the objects denting, bending or breaking under their own weight or momentum. He has also caught numerous people falling from significant heights without those people being injured by the sudden deceleration. Childhood: Jonathan told Roger Nixon that, as a toddler, Clark crawled under a 500-pound bed frame and lifted it off the ground and over his head when Jonathan tried to get him. Clark is also said to have put some holes in the walls during temper tantrums, and he was kept away from other children for fear that he might hurt them. When he was three, he broke the dining room table in half. When he was six, Clark threw a nine-year-old through a door, tearing the door off its hinges and reducing it to splinters. (Leech, Vortex, Zero) Season 1: Clark was shown to be strong enough to stack three pickup trucks on top of each other. He stopped a runaway bus just by bracing himself. (Pilot, Rogue) Season 2: Clark lifted an entire bungalow in order to find his father Jonathan Kent. Clark was not yet strong enough to leap tall buildings in a single bound. He took a running leap from the top of the Daily Planet building to the LuthorCorp Plaza, just barely making the distance of approximately 200 feet. (Vortex, Insurgence) Season 3: Clark exhibited vast super strength during an enormous solar flare. He threw his father's tractor into the air and the vehicle made a crash-landing far from the Kent Farm. He picked up a Ford Thunderbird from one corner of the bumper, lifting the entire car five feet off the ground and swinging it around a 90-degree arc.(Perry, Truth) Season 4: Clark jumped from the top of a bridge onto an 18-wheeler. Clark was strong enough to catch a speeding car in mid air showing very little strain. (Lucy, Pariah) Season 5: Clark was able to pull himself out the Phantom Zone Portal (although he could have been flying). Clark is able to crush a lump of coal into a diamond, also in the same episode he was able to leap to a higher part of the fortress with Lana Lang. He was strong enough to overpower Brainiac at the Fortress of Solitude and a physically enhanced Lex Luthor at the farm. (Arrival, Solitude, Reckoning, Vessel) Season 6: Clark leaped across Metropolis from the Daily Planet building to Queen Tower with Lois Lane in his arms, after which she first stated the well-known line, "Leaping tall buildings in a single bound". Clark defeated Phantom Zone escapee Titan in a mortal combat. He managed to fight Bizarro to a standstill until Lionel Luthor unintentionally supplied the latter with green kryptonite. Only Aldar, a Zoner with vast super strength, was shown to be clearly stronger than Clark. (Static, Crimson, Combat, Phantom) Season 7: Clark was able to, with just one punch, send Bizarro into the upper atmosphere. At the time he was powered up from being in direct sunlight. Clark ripped a steel refrigerator door off its hinges to save Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen. (Bizarro, Descent) Clark can run at speeds faster than the eye can see. He makes the trip from Kansas to Honduras in under 10 seconds and can make the trip from Smallville to Metropolis instantly. So far, Clark, and other 112

characters with superspeed, have never been shown causing a sonic boom even when moving at speeds far higher than sound. He is able to carry others while moving at such speeds without them being harmed by inertia of sudden acceleration, or by the friction and massive wind resistance of supersonic movement. Childhood: From a story he tells Martha in Transference, it can be assumed that Clark developed this ability when he was six, during a game of tag. Clark claims that he suddenly found himself in the woods, all alone. Season 1: At age 14, Clark's super speed was depicted as a fast-moving blur. He was barely fast enough to save Jonathan from falling and being sliced. Clark dodged bullets for the first time. He proved to be faster than a speeding handgun bullet (approximately 500 meters per second) when he saved Kyle Tippet's life. He jumped in front of a bullet to save Lana Lang. (Metamorphosis, Rogue, Hug, Obscura) Season 2: Clark's super speed is still visible to those conscious of his movement, but not to those standing further away. He was able to steal the kryptonite Key without detection from Lionel Luthor, but Pete Ross saw the blur. Clark used his super speed underwater to try and save a drowning classmate. He ran 425 miles from Smallville to Hub City in less than 4 minutes to find a doctor for his friend Ryan James. Clark's mind is fast enough to recognize the moves of Emily Dinsmore who is certainly faster than the human eye can see. (Redux, Ryan, Accelerate) Season 3: Clark's super speed is now too fast for the human eye to see him. Clark ran through the Metron lab and snatched a vial of serum so fast that Lex Luthor and Lia Teng couldn't see him. Pete says that Clark can run to Metropolis in ten minutes. The combined use of super speed and heat vision enabled Clark to stop Emily Dinsmore during their second encounter. (Resurrection, Truth, Forsaken) Season 4: Clark's super speed is shown to be somewhat on par with Bart Allen. However, Bart is faster; Clark stopped at the shore, before finding out if he was able to run over water as Bart did. Clark ran across a football field, into a building, down a hallway, and into a room where he disarmed Mikhail Mxyzptlk and freed Chloe, then he ran back to his position on the football field in time to get hit by another player and without being seen. He used his super speed to create a vortex by twirling his coat over his head which smothered a fire. (Run, Jinx, Bound) Season 5: Clark is fast enough to run vertical distances. He saved Lana from a C-4 explosion at Warehouse 15 what makes him evidently faster than 8.5 kilometers per second. Clark was even capable of running from Kansas to Honduras in under 10 seconds. He ran from Smallville to Metropolis before Chloe could finish the sentence, "I think you'd better get over here". Clark also swam at super speed, surpassed only by Arthur Curry. (Aqua, Lexmas, Lockdown, Void) Season 6: Clark's super speed is now depicted as instantaneous reappearance at his destination. Clark traveled from South America to Metropolis in a matter of minutes, but, at his own admittance, was still slower than an older Bart Allen. Clark made the trip from the Kent barn to the Luthor Mansion instantly after Chloe was trapped in the wine cellar. Clark retrieved a button from several yards away and returned without Chloe even realizing he had left. He is much faster than a speeding bullet. (Justice, Promise, Progeny) Season 7: Clark ran from LuthorCorp Plaza to Smallville in a few seconds to rescue Pete Ross from Lex Luthor. While approaching a weakened Brainiac in the season finale, Clark moved considerably faster than ever before since the (visible) flow of electric charges came to a literal standstill. It could mean that his speed is now somewhat on par with the speed of accelerated electrons. (Hero and Arctic) Clark's invulnerability has increased with his age, most likely to a degree that even his parents did not notice, suggesting he might not have possessed this power as a young child. Clark is currently unharmed by bullets fired at point-blank range, and he is also able to deal with extreme temperatures. It's not yet confirmed if Clark is vulnerable to the aging process. According to Jonathan Kent, Jordan Cross, and Martian Manhunter, Clark will probably never die of old age. (Hereafter, Legacy, Cure) Clark is also immune to human illness unless kryptonite is involved or he is in the Phantom Zone. Clark's invulnerability seems to sometimes extend partially to his clothing, as well, but this has not been portrayed consistently. In addition he has a great degree of durability as shown while battling aliens. Season 1: Jonathan was shocked when at age 14, Clark stuck his arm into a running wood-chipper and then removed it without harm. Clark can walk through fire. He survived having a generator dropped on him and a bus exploding around him. Clark commented to Chloe that the cold didn't really bother him, it being well below 20 degrees. Clark was shot with an automatic weapon and the bullets only left large bruises all over his body. He deflected a bullet with his bare hand. Clark survived when Roger Nixon tried to blow up his truck with Clark inside, but Clark commented that he almost didn't even feel the heat from it. Nevertheless, Clark is not depicted as completely indestructible, because Tyler Randall could cause his face to turn darker for a moment. (Pilot, Hothead, Rogue, Cool, Hug, Kinetic, Reaper, Obscura, Tempest) Season 2: Clark didn't sweat during a heat wave that hit Smallville. Clark demonstrated his invulnerability by shooting his own hand with a handgun at pointblank range. Other than superficial gunpowder marks, no injuries were seen. (Heat, Red) Season 3: Clark's body is now strong enough to take dozens of bullets with ease. He was able to block a bullet with his chest, and did not suffer any injury. (Exile, Crisis) Season 4: Clark was able to repel bullets fired from point-blank range. He is immune to alcohol. Also, Clark was immune to paralysis. (Lucy, Recruit, Commencement). 113

Season 5: Clark was able to survive in the vacuum of space for a short amount of time, atmospheric reentry from orbit, a distant nuclear explosion, and the effects of heat vision from another source. (Arrival, Hidden) Season 6: Titan made him bleed after repeated punches, but he showed little pain. Wes Keenan's superpowered punch didn't cause Clark to bleed. (Combat, Prototype). Clark was invulnerable to Baern's radition blast, he was stunned for a few moments (Fallout). Season 7: Intensive exposure to sunlight enabled Clark to endure Bizarro's best punch unharmed. Clark entered Lex's mind within the framework of the poorly conceived Project Intercept, but Clark's central nervous system proved to be immune to the fatal side effects of the procedure. (Bizarro, Fracture) Although some metahumans get their power from kryptonite, Clark is sometimes immune to them. He was mostly unaffected by Jeremy Creek's electric shock. A more intense voltage threw him back a bit, but he was not hurt. (Pilot) When Sean Kelvin first absorbed Clark's heat from his body he suffered hypothermia, but regained consciousness in a few minutes. The second time he was vastly unaffected. Tyler Randall was able to temporarily bruise or darken his skin, but could not reduce him to ash. (Reaper) He was immune to Geoff Johns ability to paralyze people. (Recruit) Brendan Nash was unable to turn Clark to wax. When he touched Clark, his power was reflected and Brendan himself was turned to wax. (Forever) The powers of the Weather Girls did not affect Clark until they unearthed kryptonite.(Fierce) Neither Kyle Tippet nor Bob Rickman's persuasive handshake affected Clark. (Hug) Clark was immune to Ryan James's mind-reading ability. (Stray) Desire Atkins' pheromones had no effect. (Heat) Chloe's truthtelling abilities had no effect. (Truth) Due to remarkable regenerating abilities, Clark can heal from virtually any wound instantly, as long as he is not exposed to green kryptonite. If Clark is wounded due to the presence of green kryptonite, he heals automatically once it is removed. If it is a severe wound, Clark might remain unconscious for several hours before waking up, fully recovered. While fighting an enemy who can somehow damage Clark (e.g. Aldar, Titan, and Bizarro), Clark's healing factor is especially critical. Season 1: When his powers, stolen by Eric Summers, were returned to Clark, a wound on his forehead closed instantly. (Leech) Season 2: Thugs overpowered Clark with green kryptonite and threw him into a furnace, but after they left, Clark was able to recover, break out of the furnace, and heal himself. (Witness) Season 3: Clark healed immediately after exposure to kryptonite bullets. He remained unconscious for a while after the bullets were removed, before recovering fully. Clark was blinded by a combination of kryptonite and his own heat vision, but it didn't begin to heal until a blowtorch passed over his eyes. (Extinction, Whisper) Season 4: The citizens of Smallville are affected by a deadly LuthorCorp experimental toxin, and Clark is infected as well. Unlike the other victims, Clark eventually recovers and wakes up from his nightmare. (Scare) Season 5: While Clark's powers are gone, Clark is shot and killed. However, he revives and his bullet wound heals after he regains his abilities. (Mortal, Hidden) Season 6: After being thrown into a field by General Zod, Clark wiped blood clean from his face, revealing he had completely healed. He completely healed in a few seconds after being impaled in the abdomen by Gloria's deadly vines. (Zod, Wither) Season 7: During his battle with Bizarro, Clark demonstrates that his healing factor is tied to, or at least augmented by, exposure to direct sunlight; in their second encounter in Reeves Dam, Bizarro caused Clark to bleed, but Clark healed almost instantaneously upon moving into direct sunlight. Edward Teague surrounded Clark with kryptonite and carved symbols into his chest. But when Chloe Sullivan removed the kryptonite, a yellow glowing light surrounded Clark and he was instantly healed. (Bizarro, Quest). A mind-controlled Kal-El at age 17 could fly, but currently, 21-year old Clark cannot. However, he can jump very high. It has been implied that Clark cannot access this ability due to some form of mental blocks that exist within his mind. It has further been implied that these will be removed once he has accepted his Kryptonian destiny. Also, it has been hinted that Clark can't fly because he is simply afraid of heights. Season 1: After dreaming of flying and floating, Clark awoke several inches above his bed, and immediately fell and destroyed it afterwards. When he saved Jonathan from being sliced, he fell faster than his father and seemingly broke the law of terminal velocity. (Metamorphosis) Season 2: While being blown about in a tornado, Clark felt as if he might be flying. He jumped off a bridge to catch Chloe Sullivan, but Chloe had already been dropped. In order to reach the ground first, Clark would have needed to exert some other force; gravity could not have pulled him down faster than Chloe. He dreamed of flying to the Kawatche Caves. (Vortex, Dichotic, Rosetta) Season 3: During his stay on Earth, Jor-El once demonstrated the power of flight. It foreshadows that Clark will eventually obtain this ability. Clark was able to fly only with the help of "Kara". (Relic, Covenant) Season 4: After Jor-El "reprogrammed" Clark into Kal-El, his Kryptonian talents were increased, and also gave him the ability to fly. When Kal-El was defeated, however, Clark explained that he was still "earthbound". (Crusade) Season 5: Clark jumped very high onto a missile and onto an upper level of the Fortress of Solitude. Before his leap onto the missile, force is seen gathering around him, just like it was right before he flew as KalEl in Crusade. (Hidden, Reckoning) 114

Season 6: Bizarro's flight out of Reeves Dam ultimately proved Clark's potential to fly, since the wraith extracted a sample of his DNA to create a Kryptonian host. (Phantom) Season 7: Clark's cousin Kara Kent tried giving Clark flying lessons, but Clark was nervous and said that he hadn't developed those abilities yet. Clark saved Lana from falling to death, but once again, he fell faster, so he must have used an external force. (Action, Veritas) Clark developed this ability at age 14 shortly after starting high school. Clark can see through any solid object except for lead. The exact mechanism by which he does so is not yet known. His X-ray vision has been depicted to function at varying degrees. Originally, he was depicted as being able to control whether he saw an x-ray like image of the skeletons of those he was looking at, or simply saw through solid objects. The latter has only been seen in the first and second seasons. Season 1: Clark first discovered his X-ray vision when he saw a bank robber with green bones. Later, he saw Pete Ross' muscular structure and saw through the wall into the girls' locker room. Finally, it settled down and consistently manifests itself (at least to the audience) as images similar to x-ray photographs. (X-Ray) Season 2: Clark used his X-ray vision to identify Tina Greer. Although she has disguised herself as Whitney Fordman, he recognized her kryptonite-infected bones. Clark read through the cover of his teacher's grade book to peek at Pete's shop class grade. Clark was able to see a birthmark through Chloe Sullivan's clothing, while observing both her and Lana through their clothes (Note: This is the last time that Clark's x-ray vision has been depicted onscreen as not resembling x-rays, but this is only implied). He used his X-ray vision to see a metal plate in a masked robber's head, and later, was able to identify the robber without his mask. (Visage, Dichotic, Red, Witness) Season 3: Clark can now zoom in over large distances, when he tried to find Lana and rescue her. (Slumber) Season 4: While at the top floor of a hotel, Clark used his X-ray vision and looked down an elevator shaft all the way to the ground and focused on a particular object. (Bound) Season 5: While about to rescue Lana again, Clark zoomed in and scanned the area in a matter of seconds. Clark was able to see Victor Stone's internal robotic parts.(Lockdown, Cyborg) Season 6: Clark X-rayed Chloe to get the tracking device out of her. He also found a tiny tracking device on Lex's car by X-raying it. (Freak, Progeny) Not much is said or confirmed about these abilities. It can be inferred that Clark's vision has evolved gradually over the course of time. Neither telescopic nor microscopic vision has been established as a newfound ability that Clark had to "master" within an episode. Therefore, it is difficult to exemplify the usage of these abilities. Clark has yet to master the full scope of Superman's destined telescopic and microscopic vision. Season 3 Clark telescoped his X-ray vision to find Lana at a great distance. He looks through the trees to find her in her car about to be blown up by Nicholas Conroy. (Slumber) Season 4: Clark can focus particular objects from a greater distance, as seen in an elevator where he scans the floor several meters under his feet (see X-Ray vision). Clark can perceive various details from outer space by looking through an ordinary telescope, whereas a human (Lois Lane) can just see a cloudy picture with clusters of stars. (Bound, Lucy) Season 6: Unlike Chloe Sullivan, Clark was able to recognize Raya on a satellite-image that shows a crater in Australia. (Reunion) In some versions of the comics, Superman has mastered the ability to telescope his vision to interstellar distance, and zoom his microscopic vision down to even subatomic particles. His eyes could also perceive the full electromagnetic spectrum including infrared and ultraviolet frequencies of radiation, abilities that Clark has yet to demonstrate. Clark has the power to focus solar energy and project it as heat rays from his eyes by shifting his optic lens. He can cause objects to combust or melt, and can also deflect moving objects, possibly by causing rapid expansion of the heated air in the objects' path. This power first manifested at the age of 15 and was linked to Clark's level of sexual arousal. Since developing this ability, Clark has also learned to control the temperature for varying tasks. He has used it to pop popcorn, light candles, and warm up hot chocolate and baby bottles, but can also increase the temperature enough to vaporize bullets, fix leaky drainpipes, and weld metal. He can shoot a steady beam of heat or intermittent blasts. The heat can effect only the surface of an object like a laser, or heat it evenly throughout like a microwave beam. By season 6, his control is pinpoint-accurate enough to destroy a microchip implanted in Chloe's shoulder without causing her serious injury. Over the years, Clark has learned to use his heat vision while acting at superhuman speeds, as evidenced in the episodes Forsaken, Prototype and Bizarro. Season 2: It first manifested itself during a summer heat wave. Humorously, Clark's first brush with heat vision occurred while watching an education video about reproduction; Desire Atkins, an attractive teacher, taught the class. During a practice session at the Kent farm, Clark whispered "Lana" to himself, and he ignited the scarecrow serving as a target dummy. Within a short time, his control becomes precise enough to light candles and pop popcorn. Clark used accurate heat vision when he saved Lex from Jonathan's gunshot by vaporizing the bullet. (Heat) Season 3: Clark learned how to adjust the focus of the heat beams. He melted a 5' x 10' section of asphalt in a single pass in order to trap Seth Nelson's getaway car. Clark used short blasts of heat vision almost like bullets; unfortunately, one "bullet" is reflected back at him by a piece of kryptonite. (Magnetic, Whisper) 115

Season 4: Clark used his heat vision to knock away hurled handheld manual tools, And he managed to only heat the bottle of milk for baby Evan in Ageless. When he lost all of his memories and saw Lana again for the first time, his heat vision was triggered uncontrollably. (Spell, Blank) Season 5: Clark used heat vision to weld a diamond onto a ring in order to propose to Lana. While it's true that those events never happened in the current timeline, it's reasonable to suppose he could do something similar again. (Reckoning) Season 6: Clark's heat vision is powerful enough to shatter Kryptonian metal; he destroyed the Kryptonian black box that General Zod was using to transform Earth into a new Krypton. Clark's heat vision is also now assuredly pinpoint accurate. He burned a small hole in Chloe Sullivan's shoulder in order to extract a GPS location microchip that had been implanted under her collarbone. Clark ripped a door off its hinges in the Luthor Mansion and welded it back so as to avoid suspicion. Clark used heat vision that is apparently of greater intensity, with increased reddening effect in his eyes and more concentrated beam, in order to break through Wes Keenan's force-field. (Zod, Freak, Promise, Prototype) Season 7: Clark's heat vision is powerful enough to stop a tidal wave of water dead in its tracks. Bizarro, who replicated a body using Clark's DNA, exhibits heat vision, although his heat vision also shot bolts of electricity out of his eyes, as though heating the air to the point of ionization. Clark demonstrated a diffused, mild form of heat vision to unfreeze and revive Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen after they were trapped in a freezer. (Bizarro, Descent) Clark developed this ability around age 16. He can hear both sides of telephone conversations from several yards away, or even through rooms, and while in his loft, can hear his parents talking in the house. Season 3: Super hearing first manifested itself when Clark is temporarily rendered blind. Judging from the show's earlier depictions, he is able to consciously activate and deactivate it, like his X-ray vision and heat vision. However, other times it appears he is using the power without conscious awareness. (Whisper) Season 4: Chloe Sullivan whispered Clark's name to him from outside a room, activating his super hearing without him consciously listening for her. (Blank) Season 5: When relocated in the Arctic, Chloe Sullivan triggered Clark's super hearing with minimal volume and Clark even unaware of her suffering. Clark located Graham Garrett by listening to his heartbeat in a crowded room. Presumably, this means Clark can discern individual breathing and heartbeats (because he once did Lana Lang), or he could track Graham by maintaining focus on him. (Arrival, Splinter, Fade) Season 6: Clark was able to hear Tobias Rice whispering on the phone from blocks away. (Freak) Season 7: Grief-stricken by Chloe's temporary death, he lost control of his super hearing, it focused on everything including Chloe's cry for help, he then came to her rescue. Clark is able to hear subsonic noise and it can hurt him. Bizarro was able to use his super hearing to detect the beeping from a bomb and save Chloe and Jimmy. He could also hear the frequency from Lana's cell phone when she called Clark to warn him of his presence. Clark uses his superhearing to hear Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen trapped in a refrigerator. (Bizarro, Gemini, Siren, Descent) At age 19, Clark did not have his powers in the Phantom Zone and upon returning to Earth, developed a head cold which manifested itself as super strong sneezes. The accompanying illness also shorted out his other powers, but eventually, he was able to restore them and control this new gift. Clark has yet to show the arctic version of his super breath, which is usually referred to as "Freeze Breath" or "Arctic Breath". Season 6: Clark's sneezes could blow doors off their hinges. Clark used his new power to put out a warehouse fire and blow clouds away. He also learned how to control the intensity; he used it to simply blow some papers around to distract Dr. Bethany to steal his laptop. (Sneeze, Freak) Memory: Chloe mentioned that Clark never forgets anything, that his mind is like a titanium trap. This suggests that Clark has an eidetic memory. (Persona) Clark Kent's fighting style depends on his superpowers to allow him to deliver non-lethal force in situations that often require anonymity. The anonymity is especially important as Clark has yet to develop a dual identity that allows him to openly use his powers. Clark believes strongly in non-lethal combat and has never directly killed anyone using his powers [1]. As a result, he's adopted a fighting style that depends largely on knocking opponents unconscious using his super-strength. He will frequently grab his opponents and throw them through into a wall or object, rendering them unconscious. He also uses a head slap to achieve the same effect. He will sometimes combine these attacks with superspeed, in order to remain anonymous (or to sneak up on his opponents). Clark uses much more force when battling more powerful metahumans or aliens, as seen when he apparently killed the Zoner Titan in a brutish fight. Clark is largely dependent on his superpowers in his fighting style. For example, both Lex Luthor and Lois Lane are highly trained in martial arts. When Clark is stripped of his powers, he largely avoids physical combat and confrontation. Yet on occasion Clark has fought without powers and won. The Kryptonian Clark Kent is vulnerable to kryptonite, hypnosis, magic, and the powers of certain metahumans and aliens. Kryptonite is a radioactive Kryptonian mineral [1]. When the planet Krypton exploded and the baby KalEl was sent to Earth, his spaceship's descent was disguised with a spectacular and destructive meteor shower, which struck the town of Smallville, Kansas, in October 1989. The meteors were made up of the exploded planet's core [citation needed]. However, kryptonite was also found in Asia long before Krypton's destruction, 116

suggesting it might be a natural occurring radioactive element from Krypton. Since the meteor shower, the rocks are found in the soil of the town in abundance and are known to the residents as "meteor rock" (though Clark termed the rocks "kryptonite" after learning of his heritage). Kryptonite is most commonly found in a dark green form but exists in a few other forms as well. It causes mutations in living organisms. Green kryptonite emits a radiation that is extremely toxic to super powered Kryptonians. The radiation itself first causes symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, pain, and weakness that eventually grow more severe until loss of consciousness occurs. Exposure breaks down a Kryptonian's invulnerability, allowing outside forces to damage the body. Prolonged exposure or large amounts of green kryptonite will ultimately lead to death. Kryptonians can shield themselves from the effects of green kryptonite with lead. This type of kryptonite seems to have healing and energizing properties for Bizarro. Many metahumans with power bestowed upon them from green kryptonite can use that power against Clark Kent and other Kryptonians. However, Clark has also shown to be immune to other metahumans' abilities. (See: Clark's metahuman vulnerability for specific examples.) Green kryptonite, when in contact with a strong electric current, such as lightning, sometimes has the ability to transfer Clark's powers to humans and vice versa: Leech, Asylum, and Wrath. Kryptonite can be briefly handled and sometimes even ingested by humans without immediate danger. Humans don't experience the weakness and incapacitation suffered by Kryptonians. However, longterm exposure to the green meteor rocks of Smallville have been shown to have significant effects on humans. Many of Smallville's residents (or even visitors) are suffering from meteor rock infection. It often causes mutations, personality changes, psychosis, or a variety of other adverse reactions. The majority of kryptonite-infected individuals display phenomenal metahuman powers, but most are also psychotic versions of their former selves, with personality traits or desires often enhanced to the point of obsession. Meteor rock infection also has been shown to have adverse physical effects: Earl Jenkins and Steven Hamilton developed a neurological disease from meteor rock exposure which included uncontrollable tremors and psychotic behavior. Moira Sullivan's meteor rock infection has rendered her unresponsive and catatonic for several years. Lex Luthor has been rendered bald due to his exposure to meteor rock. Wade Mahaney became intangible after injecting kryptonite as a tattoo ink. The molecules of his body sped up so rapidly, he could pass through solid objects, but the stress caused his body to start breaking down. (Kinetic) The clone generated from Emily Dinsmore grew rapidly due to kryptonite. (Accelerate) Buffy Sanders contracted a form of rabies that had been mutated into a vampiric disease from meteor rock exposure. (Thirst) It should be noted that although Lana Lang wore a meteor rock necklace for several years, she has yet to experience any health problems related to meteor rock infection. Lex Luthor also briefly wore a kryptonite ring (Onyx) and was exposed to kryptonite objects in his vault, but has also so far seemed unaffected. A few infected individuals seem to escape psychosis. An example is Chloe Sullivan. So far, her power of empathic healing has not seemed to significantly change her personality. This is in stark contrast to her exposure to kryptonite gas (Truth), which significantly changed her personality. Using kryptonite in combination with electricity, heat, or other media can cause numerous side effects among normal human beings. Kryptonite seemingly possesses a variety of chemical characteristics and can be readily formed into all three states of matter. It occurs naturally in the solid mineral state. However, it can be readily melted into liquid and mixed with other solutions, and can also be vaporized into a fine mist or gas. Green kryptonite also serves as the catalyst for a high-speed booster for cars. (Velocity) Jeff Palmer created a substance from roses mutated by meteorites that would turn surfaces invisible. (Shimmer) Red kryptonite was created when green kryptonite passed through a mysterious red-colored cloud while on its way to Earth. It brings out the rebellious and immoral personality of Kryptonians and rids them of their inhibitions. The effects of red kryptonite are likened to that of being under the influence of too much alcohol, without the loss of physical capability. Black kryptonite can be created when green kryptonite is heated at extreme temperatures and turns black. It has the ability to separate or combine the good and evil aspects of an organism (humans and Kryptonians alike) into two separate individuals. Blue kryptonite suppresses Kryptonian powers making them vulnerable. At the end of Blue, Clark's blue kryptonite ring disappeared when he shattered the blue crystal and his powers were restored. Just like when Clark is exposed to red kryptonite, blue kryptonite briefly changes his eyes to the exact color of the ring. It also ironically strengthens Bizarro to the extent that his body will overload with uncontrollable energy which can be fatal. In the comics it is gold kryptonite that takes away Superman's powers, though just prior to first time exposure removes it permanently. Dax-Ur used a bracelet of Blue K to suppress his powers and have a normal life, his son didn't exhibit Kryptonian powers, it is unknown if he has powers due to it suppresses powers doesn't get rid of them. At the end of Persona, he tried to take the bracelet off to restore his powers and defend himself from Brainiac but sadly he was presumably killed after. Silver kryptonite is a black and silver-metallic clustered mineral that causes paranoid delusions in Kryptonians. Its effects are seemingly similar to the effects of hallucinogenic drugs. When Clark Kent pricked his finger with silver kryptonite, he experienced auditory and visual hallucinations. He also exhibited physiological symptoms as well, such as sweating, dilated eyes, and heavy breathing. Silver kryptonite is not a natural form of kryptonite; it is created artificially from the liquid metal which forms Brainiac's body. 117

Clear kryptonite is actually green kryptonite that has been neutralized. It is harmless to Kryptonians. It first appeared when Lana's necklace got too close to Clark's ship. (Visage) It turned the kryptonite from a green to a transparent glass-like form. This form of green kryptonite also appeared in Hereafter, Trespass, Phantom, and Bizarro. When Lionel held green kryptonite up to Bizarro, it changed from green to clear. Lana Lang wore a necklace with a meteor rock crystal on it which she gave to her boyfriend Whitney Fordman. Eventually, Clark Kent obtained the necklace, but the radiation from the stone was neutralized, turning it clear. (See main article: Lana's necklace) The Smallville High Class of 2005 were given class rings containing red kryptonite stones. Clark Kent's class ring was destroyed by his father Jonathan. (Red) He eventually put on another ring when he ran away to Metropolis the following summer to rid himself of his guilt, responsibility, and inhibitions. (Exodus) Alicia Baker also used the stones from a ring to make a necklace for Clark in an attempt to get him to run away with her. (Unsafe) Morgan Edge had a strand of kryptonite beads which he used to beat Clark. (Shattered) Alexander Luthor created a ring from green kryptonite to use against Clark when he split himself from Lex Luthor. Clark used his heat vision against the kryptonite to turn it black and fuse both Lex and Alexander together again. (Onyx) Jor-El had a victory ring made of blue kryptonite which was given to him when he joined the Kryptonian Council. Somehow the Lara-El replicant was able to have the ring when she was brought back to life through the blue crystal, and gave it to him as a part of Kryptonian tradition, unaware that it would take away his abilities. It was unbreakable so Clark could not get it off until the blue crystal was destroyed. Zor-El studied the mineral's properties during an earlier trip to Earth. (See main article: Victory ring) (Blue) Clark Kent used a piece of kryptonite against Eric Summers to weaken him enough to get his powers back in Asylum. Clark also tried to use a piece against Jeremiah Holdsclaw in Talisman when the latter acquired Kryptonian powers through the Starblade. The kryptonite did not work, because Jeremiah still had a human body. Clark also used kryptonite against Zor-El's replicant, in order to stop him from killing all human life with an eclipse. Lex Luthor, attempted to use a piece against Milton Fine in Oracle but because Fine was not a Kryptonian, just created by them, it did not work. He also used some green kryptonite as bait at two different times. The first was against a bunch of teenage thieves in Witness. The second time was against Bizarro in Bizarro. He was going to shoot him in the back, but Bizarro stopped him. Lana Lang tricked Aethyr and Nam-Ek to go into a room full of kryptonite to weaken them. However, they were still strong enough to put a lead door over the entryway of the room. (Arrival) Lionel tried to use some to weaken Bizarro, but it ended up strengthening him. (Phantom) Martha Kent used a piece of green kryptonite against Clark to make him sweat the red kryptonite out of his system. Chloe used a spray made with green kryptonite as an antidote to the same red kryptonite lip gloss. When Lionel and Clark changed bodies, Martha used green kryptonite to stop Lionel (in Clark's body) from killing Lex. (Transference) Lana Lang placed blue kryptonite in Bizarro's hand, which overloaded him with power and destroyed him. (Persona) Although most metahumans received their powers and abilities from green kryptonite, Clark's vulnerability or immunity towards them seems to be random and arbitrary. Clark could not approach Earl Jenkins due to the kryptonite embedded in his body. (Jitters) Clark could not approach Wade Mahaney until his kryptonite tattoo wore off. (Kinetic) Sean Kelvin rendered him unconscious for several minutes. (Cool) Clark's powers were leeched by Eric Summers through a lightning strike when in physical contact with kryptonite. (Leech) Wade Mahaney was able to injure Clark by sticking his hand in Clark's abdomen. (Kinetic) Tyler Randall wasn't able to turn him to ash, but he did cause him pain with his touch and the skin where Tyler made contact turned black. (Reaper) Justin Gaines threw him across the room when he used his telekinetic ability on him. (Crush) Eric Marsh was able to overpower him with his strength, but Clark's other abilities were enough to allow him to turn the tide. (Witness) Nathan Dean was able to incapacitate him with his screech. (Whisper) Alicia Baker was able to teleport him. (Obsession) Cassandra Carver saw his future, and unlike humans he was also able to see her visions when the two of them were in contact. (Hourglass) Sarah Conroy entered his dreams and kept him asleep, commenting that Clark's mind wasn't like others. (Slumber) Jordan Cross saw a vision of his future when he touched him. (Hereafter) Dawn Stiles was able to possess him, but was driven out by Jonathan's use of kryptonite. (Spirit) Kevin Grady attempted to erase Clark' memory for a few minutes; because Kryptonian physiology is different from humans, Clark had almost total amnesia. (Blank) Clark was vulnerable to Frederick Walden's energy-blasting powers. (Calling) Clark was vulnerable to Mikhail Mxyzptlk's mind control. (Jinx) Clark was incapacitated by Black Canary's sonic scream as it made his ears bleed. (Siren) Hypnosis: Clark tried to kill Chloe after receiving a mind-altering email from Molly Griggs. (Delete) Clark did everything he was told after Simone hypnotized him with her blue gemstone. (Hypnotic) In the Smallville universe, magic is a powerful and dangerous force. Magic is one of Clark's, and by extension other Kryptonians' vulnerabilities. There have also been instances of other supernatural phenomena on the show, such as the existence of ghosts, and possible evidence of an afterlife such as the Limbo drug. 118

It is not clear to what extent magic is related to the paranormal abilities of certain metahumans or extraterrestrials. Magic can produce many of the same effects as these powers, such as telekinesis or illusions; also, certain magic-like effects such as possession of the living by disembodied beings have been created by the application of Kryptonian technology, rather than the supernatural. It is not clear if some or all of the ability to use magic is hereditary, as Countess Isobel demonstrated strong magical powers while in the body of Lana, a blood relative of hers, but her followers' powers appeared weaker when they were in unrelated bodies. The first unequivocal appearance of magic is the forth season episode Spell, in which Lana Lang was possessed by the spirit of her ancestor, Countess Margaret Isobel Thoreaux, a witch from 17th century France. She cast spells for a variety of effects, used the Mark of Transference to possess her descendant Lana, and created a potion that placed the spirits of her cohorts into the bodies of Chloe Sullivan and Lois Lane. Magic is used using Latin commands and phrases, and sometimes gives off a violet glow from the user's hand. Is it implied that Isobel and her cohorts Madelyn and Brianna were not the only witches, as they mistake Clark for a sorcerer. Also, it appears not to be an ability rather than a skill, as they were able to use magic in other bodies. The violet glow in Lana's eyes in Sacred, the violet glow from her hands, and both the purple color of the Kryptonian device and its violet glow in Arctic have led to speculation that purple kryponite may exist and be the source of Kryptonian-influenced magic. Arguably, the first use of magic may be the werewolf transformation of Kyla Willowbrook in the episode Skinwalker; however, since Kryptonite, and perhaps the alleged part-Kryptonian ancestry of the Kawatche tribe, appear to be partly responsible for the change, it is unclear what --if any-- magic is involved. In the episode Lexmas, it is left unanswered as to whether the old man saved by Clark is, in fact, Santa Claus. Other Vulnerabilities: Clark was blinded by his own heat vision after it was reflected off of a piece of meteor rock that had been refined into a multi-cut stone for use as jewelery. In addition to the loss of sight, the skin around his eyes was red. He also experienced pain when Nathan passed a blow torch across his eyes, but the injury destroyed the scar tissue hindering his sight. (Whisper) Clark was vulnerable to the Starblade, which he suspected was made of Kryptonian metal. He sustained a severe stab wound from the blade and lost a significant amount of blood before he was healed through the power of Jor-El. (Talisman) Clark succumbed to the hallucinogenic dreams of an airborne toxin in Scare but unlike everyone else exposed, he was able to recover on his own. While in the Phantom Zone, Clark had no physical invulnerability due to the fact that there was no yellow sun present to empower him, and he was thus able to be punched and scratched by the phantoms. He also returned to Earth with an illness that resembled the human common cold. He experienced fatigue, sneezing, a scratchy throat, and plugged-up ears. (Sneeze) While Clark was on Krypton in the past (Apocalypse) Clark had no abilities under Krypton's red sun, thus causing him to be easily overpowered and even bleed due to his human level attributes. Clark is vulnerable to the various intergalactic creatures that have escaped from the Phantom Zone. Repeated punches to the face from General Zod caused Clark to bleed from his mouth. The deadly vines generated by Gloria were able to cut and impale him. Aldar, Titan and Baern were all able to overpower him, and Dr. Hudson was able to enter Clark's mind and keep him in a prolonged hallucination. Baern's radiation blast were powerful enough to knock Clark back and with the force of the blast Clark was blown out of the barn and was stunned for several minutes. Due to his shared DNA with Titan, Wes Keenan was also able to overpower Clark, but did not cause Clark to bleed. Clark later remarked that their blows were the strongest he's ever felt. Bizarro was able to enter Clark's body, extract his DNA, and overpower him. Presumably, Aldar, Dr. Hudson and Bizarro posed greater threats to Clark than the other Zoners, since the Martian Manhunter had to interfere in each case. (Source episodes: Arrival, Vessel, Zod, Wither, Fallout, Static, Labyrinth, Combat, Prototype and Phantom.) Mikhail Mxyzptlk and Tim Westcott caused Clark to choke, suggesting that he still needs to breathe air. (Jinx, Pariah) Clark was born as Kal-El, the only son of Jor-El and Lara-El, on the planet Krypton. When their planet was about to be destroyed after his uncle Zor-El ignited Krypton's core and also due to General Zod's attempt to conquer its people, Jor-El placed Kal-El in a spaceship, to send him to a good family on the planet Earth where he visited years ago. Though Lara wondered if the people of Earth would accept and love him, Jor-El reassured her that the family he chose would be good to him. In 2008, Brainiac traveled back in time to prevent his arrival to Earth. He intercepted the ship after his parents placed him into it and attempted to kill him. However, he was thwarted by Kara and Clark from the future. They saved Clark's infant self and put him back in the ship, thus preventing any alterations of history. Kal-El came to Earth during the meteor shower which struck the community of Smallville, Kansas, on October 16, 1989. He was sent from Krypton as an infant, but because of the distance from Earth, Kal-El appeared to be between the ages of two and three when his ship crash-landed. Jonathan and Martha found him in Miller's Field and told the town that they had quietly adopted him. Unable to have children themselves, the Kents adopted the young orphan and raised him as their son. Owed a favor from Lionel Luthor, Jonathan allowed him to produce forged paperwork that made it official. They arbitrarily picked a May 1987 birth date for their new son and named him Clark, Martha's maiden name. Clark formed a friendship with another farmer's son, Pete Ross in early childhood. He also was grade school friends with Greg Arkin and Abigail Fine.[11] Clark has been in love with Lana Lang for most of his life. 119

Lana lived a mile away and while growing up, Clark used his telescope in his loft to spy on her. However, Lana almost always wore a necklace with a meteor rock charm on it. As a result, Clark could not even come into close physical proximity without being physically affected but never understood why. Clark met Chloe Sullivan in eighth grade and along with Pete Ross, the three formed an inseparable trio. Clark was considerably stronger than other children at an early age. Martha noticed his strength the day she brought him home. He even cracked the kitchen table in half and occasionally put holes in the walls during tantrums. He once lifted a 500-pound bed frame as a toddler. Because Jonathan and Martha did not want him to inadvertently injure other children, Clark was not allowed in playgroups or to play on sports teams as a child. Indeed, in an attempt to protect Pete from a bully, he once threw the other child through a door. Clark developed super-speed around age six.[12] Jonathan and Martha taught Clark that his abilities were "gifts", but also that he should never tell anyone else about them. By the time he was 14, he knew that he was adopted, but he seriously began to question his strange powers and confronted his parents, demanding answers. In his freshman year, Clark's closest friends were Pete Ross and Chloe Sullivan. The three worked on the high school newspaper, the Smallville Torch, together for Smallville High School. Clark's duties were minimal, such as writing the lunch menu and other small articles. Clark was accidentally hit by Lex Luthor's car, causing them to fall into a river. He was unharmed and swam to the bottom of the river to save Lex from drowning. Lex tried to reward Clark with a new truck, but Jonathan refused it. Frustrated, Clark confessed to Jonathan that he didn't dive in after Lex's car; he was actually hit by it. Jonathan told him how he and Martha found him and a spacecraft, which they hid in the storm cellar. Confused and angry, Clark went to a graveyard to gather his thoughts where he had his first conversation with his eternal crush, Lana Lang. Clark finally realized the effect of meteor rock on him when Lana's boyfriend, Whitney Fordman, saw Clark and Lana talking, then chose Clark to be the traditional Scarecrow, weakening him with Lana's necklace. Whitney strung him up in a field, but Clark was saved from his post by Lex. He then stopped the vengeful metahuman Jeremy Creek, another past Scarecrow, from electrocuting the students of Smallville High. Against his parents' judgment, Clark tried out for the football team his freshman year as a starting tailback. However, after stopping Coach Walt Arnold from using his pyrokinetic abilities on others, Clark resigned from the team. Clark met many metahumans his freshman year: those who used their abilities to keep themselves alive and achieve their vengeful goals, such as Sean Kelvin and Tina Greer, and those that would seem to be cursed with their gifts and use them to help others, such as the blind, precognitive Cassandra Carver, the persuasive hermit Kyle Tippet, and the young telepath Ryan James. When Clark saved the life of a classmate, depressed and abused Eric Summers, he temporarily lost his powers. Eric wandered away from their geology class field trip and, holding a meteor rock, was about to jump off of a bridge. As Clark tried to pull Eric to safety, the two were struck by lightning and Clark's abilities were transferred to Eric. Clark remarked that his farm chores took two hours instead of five minutes, but it was worth it to be able to play pick-up basketball with his classmates. He also considered the possibility that if he were to get his abilities back, he might not have to keep them a secret because everyone accepted Eric. However, Eric then attacked Clark by throwing him against a car, injuring his ribs. When Eric continued to act psychotically violent, Clark reclaimed his abilities because he realized that, unlike himself, Eric did not have a supportive family to help him manage the responsibility that came with the powers. By the end of his freshman year, Clark's powers had steadily increased. After being caught in an exploding truck, he remarked that he barely felt the heat from explosion and the debris did not even bruise him. After personal struggles, Whitney set his differences with Clark aside and asked him to look after Lana after he enlisted in the Marines. Clark sometimes considered the possibility of a romantic relationship with Chloe, but was worried that it would mean losing her as a friend and still held hope that he and Lana were meant to be together. When Chloe was kidnapped, Clark saved her, and faced with the possibility that he could have lost her forever, he decided to take her to the Spring Formal. They almost kissed, but the news of tornadoes in Smallville interrupted their evening together and he left her to rescue Lana. Clark was among the hundreds of volunteers who helped restore Smallville after the devestating tornadoes. He urgently searched for his missing father while at the same time trying to sort out his feelings for Lana and Chloe. Trying to mask her hurt from being left at the dance, Chloe convinced Clark that she had decided that they would be better off as friends and Clark believed her. Clark developed heat vision the first day of his sophomore year. Triggered by hormones connected to his sex drive, he has since learned to control his new gift. Clark was briefly jailed as a suspected arsonist after Desire Atkins claimed he had set fire to her car. He started a fire in the holding cell and when Sheriff Ethan opened the cell door, he escaped, only to later receive a lecture from the sheriff and cleared of all charges once Desire was arrested for the attempted murder of her husband, Lex. Defying his parents, Clark revealed his origins and powers to Pete when Pete found Clark's ship in a cornfield and asked Clark to help him move it. At first, Pete was angry with Clark for not trusting him and stopped speaking to him. However, Pete was kidnapped by Dr. Steven Hamilton, who threatened to kill him unless he revealed Clark's secret. Clark came to Pete's rescue and the two worked together to escape Dr. 120

Hamilton. Understanding the responsibility and danger of knowing Clark's secret, Pete forgave Clark for keeping it from him. Clark bought a class ring that had red meteor rock in it, discovering the drug-like effects it has on him. He became rebellious and somewhat dangerous for the first time. Pete and Jonathan had to work together to overpower Clark and destroy the ring. Clark met his adoptive maternal grandfather, William Clark, for the first time and was determined to end the strife between William and Jonathan. He was dismayed to learn that his parents became estranged from William when he was adopted, because they didn't think they could trust William with Clark's secret. Clark discovered the Kawatche Caves, where he met Kyla Willowbrook, a Granville High School student doing research in them. Clark and Kyla had an instant connection and grew very close. For the first time in his life, he felt like everything fit and like they were destined to be together. The caves contained a series of elaborate drawings and symbols, along with a depression in the wall shaped exactly like his key and, according to Kyla, depicted the legend of Naman, which Clark believed contained clues to his origins. After Kyla's death, Clark convinced Lex to preserve the caves. Lex hired Dr. Frederick Walden to do research on the caves and their strange markings, while giving Clark unlimited access to the caves. However, in Lex and Lionel's endless battle for LuthorCorp, Lex lost control and Lionel took over their exploration. Clark decided to ask Lana out on a date and she accepted. However, he had to break their date because Pete and Chloe got infected with a parasite from the cave, which caused wild and impulsive behavior. Pete slipped a piece of red meteor rock into Clark's shirt and Clark joined in on the fun. Not realizing that her friends were under undue influences, Lana got upset with Clark and their relationship stalled yet again. Clark saved Pete and Chloe, but it meant having to lie to Lana about his own behavior. When Martha and Clark were exposed to meteor-rock-bearing spores in the storm cellar, they became deathly ill. Martha was admitted to the hospital (where her pregnancy was revealed), but Jonathan kept Clark at home to avoid risk of Clark's alien physiology being discovered. Chloe came to visit Clark, and while he was sleeping, confessed her true feelings in the form of a letter. However, Chloe left in tears when Clark called for Lana in his sleep. Jonathan placed the key in the spaceship, causing the craft to unleash a burst of energy that restored Clark and Martha to good health. Clark began to have dreams of putting the key in the hole in the cave wall and decided to do it, against his parents' wishes. When he did, he learned how to read the alien language and translated it for his parents. Beyond his control, Clark burned the symbol for "hope" into the side of the barn with his heat vision. Dr. Virgil Swann saw the symbol in a newspaper and contacted Clark. Dr. Swann translated a message which had been sent 13 years ago: "This is Kal-El of Krypton. Our infant son, our last hope. Please protect him and deliver him from evil. We will be with you, Kal-El, for all the days of your life." Clark learned that his home planet was called Krypton and all the meteor rocks are also from Krypton. After returning, Clark and Jonathan opened the ship for the first time and Clark translated the message from his Kryptonian biological father: "On this third planet from this star Sol, you will be a god among men. They are a flawed race. Rule them with strength, my son. That is where your greatness lies." Clark was horrified at the idea that he was sent to conquer and rule Earth. In his second brush with the law, Clark served 40 hours of community service for a misdemeanor battery charge brought against him after he attacked Andy Arthur, a college frat boy attempting to assault Lana. Andy brought a million-dollar lawsuit against the Kents. Clark later found out that Andy was faking his injuries and he talked Lana into using her newfound karate skills to make Andy drop the lawsuit. Because he was helping Lana, Clark forgot to write an article for the Torch and he and Chloe got in a fight about it. He subsequently quit the newspaper. Lana decided to give Clark another chance and made him a birthday cake; they shared their first kiss. However, this time, knowing how Chloe felt about Clark, the next day, it was Lana who put a hold on their relationship again, because she was concerned that it would ruin all three of their friendships. Clark convinced her that it was worth the risk and Lana was persuaded, but only if Clark promised to tell Chloe. With the commotion surrounding Dr. Walden and the ship, Clark was unable to before Chloe figured it out herself. Chloe confronted Clark and broke off their friendship completely. On Clark's birthday, the ship began broadcasting the message "The day is coming," which only Clark and Dr. Walden could hear. Clark found Dr. Walden at his barn with the key and with a powerful ability to project energy. Later, Jor-El called to him through the ship, saying that it was time to leave Smallville forever for him to fulfill his destiny. When Clark defiantly resisted, Jor-El burned the sign of his ancestors on Clark's chest as a warning of any future disobedience. Thinking the only way to escape his biological father's grip was to destroy the ship, Clark stole Lionel's kryptonite key with Pete's help and put in the ship. The pulse from the exploding ship rolled Jonathan and Martha's truck, causing her to miscarry the baby. Feeling immense guilt and sorrow, Clark stole a red kryptonite class ring from Chloe's desk at the Torch, took his father's motorcycle, and ran away to Metropolis under the influence of red kryptonite. Three months later, still under the influence of red kryptonite and living in Metropolis, Clark went under the alias of "Kal." He got involved with a crime lord, Morgan Edge, who hired him to break into LuthorCorp. Jonathan made a deal with Jor-El to help bring Clark back home to Smallville by promising to release Clark to Jor-El when it came time to fulfill his destiny. Jonathan temporarily received Kryptonian powers and battled Clark, ultimately leading to Clark's homecoming. However, Edge tracked him down and demanded that he return Lionel's package (which contained a vial of Clark's blood). Edge learned of Clark's weakness to kryptonite and 121

nearly sold him to Lionel, but Clark escaped. What happened to the money he stole or how he covered it up is unknown; Clark simply said he tipped off the police about the money's whereabouts. Clark was shot in the hand and shoulder by a kryptonite bullet made by Van McNulty, who believed Clark to be a metahuman. With Clark passed out on the kitchen floor, Jonathan and Martha saved him by extracting the bullet from Clark's shoulder using a knife and pliers. The Conroys moved to Smallville and into Lana's old house. While studying in his loft, Clark fell into a deep sleep and his dreams were penetrated with cries for help from Sarah Conroy, who was being kept in a drug-induced coma by her uncle and legal guardian, Nicholas. His parents were unable to wake him for over a day. Upon waking, Clark and Lana investigated the situation, but were thwarted by Nicholas. Sarah managed to keep a hold on Clark and he dozed off again while driving, wrecking the family truck. In their shared dreams, Clark was able to save Sarah from Nicholas and wake them both up by encouraging her to face her uncle. Clark learned that Earth's sun was the source of his powers when a solar flare caused them to go into overdrive or fail completely. During this time, he met the drunk Perry White. Perry witnessed Clark's powers, but since he was perpetually drunk, nobody believed him. Under the effects of the solar flare, Clark became vulnerable and Perry was convinced that everything he saw from Clark was probably a drunken hallucination. In an attempt to save Lex's life, Clark revealed his powers to Lex by taking the hit of a car. However, Lionel had Lex's mind erased of the past seven weeks, and Clark's secret remained safe. While trying to prevent a robbery, Clark tried to use his heat vision on the metahuman thief Nathan Dean, but the heat blast was reflected off of a Kryptonite gem, which blinded him temporarily. While blind, Clark gained the use and control of his super-hearing. He learned of Chloe's deal with Lionel and they did not speak to each other for a time. They came to a tentative agreement that Chloe might not understand everything about him, but he would tell her when he was ready. When Clark and Lana were hypnotized into trying to kill Chloe, Clark felt guilty, so he forgave Chloe for making a bad decision in a moment of weakness and their friendship was repaired. Clark discovered one of his classmates, Alicia Baker, was a metahuman with the power to teleport anywhere she wanted. The two were forced to reveal their powers to each other while in a crashing elevator. Their shared secrets brought them together and they began dating. However, Alicia became completely obsessed with Clark, inserting herself into every aspect of his life. She attempted to kill Lana so she could have Clark all to herself, but Clark saved Lana just in time. When Lionel tried to extract information about Clark from Dr. Swann, Clark accused Swann betraying him. He learned that Jor-El was waiting for Jonathan to fulfill his end of the bargain they made to bring Clark from Metropolis. Under the guise of concern for his son, Lionel asked Clark to intervene when Lex began using an experimental treatment at the Summerholt Institute to recover lost memories, which involved submersion in a tank filled with a liquid kryptonite solution. When Clark went to rescue Lex, he was weakened by the solution, allowing Dr. Lawrence Garner to overpower him and place him inside the tank. Clark went into seizures as he recovered his earliest memory of his birth parents. He almost died, but Lex arrived just in time to save him. Clark was stabbed in the stomach by Jeremiah Holdsclaw with the Starblade, an ancient Kawatche artifact apparently made of kryptonian metal. He almost bled to death, but Jor-El healed him through Jonathan and Clark survived. Clark also learned that either Lex or Lionel would be his ultimate enemy. Many major events happened as Clark finished his junior year. Lana announced that she was moving to Paris and Clark decided to reveal his secret to her to make her stay. But when Pete was beaten up by one of Lionel's lackeys, Clark changed his mind because he did not want to put Lana in danger. Clark said goodbye to his longtime friend when Pete's parents got divorced and Pete decided to move to Wichita with his mother. Lionel told Clark about Lex's secret room, which contained the evidence of Lex investigating his secrets. Clark declared that since Lex had not stopped researching him, their friendship was over. However, he kept his promise to testify against Lionel. Clark also met "Kara", a beautiful girl who claimed to be from Krypton. Kara enticed him to fulfill his destiny and recreate Krypton with her and also revealed the deal made between Jonathan and Jor-El. Still reeling from all the recent goodbyes and revelations, Clark decided to go with Kara. As Clark prepared to leave with Kara, Jonathan arrived with proof that Kara was being used by Jor-El to lure Clark to him. When Clark refused to go into a portal in the cave wall, Jor-El dissipated Kara and hit Jonathan with a bolt of energy, threatening to kill him if Clark refused him again. Despite Jonathan's pleas, Clark entered the light and disappeared. Three months later, Clark reappeared in Smallville in a cornfield as Kal-El with no recollection of his life as Clark Kent. He was found by Lois Lane, who took him to the hospital, where Martha came and took him back to the Kent Farm, hoping that Clark would return to normal. Kal-El insisted that it was his destiny to collect the Kryptonian Stones of Power, and was summoned by the first one: the Crystal of Fire, which was recovered by Lex in Egypt. He flew away, took the stone from Lex, and put it in an altar in the Kawatche Caves. Martha contacted Dr. Virgil Swann to help free Clark from Kal-El and Dr. Swann sent his associate, Bridgette Crosby. Crosby gave Martha a piece of black kryptonite and Martha used it to separate Clark from Kal-El; Clark then used the black kryptonite to eliminate Kal-El. Back to normal, Clark began to help Lois investigate Chloe's murder. They discovered that Chloe was indeed alive and saved her from a metahuman assassin. 122

During his senior year, Clark again went against his parents' wishes and joined the football team, becoming the star quarterback in his rookie year. Unsurprisingly, he successfully took the team to an undefeated season and a state championship. Clark won a football scholarship from Metropolis University, but turned it down when he realized that he would be under too much scrutiny to conceal his powers. Clark befriended Bart Allen, a boy that also had super-speed and used it to pickpocket and steal. He helped Bart realize that he should not use his powers to commit crimes or hurt others. Clark learned that Lex had a manuscript with a hidden map to another Stone of Power. Bart stole the map to sell it, putting both of their lives in danger. However, Clark's influence made Bart decide to give it back; he saved Clark and left Smallville, promising to try to live a more moral life. Lionel Luthor obtained the Stone of Water and used it to switch bodies with Lex until Clark intervened; Clark and Lionel ended up switching bodies instead. Lionel discovered Clark's powers and began to wreak havoc on Clark's friends and family. In Lionel's body, Clark caused a riot in prison to enable him to return to his own body. Even though he was preparing for a visit from a representative from Princeton University, Lois convinced Clark to throw a birthday party for Chloe in his barn. The party got raucous and out of hand when Countess Margaret Isobel Thoreaux and her companions attended, possessing the bodies of Lana, Chloe, and Lois. They stripped Clark of his powers when he tried to stop him; he received them back when he touched the Crystal of Fire. When Clark destroyed Isobel's spell book with his heat vision, the girls returned to normal. Alicia Baker returned to Smallville and she and Clark rekindled their relationship. However, in an effort to convince him to run away with her, she gave Clark a red kryptonite necklace and the two ran away to Las Vegas to get married. On their wedding night, Alicia released Clark from the effects of the red kryptonite. His reasonable thinking restored, Clark was very angry at her for "drugging" him and broke up with her. Alicia apologized profusely and was even shot trying to protect his secret, so they later got back together. When Alicia was framed for attacking Lana and Jason Teague, then killed by another metahuman, Clark was brokenhearted and guilty. Also, unbeknownst to him, Alicia exposed Clark's powers to Chloe. Much to Clark's extreme annoyance, when Lois got kicked out of Metropolis University, she asked if she could stay with the Kents until she got back on her feet. Clark offered her his room and slept on the living room couch for the rest of the school year. He did his farm chores at odd hours to avoid being caught by Lois. Clark also adopted a dog that Lois hit with her car, Shelby. Before Dr. Swann died, he sent Clark one last letter and also gave him back his key. Clark placed it in the cave altar and established communication with Jor-El once again. Jor-El urged him to fulfill his destiny and collect the Stones of Power. Clark and Lana followed Jason and Lex to China to obtain the Crystal of Air. However, following another encounter with Isobel, Clark lost possession of the stone. As his senior year drew to a close, Clark had many strange things happen to him; he got possessed by Dawn Stiles during his senior prom, lost his memory, and he and Lana found a rapidly-aging child left abandoned in a field. Clark decided to attend Central Kansas A&M University so that he could commute while continuing to live at home and help his parents with the farm. The day he graduated from high school, Clark had a precognitive nightmare of something terrible happening in Smallville. Immediately after Clark accepted his diploma, the coming of another meteor shower was announced. Clark once again sought guidance from his Kryptonian birth father and Jor-El told him that he must reunite the Stones of Power immediately. As the meteors began to bombard Smallville, Clark managed to find the other two Stones of Power and reunited them to form the Crystal of Knowledge. After grabbing the crystal, he was teleported to the Arctic where he threw the crystal into a blanket of snow and created the Fortress of Solitude. Clark entered the Fortress of Solitude, where Jor-El told him that he had to stay and prepare to save Earth from a great evil from Krypton. He began his training, but unbeknownst to him, Chloe was also transported to the Arctic with him. Unable to withstand the sub-zero temperatures, she collapsed inside the Fortress. Clark interrupted his training and Jor-El initially forbade him to leave, but relented. However, Clark was warned that he must return to the Fortress before sunset or there would be dire consequences. Clark took Chloe to a hospital in the Yukon. There, she admitted that she discovered his powers months ago and Clark told her that he was, in fact, from another planet. Clark returned to Smallville and banished the Disciples of Zod to the Phantom Zone. When Lana was injured, he chose to take her to the hospital and did not return to the Fortress. Jor-El took Clark's powers, making him practically human. Initially, Clark was not sorry to see them go. With no secrets between them anymore, Clark and Lana finally began a normal relationship. When three metahuman criminals from Belle Reve escaped and held Lana, Jonathan, and Martha hostage, Clark and Chloe were able to stop them without his abilities. When he discovered that Lex was responsible for their escape, Clark ended their friendship. Shortly after, Clark and Lana made love for the first time in Lana's apartment. Sometime later, Clark was shot by Gabriel Duncan, who hatched a plan to redirect a nuclear missile to hit Smallville and kill all metahumans. Clark died, but Jor-El, temporarily possessing Lionel Luthor, resurrected him as the Kryptonian he really is. However, Jor-El warned Clark that life-force of someone he loves will have to be traded for his own. Clark protested, saying he would rather die himself, but Jor-El informed him that Clark had already made the choice when he disobeyed him. Bitterly disappointed and apprehensive about Jor-El's prediction, Clark returned to Smallville, dismantled the missile in space, and saved the town. 123

Clark befriended his World History professor, Milton Fine. When Clark was infected with silver kryptonite, Fine revealed himself to be a Kryptonian and cured him. He later claimed that he was sent to watch over him and see that Clark walks the path of a true Kryptonian. However, when Fine infected Martha with a Kryptonian disease, Clark learned that Fine was actually the Brain InterActive Construct, a Kryptonian artificial intelligence that had, in fact, manufactured the silver kryptonite and was using Clark in a plot to release General Zod from the Phantom Zone. With his abilities restored, Clark abstained from having sex with Lana. When she confronted him about it, Lana knew Clark was being less than truthful and the issue continued to drive a wedge between them. Clark admitted to Chloe that he wasn't sure what would happen and did not want to risk hurting Lana. Eventually, he realized that that he would lose Lana due to his secrecy, so he decided to take Chloe's advice. Clark showed Lana the Fortress of Solitude, told her of his true origins, and proposed to her, which she later accepted. At Jonathan's election victory party, Lana was summoned away to the Luthor Mansion by Lex, who drunkenly asked about Clark's secret, and Jonathan was summoned away by Lionel. While driving back, Lana was chased by Lex and she was killed when a school bus collided with her car. Clark arrived too late to save her and having stopped at the accident site to comfort Clark, Jonathan never arrived to meet Lionel. Devastated, Clark tearfully begged Jor-El to bring Lana back to life and Jor-El sent him back in time to the moment before he told her everything. Instead, Clark was forced to lie about why he invited her over. However, Lana saw through his excuse and told him that she wanted a break from their relationship. The second time, Clark was able to prevent the accident and save Lana, but Jonathan successfully made it to his meeting with Lionel. When Clark and Martha returned home, they saw Jonathan wandering around the farm. Having just beaten up Lionel, Jonathan collapsed to the ground and died in Clark's arms. Clark confessed to Martha that Jonathan died because he tried to prevent Lana's death. Later, Clark told his mother that he "sort-of dropped out" of college to help with the farm. He also befriended a mysterious vigilante in Metropolis, Andrea Rojas. Andrea helped Clark find a thief who stole his father's watch from his mother and his experience with her helped Clark cope with his father's passing. Clark met the seductive Simone who used a mystical amulet to hypnotize him to be her boyfriend. Under her control, he demonstrated his abilities to her and was about to engage in an intimate moment with Simone until Lana caught them. Simone was revealed to be sent by Lex to gain information on Clark. Instead, she told Clark to kill Lex. Chloe was able to stop him just in time with a chunk of kryptonite. During the confrontation, Simone's amulet was broken and Clark regained his senses. Realizing that all he seemed to bring to Lana was pain, Clark told Lana that he was no longer in love with her and they broke up for good. Clark searched for Milton Fine in Honduras. When he returned to Smallville, he learned that Lana had become addicted to a kryptonite-based drug that allows a person to die for a brief period of time and communicate with their deceased loved ones. While trying to save Lana, Clark was injected with the drug and died. In the afterlife, he had a conversation with Jonathan in which he learned that Lionel knew his secret. When Clark returned to life, he began to watch Lionel closely. Clark and Martha briefly took in a little girl, Maddie Van Horn. Maddie had been mute ever since her birth mother's death and Clark was able to get her to open up to him and start talking again. Clark helped Maddie gain control of her powers and reunited her with her grandmother. Clark was forced to confirm what Lionel already knew when Lionel and Martha were kidnapped by a vindictive former LuthorCorp employee. In order to save his mother's life, he had to reveal his powers to Lionel. Clark later confronted Lionel, most likely to gauge exactly what he would do with his newfound information. Lionel maintained that he cared too much about Martha to expose Clark, but Clark did not believe him. Clark saved the life of a stranger, Graham Garrett, who vowed to repay Clark for his kindness. Unfortunately, Graham was a hit man with the ability to make himself invisible and he decided to kill Lex as a way to repay Clark. When he went to the Luthor Mansion to warn Lex, Clark saw Lex and Lana kissing. Symbolically, the telescope he used to admire Lana from afar broke on the same day she came to tell him that she and Lex were in a relationship. On his birthday, Clark saw his father's ghost, who told him that he had to kill Lionel. Clark and Chloe discovered that Lionel had meetings scheduled about "The Weapon." Thinking that Lionel planned to use him as a weapon, Clark called Lionel to the barn and started to beat him up. Lionel tried to explain his presence that night, but Clark was too emotional to listen. When Jonathan appeared again, Lionel convinced Clark that the image was not his father, but a Brainiac duplicate. Knowing his father would not want him to become a murderer, Clark attacked the impostor. Lionel went into a trance and vaporized the Brainiac copy. Lionel showed him an entire closet filled with papers covered in Kryptonian symbols that he wrote. Chloe and Clark translated the symbols as "Zod is coming." When Lex was kidnapped by Brainiac and given Kryptonian powers, Jor-El explained to Clark that Zod was responsible for Krypton's destruction and that his mind and spirit required a host body to inhabit on Earth. In order to prevent Zod's release, Clark must destroy Zod's chosen vessel: Lex. He was given a Kryptonian dagger to do so. When Fine approached Clark, he refused to release Zod. Fine then released a computer virus which spread rapidly to every major city on Earth. With Metropolis in chaos, Clark went to get Chloe, but she urged him to go without her and stop Zod. Saying she might never see him again, Chloe gave him a passionate kiss. Clark confronted Zod in Lex's body, but he was overpowered and thrown into the Phantom Zone. 124

While in the Phantom Zone, Clark found himself powerless and surrounded by deadly beings imprisoned by Jor-El. He met Raya, a Kryptonian who was one of Jor-El's assistants. Raya helped Clark escape just in time to save Martha and Lionel. Clark confronted General Zod and, after a brutal fight, used the Crystal of El to separate Zod from Lex and send him back to the Phantom Zone. After the Dark Thursday disaster, Clark began to rebuild what Zod had destroyed, working all night several nights in a row. He started feeling tired and sick and sneezed so powerfully, it blew the barn door off of its hinges and into the sky. With the sneeze, Clark developed a new power: super-breath. He used his newlyacquired power to save Lex and Lana from a burning lab. Clark discovered that the Green Arrow was actually Oliver Queen. He revealed his powers to Oliver and prevented Lois and Chloe from discovering the Green Arrow's true identity. With Chloe's help, Clark learned that there were more "Zoners" in other parts of the world and that Raya escaped the Phantom Zone as well. He battled Gloria and Aldar. Raya found Clark and told him that he had to complete his training with Jor-El to save Earth from extinction. Together, they fought Baern, but during the battle, Baern killed Raya. After defeating Baern, Clark decided that he would begin his training after sending all of the escaped Zoners back to the Phantom Zone. On Thanksgiving, due to Jonathan's absence and Raya's recent death, Clark told his mother that he wasn't feeling very thankful, but Martha insisted on inviting their closest friends for dinner. He also discovered that Oliver was taking a drug to speed up healing, but also caused erratic behavior and aggression. Clark unsuccessfully pleaded with Oliver to stop and ended up having to use the drug to save Lex. Oliver was suitably chastised and joined the Kents for Thanksgiving dinner, along with Lionel, Chloe, and Lois. Clark found Javier Ramirez seeking refuge in his barn after running away from the McNally Farm. Empathizing with Javier's situation, he convinced Martha to let him locate Javier's mother and help them stay in the country. Clark learned from Chloe that Lana may still be in love with him. Overly excited, he rushed over to the Luthor Mansion to see her, but was confronted by Lex. Denying him access, Lex told Clark that Lana was pregnant with his child. Lana came to Clark's loft to talk to him, but he told her that everything has changed. Clark also helped Oliver keep his secret from Lois. Disguised as the Green Arrow, he received his first kiss from Lois, which he seemed to find both appalling yet amusing. Clark met Bart Allen again, but when Bart was captured by Lex, he learned that Oliver had assembled a team of superhumans to stop Lex's Level 33.1 activities. Clark went to save Bart, but he was incapacitated by kryptonite. The Green Arrow rescued him and Clark joined the other heroes in their effort to blow up the facility. Oliver asked Clark to join the team, but Clark told him he was obligated to capture the Zoners first. A Zoner, Dr. Hudson, attacked Clark and caused him to believe he was a mental patient with no superpowers. Clark was able to break free from his delusion with the help of the Martian Manhunter, the mysterious entity who had saved him from Aldar. After Lois tried on lipstick made with red kryptonite, she became infatuated with Clark. Lois kissed him, causing Kal to emerge. Kal and Lois crashed Lex and Lana's engagement dinner and Kal kidnapped Lana and tried to force her to choose between him and Lex. He tried to kill Lex until Martha secretly subdued him with green kryptonite just as Lex stabbed Clark with a chisel. However, neither of them saw Lana collect the bent chisel. Due to her engagement to Lex, Lana (and by extension, Clark) became the focus of paparazzi. Clark avoided using his powers on the farm because he always felt like he was being watched. Lana hid from a potential stalker at the Kent Farm and Clark learned that Lana had been investigating him for months. However, he still saved her. Tobias Rice revealed that Chloe was, in fact, meteor-infected and Chloe was abducted, but returned as Clark and Jimmy Olsen frantically searched for her. Chloe made Clark X-ray her and when he located a GPS tracking device inside her, she forced him to burn it out of her. Later, Clark promised to help Chloe control her powers if she ever develops any. When the day of Lex and Lana's wedding arrived, Clark decided to tell Lana his secret. However, unbeknownst to him, Lana had already witnessed his powers earlier that day. She promised to meet him at his barn where Clark intended to propose. However, Lionel blackmailed Lana into going through with the wedding and Clark was heartbroken as he watched Lex and Lana exchange vows. Angered about Lana's marriage, Clark resorted to hunting down metahumans and turning them over to the police. After getting a tip from Oliver, Clark found Titan, a Zoner featured on a lethal Internet fighting ring. After persuading the emcee, Richtor Maddox, to let him into the ring, Clark had to fight Lois, who had been trying to get a story but was caught. Clark and Titan duked it out, but eventually Titan was killed by his own spike when Clark knocked him through the air. Chloe enlisted Clark's help when she discovered her mother, Moira Sullivan, was being held captive. However, under mind-control, she incapacitated Clark with green kryptonite and tried to leave town, but Lex apprehended her to use her as leverage against her mother. Chloe almost shot Lex, but Clark was able to recover and speed into the confrontation. He saved Lex and took Moira to safety. While Chloe was making arrangements for her mother, Moira began to slip back into her catatonic state, so Clark told her all about Chloe and her accomplishments. Chloe confessed to Clark that Lex had threatened her and Clark vowed to fight against him. When Lex was trapped in a series of underground tunnels, Lionel pleaded with Clark to rescue him. However, the tunnels were laced with kryptonite and Clark injured his arm and grew weaker from the exposure. He located Lex, and they simultaneously tried to find a way out while analyzing the breakdown of their friendship. 125

Clark told Lex that Lana intended to leave him and wanted to know how Lex had forced her to marry him. He was dismayed when Lex honestly answered that Lana made her own choice. Eventually, Clark became too weak to continue and only after they relied on each other were they able to escape. Clark was shocked and pleased when Lana almost kissed him, but she left him to embrace Lex instead. Chloe informed Clark that Lana intended to let Lex die and only produced schematics for the tunnel when she learned that Clark was in danger too. Clark later told his mother that he felt responsible for Lex's descent into evil because he gave up on him too soon. Clark and Chloe later had an argument about her keeping secrets about Lana from him. Clark went to see Lionel to ask him why Lana went through with the wedding. When Lionel lied, saying he had nothing to do with it, Clark threatened him. Clark suspected that Chloe knew the reason, but she refused to tell him. Clark had Lois stay with him and his mother at the Kent Farm when she became a target for the super-soldier Wes Keenan. When Lois was taken by Wes, he tracked Wes down and managed to stop him with an extreme burst of heat vision. Clark's mother accepted a position in the US Senate and moved to Washington, D.C. that May. She assured Clark that he did not have to stay behind and take care of the farm, but he maintained that the farm was the only home he'd ever had and it was his duty. He later met Lana in the loft. Lana told Clark she was leaving Lex and Smallville. Clark wanted to protect her, but Lana insisted that she needed to leave. He then told her the truth about himself. After an intense kiss, Lana told Clark that she had to stay away to protect him from Lionel. Clark later went to Lionel to confront him, but was stopped by the Martian Manhunter. Lionel and the Martian Manhunter explained that Lex was hunting the last phantom, Bizarro. Chloe helped Clark track Bizarro down and he told her that he told Lana the truth. He went to report his findings to Lionel, but Lionel regretfully had to tell him that Lana had died from a car bomb while trying to leave town. An emotional Clark went to find Lex, but they were confronted by Bizarro. After Bizarro took some of his DNA, he took on Clark's form and they fought each other. With their combined strength, Clark was thrown out of the Reeves Dam with Bizarro flying after him. Bizarro chased Clark into the forest and informed him that he had all of Clark's memories and intended to kill him and live his life. Clark knocked Bizarro away while he saved a fisherman and his son from the approaching torrent, then returned to find Lionel but he was nowhere to be found. Instead, he found Lois and the unconscious Chloe and took them to the hospital. Clark waited for the doctors to revive her, but they were unsuccessful and admitted to Clark that she died. Distraught and grief-stricken, he lost control of his superhearing, then focused on everything including on Chloe's cries for help. He rescued her from the morgue but Chloe refused to talk about her resurrection. Clark beat Bizarro with the Martian Manhunter's help by punching him towards the Sun out of the Reeve's Dam. He later admitted to Chloe that he was angry enough to kill Lex. Clark then decided to start his training, because Lana's death showed him that the people he loves will not be around forever, and told Lois he was leaving Smallville. Together they found a ship but were both knocked away from it by its owner, a Kryptonian girl. Clark located her and she stated she was searching for Kal-El. Clark took her the farm and she revealed herself to be Kara, daughter of Jor-El's brother Zor-El. They realized that they were cousins and Clark had to inform Kara that Krypton had been destroyed. She told him that they still had to find her ship to stop its devastating self-destruct mechanism. Clark taught Kara how to user her super-hearing to find it; Kara absorbed the explosion and the ship disappeared. He let Kara stay with him at the farm, but went to ask Jor-El about her. Jor-El told him that Kara could have a hidden agenda and that his training begins with watching over her. Clark took Kara to the Sweet Corn Festival where he noticed her interest in Jimmy Olsen. He tried to teach her how to control her heat vision, but Kara declared that she would learn on her own. They discovered a Kryptonian artifact in a time capsule. Clark went to investigate but was incapacitated by two metahuman beauty queens, who blasted meteor rocks at him. Kara rescued Clark and defeated them. Clark was shocked to be approached by Lana, who was still alive. Lana explained that she faked her death to get out of her marriage with Lex and Clark offered her refuge, and they rekindled their relationship. However, he also learned from the Martian Manhunter that Kara and her family were enemies of his and Jor-El. The Martian Manhunter warned Clark not to trust Kara and to locate her missing crystal. Kara got upset that Clark didn't trust her and disappeared for weeks. While searching for the crystal, Clark learned that Chloe had decided to undergo a radical cure for her meteor-rock infection. He tried to talk her out of it, but then learned that the doctor involved, Curtis Knox, was actually killing his patients. Clark rescued her and turned Knox over to the Martian Manhunter. Clark saved the life of famous actress Rachel Davenport, but was forced to consider that his destiny might be more important than the life on the farm with Lana. Lana claimed she did not want to be the one holding Clark back, but Clark assured her that he had all he wanted with her. Clark located Kara and rescued her from Agent Carter, who had given her a treatment designed to recall her memories of Krypton. Clark learned that his birth mother Lara-El had visited his home before his birth. He found a photograph of her, and also found Kara's crystal and hid it from her. Through reliving Kara's memories, Clark learned that his mother's DNA was encased in the crystal and shared this information with Lana. Trying to reconnect with Lana, Clark arranged a romantic afternoon, but they were struck by lightning and his powers were incompletely transferred to her. Lana was amazed and excited by her now endless possibilities. She convinced him to try out super-powered lovemaking, but even afterward, Clark went to Lionel for advice on how to restore Lana to normal as soon as possible. When Lana used the powers to hurt Lois and Lex, Clark was forced to realize that she was not the same person she used to be. He discovered Lana's Isis Foundation and learned that she had been spying on Lex and kidnapped Lionel. He found Lana as she was 126

assaulting Lex and reversed the transfer. Clark confronted Lana on her actions, but said he felt that her change was the result of his never trusting her. Lana was unapologetic and declared that she made her own decisions. Clark began to hear a voice calling out to him from the blue crystal, claiming to belong to his birth mother and urging him to take it to the Fortress. Once Clark did this, (despite Jor-El's warnings), replications of both Lara and his uncle Zor-El were formed. Clark took Lara to safety but Zor-El's evil nature was quickly revealed. Lara gave Clark his father's Victory ring containing blue kryptonite, inadvertently stripping Clark of his powers. Zor-El was then able to kidnap Lara to the Fortress and announce his plans to cause an eclipse that would wipe out the human population. He and Chloe were unable to get the ring off, so he went to confront ZorEl powerless. He subdued Zor-El with green kryptonite. Lara explained that Zor-El would only be stopped with the destruction of the blue crystal, which restored Clark's powers, but also destroyed both replicants and Kara disappeared. Clark asked Jor-El about Kara's whereabouts, but Jor-El replied that his defiance would not go unpunished. He imprisoned him in a crystal for over a month, while Bizarro escaped and attempted to take over Clark's life. Lana fell in love with "Clark"'s new attentiveness and devotion, while Chloe began to suspect that something was wrong. When Bizarro went to the Fortress looking for the shield, Jor-El released Clark so he could defeat him. Chloe returned the shield to him and he was able to find the owner, Dax-Ur. Clark was shocked to see another Kryptonian, living like a human. Dax-Ur gave him blue kryptonite and Clark defeated Bizarro again. Bizarro forced Clark to realize that Lana expects him to be something he is not and the distance between them was a source of strife, but Clark told her that he wanted to try to patch their relationship. When Clark learned that Chloe was helping Oliver Queen with missions and was subsequently attacked, he angrily confronted him. Oliver pointed out that while Clark is enjoying life on his farm, he and his team are doing meaningful work. Clark and Chloe were able to track down Chloe's attacker and Clark fought the Black Canary, whose sonic scream was able to incapacitate Clark. Eventually, they were able to show Black Canary that Green Arrow was not a terrorist. Clark assured Chloe that she hadn't been replaced as his sidekick. Clark and Chloe learned Lex had been shot just after locating Kara. Clark volunteered to use an experimental interrogation procedure to enter Lex's subconscious and find his cousin's location. In addition, Clark witnessed a psychotic version of Lex that tried to kill him and forced him to watch a memory of an intimate moment between Lex and Lana. He saw Lionel's physical and verbal abuse of his wife and child when he met a childhood version of Lex, who Clark recognized as the part of Lex's personality who was still his friend. Clark left the ordeal with the idea that Lex's good side could possibly be found again. However, the procedure entered complications and Lex almost flatlined (which would have killed Clark as well), but Chloe used her meteor power to save Lex, killing herself for eighteen hours. A worried Clark watched over her until she woke and he asked her not to use her powers again. Chloe maintained that there must be a reason she had been given the gift and Clark respected her decision. Upon Kara's return without her memory, Clark believed that she should be told the truth, but Lionel and Lana disagreed. Clark was shocked to receive a visit from his oldest friend Pete Ross. They talked about what had changed since he moved, and Pete revealed that he still blamed Clark for the way his life has gone since he moved away. He told Clark that he would show him how to be "real hero" with a temporary stretching power he'd acquired. Clark tried to get Pete to understand the danger of his power, but Pete refused to listen. Clark wound up having to save Pete from Lex's goons and Pete apologized and acknowledged that he should stop blaming Clark for his problems. However, Pete did inform Clark that Lionel was lying to him by hiding Kara's bracelet from him, prompting Clark to wonder if Lionel was really an ally. Clark hid Kara's bracelet in the barn and intended to go to the Fortress to ask Jor-El to cure her when he was attacked by a team of men using kryptonite-enhanced taser guns. He was taken to a facility and imprisoned in a cage that emitted adjustable levels of kryptonite radiation. His captor, Pierce (the former security head of 33.1), was disgusted by his superhuman abilities and tortured him. Lionel was revealed to have created the cage and orchestrated Clark's abduction. He claimed that he was trying to protect him from Patricia Swann and objected to Pierce's torture. Pierce eventually overpowered Lionel and tried to kill Clark, but Kara saved him, having had her powers restored. Patricia Swann met him and introduced him. She gave him her father's diary, which contained all of the acquired information about the Traveler prophesy. She said that she would watch over him and knew that he was a force for good, before leaving for Metropolis. Clark returned Kara's bracelet to her and warned her against trusting the Luthors, saying that they were a lost cause, before confronting Lionel and realizing that he was still the same evil man he used to be. Brainiac resurfaced shortly afterward and unsuccessfully tried to get Kara to leave with him. The cousins fought him off but he vowed to return. Kara suggested she teach Clark how to fly, but Clark didn't really try to learn, convinced that he does not have the ability yet. Clark confronted Lionel about his role in Veritas, in the Isis Foundation while searching for Lana, but did not believe that Lionel had changed. Brainiac forced the cousins' hands by attacking Lana and using her to deliver a message. Against Clark's wishes, Kara left with Brainiac in order to save Lana. Clark was devastated from guilt and grief when Lana remained in a catatonic state, unresponsive to her surroundings, only delivering messages from Brainiac, informing him that he was "too late." Clark asked Chloe to help him search outer space for Kara and Brainiac. Additionally, he spent most of his free time by Lana's hospital bed, but she only continued to get worse. They were looking for Brainiac when Lionel Luthor seemingly committed suicide. Chloe and Clark had their suspicions that Lex was responsible. Lois 127

and Jimmy, also investigating the story, got imprisoned in a freezer by Lex's assistant Gina, and Clark was able to find and rescue them. Clark found a message for him left by Lionel, explaining that he must collect the Veritas keys to stop whoever could control him, the Traveler. Clark confronted Lex over Lionel's grave but they didn't say anything to each other. Clark later contemplated that all of the father figures in his life have died protecting his secret. After Lionel's death, Clark ignored his warning and placed all his priorities on curing Lana and finding Brainaic. He realized that the entries Swann's journal were changing, indicating that the past was being changed. He got a message to save Lana at the Fortress, and when he went, he heard Kara's voice. Kara explained that she was back in time on Krypton, trying to stop Brainiac from killing an infant Kal-El. Clark fell into a depression and decided that Earth would have been better off if he had never arrived. Jor-El then showed him such an alternate reality. Clark saw that his parents and friends were happy and healthy, but without his presence, Brainiac and Lex were taking over the world, causing mass destruction. This motivated him enough to go back in time and stop Brainaic and bring Kara home. Thinking he had defeated Brainiac, Clark continued to try to cure Lana, but she continued to deteriorate. Lex confronted Clark about Lana's condition, correctly guessing that Clark knew more about it than he was admitting. At the same time, Clark tracked down the last remaining member of Veritas, Edward Teague. Clark followed Teague to Montreal. Teague felt that Clark failed to do what he should have done to stop Lex. He had no choice but to perform a Kryptonian ritual to sacrifice the Traveler to prevent possible world domination. Teague carved the symbol of his ancestors into Clark's chest and left him to die, but Chloe arrived shortly after and saved him. Clark was able to stop a battle between Lex and Teague. Back in Smallville, Clark realized that eventually, he might be forced to make a painful and conflicting decision: to save the world, he would have to kill Lex Luthor. Lois suggested that Clark apply to work at the Daily Planet, but Clark declared that he'd never work for Lex. Suspecting that Kara killed Edward Teague, he and Chloe decided to confront Kara on her recent strange behavior. Chloe volunteered to talk to her alone, where it was revealed that "Kara" was Brainiac in disguise. He attacked Chloe as well, but weakened himself, but not before he told Lex that Clark was the Traveler. While Clark was visiting Chloe in the hospital, he realized that Brainiac was still alive. He confronted Brainiac, who tried to use Clark's morals against him, saying he would never willingly kill another person. Clark made the decision to destroy Brainiac because he was, in fact, a machine. Chloe and Lana recovered fully and Clark rushed to Lana's side, only to find her gone, but having left him a video message. In the message, Lana stated that she loved him, but the world needed him more, so she left town and asked him not to look for her. Clark was heartbroken and devastated over the end of their relationship, and Lois tried to comfort him with a friendly hug. In the midst of this, Jimmy went to Clark when Chloe was arrested and admitted that he'd made a deal with Lex. He told Clark that Lex had disappeared, but had been making frequent trips to the Arctic. Clark went to the Fortress to confront his former friend, but Lex has obtained an orb that would control him. Clark tried to plead with Lex and appeal to the part that was his friend, but Lex had convinced himself that it was his destiny to defeat the Traveler. When Lex tried to activate the orb, the Fortress began to crumble on top of them. Clark is about 6' 3". Clark almost always wears red, white, yellow, or blue (including his underwear); Kal-El wears black. Clark's first word was "Lara", his birth mother's name. He was named "Kal-El" by his Kryptonian cousin Kara. It means "star child" in Kryptonian. He was a good student and rarely missed school. Alcohol does not affect Clark, but he did not drink as a teen because his parents disapprove. However he and Lois Lane did go to have a "brew" in Apocalypse after he turned 21. Clark was a member of the Philosophy Club, Astronomy Club, Computer Club, and the Key Club in high school. Clark's first real article in the Smallville Torch was about Van McNulty and can be read here. Clark graduated from Smallville High School on May 18, 2005. Of the close-knit group of four in his class (Clark, Pete, Chloe, and Lana), he was the only one who walked across the stage and received his diploma. Even Clark's hair is invulnerable; it breaks scissors. Clark was voted "Most Likely to be drafted into the NFL" on his senior year "Who's Who" list. Clark is trained in CPR and has administered it to Lex, Lana and Jordan Cross. Clark is a very poor dancer - this is referenced in Crimson, Hypnotic and Arrow, and seen in Spell. Clark's codename on Green Arrow's Hero Team is "Boy Scout". Clark's middle name is of some debate. In the comics, it was either Joseph or Jerome, but neither has been confirmed on the show. Clark has referred to Pete Ross1, Chloe Sullivan123, and Lex Luthor1 2 3 4 as his "best friend" at least once. He has not bestowed this distinction onto Lois Lane or Lana Lang. Clark was able to (and allowed to) drive the Kent Farm truck by age 14 at the latest and has subsequently wrecked it at least four times,1 2 3 4 not counting the first meteor shower, or when Roger Nixon blew it up with Clark inside. Clark's birth year on Earth is 1987. He celebrates his birthday in early May, which makes his license say he's 21. Since he turned 18 at the end of his senior year, he is probably younger than most of his classmates (in Earth years) and almost a full year younger than Lana, who was 18 at the start of their senior year. (However, since he is Kryptonian, and spent an undetermined amount of time traveling from Krypton to Earth, his actual age is unknown.) 128

Like Oliver Queen and Bruce Wayne, Clark was orphaned at a young age. Unlike them, however, Clark grew up with two loving adoptive parents. Clark has "died" twice in the series, in Hidden and Void. In Hidden, the doctor actually called his death time, so at that point he was officially dead. A young Clark Kent in the Pilot episode was played by Malkolm Alburquenque; in Season 4's Transference, Clark swapped bodies with Lionel and was played by John Glover. A baby Kal-El appears briefly in Season 3's Memoria and Season 7's Apocalypse but was uncredited on both occasions. Name: Clark Jerome Kent (Earth Name) / Kal-El (Kryptonian Name); Age: 39; Height: 63; Weight: 225 pounds; Eyes: Blue; Hair: Black; Occupation: Pulitzer Prize winning investigative reporter, columnist and (onetime) Foreign Correspondent for the Daily Planet newspaper; adventurer as the superhero Superman, writer of four novels; Known Relatives: Jor-El (Kryptonian father, deceased), Lara (Kryptonian mother, deceased), Jonathan Kent (adoptive father), Martha Kent (adoptive mother), Lois Lane (wife); Marital Status: Married to Lois Lane; Group Affiliation: Justice League of America; Base of Operations: The city of Metropolis, U.S.A.; Current Address: 1938 Sullivan Place, Metropolis; Birthday: traditionally February 29, 1985; Also Known As: Hugo Danner Quantum 5; Quantum Pool 75 (Regenerate every 15 minutes); Willpower 7; Taint 1; Strength 4 (6, Lifter, Precision, Quantum Leap, Steel Lungs, Thrower), Dexterity 3 (2, Enhanced Movement, Fast Tasks, Silent Running), Stamina 5 (5, Regeneration, Resiliency Triple, Tireless), Manipulation 3, Charisma 3, Appearance 5 (Wholesome), Perception 3 (3, Electromagnetic Vision, High-End Electromagnetic Scan and Hyperenhanced Hearing), Intelligence 3 (1, Eidetic Memory, Speed Reading), Wits 3 (2, Enhanced initiative, Multi-tasking, Quickness x3); Abilities: Academics 3, Animal Handling 2, Arts (Writing) 1, Athletics 4, Awareness 3, Biz 1, Brawl 4, Command 1, Computer 1, Disguise 2, Drive 1, Endurance 5, Engineering 2, Etiquette 2, Firearms 1, Intrusion 2, Investigation 2, Legerdemain 3, Medicine 1, Melee 2, Might 4, Rapport 2, Resistance 5, Science 2, Stealth 2, Streetwise 1, Subterfuge 2, Survival (Tracking 1), Throwing 3; Backgrounds: Allies 4, Attunement 1, Backing 2 (League), Cipher 3, Contacts 4, Influence 1, Mentor 5 (Jor-El), Nemesis 4 (Lex Luthor) , Node 3, Resources 2, Sanctum 6 (Fortress of Solitude - Sanctum Sanctorum); Quantum Powers: Armor 3 (Ineffective against Magick), Healing 3 (Reflexive Use, Self Only, only when exposed to direct yellow sunlight), Hyperrunning 8 (4000 miles per hour), Invulnerability (Physical 1, Energy 3, Ineffective against Magick), Psychic Shield 2, Quantum Bolt 5 (Heat Vision, Lethal, Supercharge), Quantum Regeneration 2 (Only when exposed to direct yellow sunlight), Sensory Shield 2; Merits: Taint Resistant (4); Flaws: Weakness (Lack of Yellow Sun Radiation 24+ hours), Vulnerability (Magick); Soak: Physical (Bashing 35 dice, Lethal 26 dice), Energy (Bashing 47 dice, Lethal 38 dice), Magick (Bashing 20 dice, Lethal 11 dice) (Heals rates are seven times normal, ignore five points of damage penalty, three extra Bruised health level, Lifespan 250+ years). Silent Running: A Mega-Dexterous nova with this enhancement is capable of moving at her maximum speed without disturbing her surroundings or leaving any evidence of her passing. The novas player must choose one form of physical movement to be affected by this enhancement running, leaping, swimming, climbing or flying. Thereafter the nova gets + [Mega-Dexterity] automatic successes on Stealth rolls for moving without being detected or leaving traces when using that mode of movement. (If running, leaping, or climbing is affected; then this enhancement is cumulative with both Catfooted and Feather Foot.) If the nova has a form of the Hypermovement power that is affected by this enhancement (Hyper-Running and Hyper-Flight being the most common examples), this enhancement also allows her to choose whether or not to produce sonic booms when moving at supersonic speeds. If the player wishes, extra levels of this enhancement may be bought, with each extra level affecting another chosen mode of movement. This enhancement is always considered to be active unless the player declares otherwise (automatic action to switch on or off). This enhancement costs no quantum to use. Steel Lungs: Some Mega-Strong novas have developed augmented diaphragmatic musculature and enhanced lung capacity, allowing them to inhale and exhale with extreme force, granting a few useful abilities. The nova spends a quantum point to breathe with extreme force. The nova can exhale hard enough to inflict (Mega-Strength) dice of Bashing damage. The exhale can be focused in a narrow blast that affects a single target within (Mega-Strength) x 20 meters, or it can spread into a cone thats (Mega-Strength) x 10 meters long and (Mega-Strength) x5 meters wide at its base. Hyperstrong exhalation is also useful for blowing out small fires and blowing away harmful gases. The nova can inhale with enough force to suck in all the air around him (including any suspended contaminants) within a (Mega-Strength) x 10 meter radius area. Also, everyone (except the nova) within that area of effect must roll Dexterity at + (Mega-Strength) difficulties in order to remain standing. The nova also gets +10 bonus dice on all rolls for holding his breath. This is a permanent modification, and doesnt require any quantum point expenditure. Fortress of Solitude: The Fortress of Solitude is Clark Kent's Kryptonian home in the Arctic. It is also home to Clark's Kryptonian father, Jor-El, an artificial entity serving as Clark's Kryptonian guide on Earth. The Fortress of Solitude is a storehouse for all the knowledge in the universe gathered by Kryptonians, including that of their dead home planet, Krypton. This information was originally stored in the Stones of Power, which combined to become the Crystal of Knowledge used to create the Fortress. Perhaps for this reason, the Zoners Zod and Baern referred to the Fortress as the Fortress of Knowledge. It is possible to teleport to the Fortress from the Kawatche Caves using the Key. It is unclear whether or not the Fortress itself contains a teleportation portal allowing visitors to teleport back to the Kawatche caves. 129

The Fortress uses native Kryptonian technology to achieve feats of immense power. In the past, it has opened a portal to the Phantom Zone, reversed time, and created a complete solar eclipse. Given the broad range of its powers and abilities, it is the single most powerful entity in the Smallville universe, with power surpassing even that of Clark Kent and other Kryptonians. These powers are usually accessed by Kryptonian crystals placed inside a control console at the Fortress. Sometimes a single crystal is placed into the console alone. Other times, multiple crystals are used and they are placed within different areas of the console and moved around; in this sense, the Fortress console seems to resemble a programmable computer system. So far, the only entity shown to be capable of such programming has been the Zor-El replicant. Usually the crystals used in the Fortress have been native to the Fortress, but outside crystals can also be made to be compatible with the Fortress. Brainiac created a black crystal that was capable of accessing the Fortress' ability to open the Phantom Zone. Zor-El also created a blue crystal that could use the power of the Fortress to project a living version of several entities stored inside the crystal, including both himself and LaraEl. Not just anyone can access the console and crystals of the Fortress. Milton Fine attempted to to convince Clark to put a black crystal inside of the Fortress console, rather than do it himself. This suggests that only certain individuals can access the console and use the crystals. This is confirmed when Kara attempted to pull the blue crystal out of the Fortress console but couldn't; Zor-El told her that only Clark could pull the crystal out. Later Clark was able to successfully destroy the crystal. Although he has yet to use the Kryptonian crystals or console without guidance, Clark has always seemed to have access to the Fortress console. The Fortress is also home to Jor-El, an artificial entity with the brainwaves of Clark Kent's biological father. It is unclear whether or not Jor-El actually has innate powers himself, or if he is somehow able to tap into the power of the Fortress. So far, he has demonstrated the ability to seemingly restructure matter at will; he has transported Martha and Lois back to Smallville, taken Clark's powers away, restored Clark's life and power, and froze Clark inside of a giant crystal. In each case, Jor-El has used these powers without the presence of a crystal or appearing to use the console. It is also unclear whether or not Jor-El needs to actually use the console to activate the power of the Fortress crystals. In Reckoning, he handed Clark a crystal that will reset time back to the beginning of the day. Even though no console was involved, when Clark took the crystal he was suddenly sent back in time to the morning. The Fortress somehow contains vast reservoirs of power, although the initial source of this energy is unclear. The Fortress is capable of recharging from external energy sources such as the Crystal of El. One major vulnerability of the Fortress is the Kryptonian dagger that Jor-El gave to Clark. The dagger was apparently capable of inflicting damage even on super powered Kryptonians. But that capability came at a heavy price: when Brainiac was stabbed with a Kryptonian dagger, he was somehow able to access the power of the Fortress to open a portal to the Phantom Zone. Normally that would require access to the crystals and console of the Fortress; somehow because the dagger was part of the Fortress, Brainiac was able to circumvent the access limitations of the console, and access the power of the Fortress directly through the dagger. In addition, somehow Brainiac was also able to drain the entire power reservoirs of the Fortress leading to its seeming "death". It is unclear exactly how this happened. After the Fortress' death, the connection between the Fortress and Jor-El's oracle (Lionel Luthor) was broken. After Clark formed the Crystal of Knowledge from the Stones of Power, he was transported to a remote, snowy region in the Arctic and threw the Crystal of Knowledge into a bank of snow. As the crystal melted into the ice, it grew into a huge, crystalline building: the Fortress of Solitude. When Clark first entered the Fortress, he was greeted by Jor-El, who told him that he must stay and prepare to save Earth from the coming of Brainiac and Zod. Jor-El began downloading all of the knowledge of Krypton into Clark's mind, but Chloe Sullivan, who had also been transported to the Arctic along with Clark, made her way into the Fortress shivering as a sub-zero wind blew in as Clark began his training. Chloe collapsed from the cold and begged Clark to save her. Clark severed his link with Jor-El to come to Chloe's aid, but Jor-El forbade him to leave. He finally acquiesced, warning Clark that he must return before sunset or there would be terrible consequences. When Clark failed to return to the Fortress in time, Jor-El stripped him of his powers. Sometime later, when Clark was shot and killed by Gabriel Duncan, Jor-El possessed the body of Lionel Luthor, retrieved Clark's body, and brought him to the Fortress, where he brought Clark back to life with all his powers restored, but with a price: the life of someone he loves. Later, Clark was influenced by Milton Fine to destroy the Fortress in order to stop Jor-El from killing Martha Kent. When he brought Fine to the Fortress, Clark was given a black crystal and instructed to insert it into the Fortress' control console. Once Clark did this, the Fortress began to self-destruct while a portal to the Phantom Zone opened. However, Clark managed to stop Fine and saved the Fortress. A few months later, Clark decided to reveal his powers to Lana and brought her to the Fortress. It was here he proposed to her, and she later accepted. Lana was killed in a car accident, fulfilling Jor-El's warning that the life of someone Clark loves will be exchanged for Clark's restored life. Clark begged Jor-El to bring Lana back to life, and Jor-El gave him a crystal that sent Clark back in time, a day before the tragedy occurred. Clark was able to prevent Lana's death, but he failed to save Jonathan Kent, who died of a heart attack, once and for all fulfilling Jor-El's prediction. Months later, Clark ventured back to the Fortress, where he spoke with Jor-El and learned that it was Zod who was responsible for the destruction of Krypton. Jor-El gave him a Kryptonian dagger, which he had to 130

use to kill Lex Luthor, who had been chosen by Brainiac to be the vessel for Zod, and prevent Zod's return. However, Clark could not bring himself to kill Lex, so he hurled the dagger at Brainiac, stabbing him in the chest. Unfortunately, Brainiac managed to gain access to the Fortress through the dagger and opened a portal that released Zod's spirit into Lex's body. When her plane crashed in the Arctic near the Fortress, Martha dragged an unconscious Lois Lane into the Fortress and was met by Jor-El. Jor-El explained to Martha that her and Lois were kidnapped by Brainiac, and that he had given Clark the Kryptonian dagger in order to destroy Zod's vessel. Because Clark instead used the dagger against Brainiac, he not only destroyed Brainiac and all of his copies, but also damaged the Fortress and allowed Zod to inhabit Lex. Jor-El told Martha that she must use the dagger to kill Zod, now in Lex's body, in order to save Earth. After expressing his gratitude toward Martha for raising Clark, Jor-El sent Martha and Lois back to Smallville. After returning from the Phantom Zone and defeating Zod, Clark returned to the Fortress and stored the Crystal of El there for safekeeping. He tried to talk to Jor-El, but Jor-El wouldn't answer, leading him to the conclusion that the Fortress was now "dead," unaware that the Fortress was damaged after he destroyed Brainiac and accidentally released Zod. Later, Clark and Raya returned to the Fortress, and attempted to restore power to it. When they discovered they needed more power, the Zoner Baern arrived at the Fortress and killed Raya. Using his enhanced powers, Baern had charged up the Crystal of El, which was used to restore power to the Fortress. Clark went to the Fortress to begin his training, only for Jor-El to tell him instead to watch over Kara. Later in Blue, Clark ignored Jor-El's advice and placed the blue crystal in the console, creating replicants of his mother Lara-El and his uncle Zor-El. Zor-El took control of the Fortress, using it to create an eclipse designed to wipe out all humans on Earth. Clark managed to destroy the blue crystal, stopping the eclipse and ending the lives of Zor-El and Lara. Kara also somehow disappeared from the Fortress. Clark pleaded with Jor-El to help him find Kara but Jor-El lamented that was not his mission. Jor-El warned that despite disobeying him, Clark had not learned his lesson after defying his orders numerous times. Jor-El said that this defiance can't go unpunished, and Clark was frozen inside of a crystal in the Fortress. When Bizarro flew to the Fortress, he went in search of Dax-Ur's shield, thinking it might be there. However, it only disturbed Jor-El, warning him to stay away and freed Clark from his punishment so he could destroy the last Zoner. Lambert, Darien In the year 2193, over a hundred criminals became fugitives of law enforcement by travelling back in time two hundred years, using a time machine called Trax. Darien Lambert (Dale Midkiff) was a police detective of that period who was sent back to 1993 in order to apprehend as many of the fugitives as possible. He was assisted by the Specified Encapsulated Limitless Memory Archive, or SELMA (Elizabeth Alexander), an extremely small but very powerful computer (described as equivalent to a mainframe) disguised for the mission as an AT&T MasterCard and communicated through a holographic interface which took the visual form of a prim British nanny. Lambert was also equipped with a MPPT (Micro-Pellet Projection Tube) disguised as a keyless car alarm remote, which could stun the target or engulf the target in an energy field which would render him transportable to the future, at which point Selma would execute the transmission sequence to send the criminal on his way. Lambert's biggest enemy was Dr. Mordecai Sahmbi (Peter Donat), who was responsible for sending the fugitives to 1993, and who tried several times to kill him. Captain Lambert, fearing the possible consequences of altering the timeline, did not actively attempt to interfere with the natural flow of history, although he frequently left messages for his colleagues in 2193 (via the 'personals' sections of assorted newspapers). The series made occasional allusions to a theory of parallel timelines as a way of skirting the issue of temporal paradox; essentially, it implied that the time travellers went into an alternate past so that their actions there had no effect on the 2193 "present." However, the series rarely pursued this point - probably because if Lambert was really in a parallel timeline, he would be unable to leave messages to his colleagues. Also, fugitives are sometimes seen using knowledge of the future to their own ends, which would also be impossible under the 'parallel' theory. The series did not have a proper ending - as of the final episode, Lambert was still in 1993 and had not yet completed his mission. Darian Lambert was born on August 17, 2160, 8:05 AM, Monday. He was left at the Bradwell orphanage (#35 "Mother"). Unclaimed by his birth parents; he was raised in Enclave I-6 Middle City, the area known long before as Chicago Land. As was the custom, he was allowed to choose his own name. He chose Darien, hero of the Just War of 2129, and Lambert, the surname of the woman who bore him; who he called mother even though all he had of her was her photograph. He grew up a normal child of his times: IQ 204, Speed Memorization rate 1.2 pages per second (slightly above average). He was a competent athlete. His best speed for the 100 meters was 8.6 seconds, and for the Mile Run - 3 minutes 38 seconds. He wondered how the Olympic Champion could ever have done it 20 seconds faster. His heartbeat was a normal 35 beats per minute. His life expectancy - 120 years. His lungs were average, capable of air storage up to 6 minutes. Beta wave training had given his generation mind control capabilities unavailable 50 years before his birth. One of these was the ability to slow down the speed of visual images reaching the brain, popularly called "time stalling". It demanded rigorous training. He was a solitary child; he lived among his memories. He was also a patriot. He admitted this to no one, because it was out of fashion. But he had feelings for his native land, once called the United States, and knew 131

every detail of her history. He admired her early Fugitive Retrieval Specialists, the U.S. Marshals, and wondered why in later times so many of her criminals went unpunished. This belief system took him on a career path: The International Police Academy at West Point on Hudson. In the same year, Dr. Mordecai Sahmbi of MIT won the Nobel Prize for physics for his theoretical work in the teletransportation of particle mass. Halfway around the earth, Sahmbi is idolized by the brilliant young prodigy, Elyssa Channing-Knox (Mia Sara). About to be accepted at MIT, she is nine years old. By the time she is 17, she will have become his most gifted student. These 2 people will change Lambert's life forever. At West Point, Lambert excels; he learns Mosh-T an occidental improvement of martial arts. He becomes expert with the Pellet Projection Tube, the standard police weapon of the day. He graduates first in his class and is commissioned a Detective, Junior Grade. He is a Marshall at last. The years that follow are turbulent to Lambert. He learns the eternal lesson of his trade; a policeman stands alone. Nor is his isolation made easier by being a member of a minority race. [The crowd chants 'blanco'.] It is the 22nd century's most abrasive racial slur. His experiences have made him strong, yet by decade's end, a series of events have begun to shake his confidence. His arrest record declines sharply. Routine track-downs end in mysterious disappearances. Suspects vanish without a trace. He begins to doubt his ability. Then, one day in the summer of '92... (leads into the series) Aliases: Danny Lambertson, Boxer (#08 "The Contender"), Donald Lombardi, Police (#09 "Night of the Savage"), Darien Lind, Special Investigator of International Thoroughbred Racing Association (#20 "Photo Finish"), Dan Longstreet, Reporter (#30 "The Cure"), Daniel Lang, Former Police (#37 Split Image) Misc: Lambert is a Chicago Cubs fan, and during several episodes, wore a vintage 2145 Cubs' hat, which was the last time the Cubs' won the pennant. (200 years after the actual 1945 pennant) SELMA (Specified Encapsulated Limitless Memory Archive): SELMA was Darien's link to his past. SELMA was a computer, but a computer that seemed like a real person to Darien most of the time. They fought with one another and worried about each other. By the end of the series, SELMA almost "mothered" Darien and, despite her programming, admitted a deep pride in him. By all appearances the feeling was mutual. Similar computers were issued to the top five Police Captains in 2193. SELMA was unique in that she was programmed specifically for Darien and his mission. She was designed to look like a credit card and the holographic image she projected was based on a picture of Darien's mother. General order number six prohibits her from participating in any unlawful act. SELMA is considered to have the following statistics: Perception 3, Intelligence 3 (1, Eidetic Memory, Investigative Prodigy), Wits 2, Charisma 2, Manipulation 3, Appearance 2. She has most skills at one die, plus attributes. PPT (Pellet Projection Tube): Standard police weapon of the 22nd century. Darien carries a miniaturized state-of-the-art version that is known as a MPPT (Miniature PPT), which is also engineered to look like a car remote. Darien's MPPT has three types of pellets that can be fired: blue pellets knock a person out for 2 minutes, green pellets for 3 hours, red pellets contain a dose of TXP that induces coma until the person struck is sent into the future by Selma's transmission tone. The PPT has a range of 90 yards. It has a total of 50 doses of each type of pellet before it must be re-loaded. The blue pellet acts as Stun Attack 4 and the Green pellet acts as Stun Attack 6. Quantum 1; Quantum Pool 20 (Regenerate every hour); Willpower 8; Strength 4, Dexterity 4 (1, Enhanced Movement, Fast Tasks, Rapid Strike), Stamina 5, Manipulation 3, Charisma 3, Appearance 3, Perception 4, Intelligence 4 (1, Speed Reading), Wits 4; Abilities: Academics (Current Events History) 4, Athletics 5, Awareness 4, Bureaucracy 2, Command 3, Computer 4, Drive 1, Endurance 4, Engineering 2, Firearms (MPPT) 3, Interrogation 3, Intrusion 3, Investigation 5, Legerdemain 3, Linguistics 4, Martial Arts (Mosh-Ti) 4, Medicine 2, Melee 3, Might 3, Pilot 2, Rapport 3, Resistance 3, Science 3, Stealth 3, Streetwise 3, Subterfuge 3, Survival 2; Backgrounds: Allies 2, Backing 3, Cipher 5, Contacts 3, Dormancy 3, Influence 2, Resources 4; Soak: Bashing 5 dice, Lethal 2 dice (Heals rates are doubled, Lifespan 150+ years). Lincoln, Elvin Elvin "El" Lincoln was a scientist investigating human anomalies. His initial interest had stemmed from his own "anomaly" - he had a problem with his pituitary gland, and had been six foot tall when he entered 7th grade; by the time he finished growing he was 7'4". His particular area of research was studying growth patterns. El started by working on infant animals, using hormones to control their growth into adulthood; next he worked on adult animals, eventually discovering a way to temporarily reduce their size using a serum he developed. Developing an artificial gland which could produce and dispense the serum, he (somewhat recklessly) had it implanted in his own neck, just above the shoulder blades. When he touched the gland, it would release the serum and he would shrink to less than a foot in height, for approximately 15 minutes. Working alongside Billy Hayes at the Humanidyne Institute, he joined his colleague in assembling some Misfits when his bosses proved to be involved in dangerous military research. Real Name: Elvin Lincoln; Identity/Class: Human cyborg (has an artificial gland in his neck which releases a mutagenic chemical); Occupation: Scientist; Affiliations: The Misfits of Science, Dick Stetmeyer, Humanidyne Institute, Link, Brick Tyler; Enemies: Unknown; Known Relatives: None; Aliases: None; Base of Operations: Humanidyne Institute

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Quantum 1; Quantum Pool 22 (Regenerate every hour); Willpower 6; Taint 4; Strength 3, Dexterity 2, Stamina 4, Manipulation 2, Charisma 3, Appearance 3, Perception 3, Intelligence 4, Wits 3; Abilities: Academics 4, Awareness 1, Brawl 1, Bureaucracy 3, Command 2, Computer 3, Endurance 3, Engineering 4, Etiquette 3, Intrusion 2, Investigation 3, Linguistics 3, Medicine 3, Might 2, Resistance 3, Science 4; Backgrounds: Allies 4, Backing 3, Contacts 4, Dormancy 3, Influence 1, Node 3, Resources 3; Quantum Powers: Sizemorph (Shrink, 6 inches high, special duration*) 5; Soak: Bashing 4 dice, Lethal 2 dice (Heals rates are two times normal, Lifespan 150+ years); *Sizemorph lasts 15 minutes, at which point all of Els quantum points are expended and he returns to normal height. Luthor, Lex Alexander "Lex" Luthor is the billionaire Owner, Chairman, CEO and Shareholder of LuthorCorp and has become the main antagonist in the series. He has struggled with a dark history and a darker destiny. Lex is the son of Lionel Luthor and Lillian Luthor. He was the brother of Julian Luthor and the half brother of Lucas. He had a thick mop of red hair as a child but has been bald since age nine after being caught in the 1989 meteor shower. In the final years of Lex and Clark's association, Lex finally and decisively turned to darkness. Currently he abuses his company's assets and resources to fund questionable and most likely illegal scientific research on cloneing and alien intelligence. He also recently purchased Metropolis' main newspaper, the Daily Planet and named himself CEO. He has already used his authority to kill stories, fire reporters, and monitor employee's computer usage. In the late spring of 2008 Lex discovered Clark's secret. Lex then destroyed the Fortress of Solitude causing it to collapse on him and Clark. Lex's current status is unknown. Lex's personality traits stem from the loving care of his mother and the neglectful, unfulfilling upbringing he received from his father after Lillian's death. Because of these conflicting influences, Lex is an extremely complex individual. Many different stages of Lex's growth have been depicted. As a child, Lex was very close and protective of his ailing mother but fearful of his emotionally- and physically-abusive father. Lionel criticized him harshly whenever he showed the slightest weakness. Lex took great joy in being a big brother, saying it was the only time he ever felt like he was part of a real family. He is depicted as a quiet but kindhearted little boy. After being caught in the meteor shower at age nine, Lex was teased mercilessly by other children for being bald. After the death of his mother when he was eleven, Lex became a calloused, alienated, and selfdestructive young man. As a teenager and into his young adult years, he partied hard, got arrested, and was a general source of embarrassment and disappointment to Lionel. In the seven years since moving to Smallville, Lex's personality has undergone many changes. Although forced to move there by Lionel, he struggled to overcome Lionel's ruthless, uncaring reputation. He was honest, kind and willing to use his wealth to help others. He stopped being self-destructive and worked hard to become a productive, valuable citizen. Occasionally, he would show signs of the evil man he will become, but, by his own admittance, his friendship with Clark Kent helped to keep this at bay. Lex desperately seeks the love of a family. He constantly sought his father's approval and was envious of Clark Kent's relationship with his own father. He thought of Clark as the brother he never got to have. This desperation for familial love seemingly fueled his motivation for the creation of Project Gemini. Additionally, his romantic relationships are intense. He married both Helen Bryce and Lana Lang after relatively short courtships. In the first years of Lex and Clark's relationship they became good friends, often saving each other from danger. But Lex has begun to abandon truth and justice in search of power and control. He has become more arrogant, eventually stylizing himself as a protector of the world. As Lex and Clark have grown apart in recent years, he more often displays personality traits similar to his father. Currently, Lex seems to have accepted his destiny of becoming the tyrannical and ruthless leader his father raised him to be. He has abandoned the agricultural roots of LuthorCorp and converted it into a leading military contractor. He has developed prisons or laboratories on which he experiments or controls metahuman. Lex has killed people in the past, but now seems much more willing to kill or torture someone simply for making him angry or if they fail to cooperate. His thirst for power has become stronger as well. Even as Lex and Lana's relationship intensified, he seemed to focus more on obtaining power than Lana's difficult pregnancy, a pregnancy that he very likely faked to get Lana to marry him. Lex has indicated that he possesses some sort of spiritual beliefs. He is well-versed in the Bible and has mentioned on more than one occasion that he prays. Lex is intelligent and intellectual. He quotes a variety of historical figures and often uses scholarly and literary facts to illustrate his point of view. Lex is also an accomplished classical piano player. He enjoys fast cars, scotch, chess, pool, and fencing. Lex is a fairly accomplished swordsman, marksman and hand-to-hand fighter, owing his skills to years of private tuition. Lex attended boarding school from an early age. He also frequently played with the children of his parents' powerful friends, the Teagues, the Queens, and the Swanns. In 1989, when Lex was nine years old, Lionel took him to Smallville on a business trip at the insistence of his mother. Fatefully, they arrived on the day of the meteor shower. The meteorites seemingly cured Lex's asthma but caused him to go bald, in addition to apparently super-charging his immune system. Lex has not been sick since. Days before his first trip to Smallville he overheard his father conversation with Robert Queen,

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Edward Teague and Virgil Swann, discussing something called Veritas. Veritas was mentioned again the day he boarded the helicopter to Smallville, two days after the death of the Queens. Lex's brother Julian was born when Lex was eleven years old (c. 1991). Their mother Lillian suffocated Julian in early infancy during a bout of severe post-partum depression. Lex discovered the murder and took the blame, fearing his father would harm his mother but knowing he would not be harmed, as he was Lionel's only remaining heir. He then repressed the memory and grew up believing that he really had killed his brother. His father resented Lex for years until Lex's memories surfaced during treatment at the Summerholt Institute and he told his father what had really happened. After the death of his mother in 1993, Lex was raised without real affection, parenting, or love. Instead, Lionel lavished Lex with money and gifts and sent him away to expensive, exclusive boarding schools. Even though his nanny, Pamela Jenkins promised to stay and raise Lex, Lionel forced her to leave. Years later, she returned to see him, seeking his forgiveness before she succumbed to her cancer. In 1996, while at Excelsior Academy Preparatory School, he and his friend Duncan Allenmeyer were bullied by Oliver Queen. Lex eventually turned on Duncan to gain Oliver's acceptance and beat him up so brutally, Duncan stumbled into the street and was hit by a car. Lex expressed regret at betraying Duncan but never forgave Oliver for the way he treated them. Lex graduated from Excelsior in 1998. In 1999, Lex took Amanda Rothman to Club Zero knowing she would see her fianc Jude Royce flirting with other girls. When Jude attacked Lex, Amanda shot and killed him. Lionel handled the incident in such a way that Lex's name stayed out of the papers. Like his father, Lex graduated from Princeton in less than four years and was taking a break from graduate studies at Yale in 2001 when he was sent to live in Smallville to manage the Smallville Fertilizer Plant #3.[1] On his first day in Smallville, Lex was driving on the Loeb Bridge when he lost control of his car and accidentally hit Clark Kent; they both fell into the river. Clark used his powers to save Lex from drowning, and so began their friendship and Lex's obsessive investigations. Lex developed an interest in the effects that the meteor rocks had on humans, and this interest became most dangerous to Clark when Lex finds the key to his spaceship. As a businessman, Lex has shown himself to be both smart and generous, but not always successful. He successfully protected his employees from layoffs by finding other ways to cut expenses when profits were down, but Jonathan Kent resisted his interest in investing in the Kent Farm. Lex did, however, invest in Lana Lang's project to convert the Talon theater into a coffee shop. He was at his most heroic this year when Earl Jenkins took hostages inside the LuthorCorp fertilizer plant. Lex entered the plant to negotiate and became a hostage in place of the others. He also actively helped find a cure to the effects of the Nicodemus flower and showed generosity when he forgave Pamela Jenkins. Lex showed his callousness when he renewed his relationship with Victoria Hardwick as a means to an end, and showed his ruthlessness when he blackmailed Roger Nixon and later stuffed an auditor in the trunk of his car, but Lex experienced his darkest moment when a tornado hit Smallville. Lionel arrived in Smallville to close the plant. Despite the fact that Lex had made it profitable, Lionel wanted Lex in Metropolis. Lex refused to go, saying the relationships he developed in Smallville were too important to him. In response, Lex formed LexCorp and organized an employee buyout of the plant which Lionel was trying to block by buying the Smallville Savings and Loan. When the tornado hit, Lionel was injured, and Lex hesitated before saving him. In the wake of the tornado, Lex got his father to the hospital and approved a surgery which failed to save Lionel's eyesight. He helped Clark find Jonathan, and later saved Jonathan from being killed by Roger Nixon by shooting the reporter with a handgun. Jonathan finally gave up his mistrust of Lex, and the two forged a positive relationship. When Lucas and Lionel Luthor kicked Lex out of the mansion, Lex stayed with the Kents and did chores around the farm. Jonathan later stood in for Lionel at the wedding rehearsal dinner. Lex spent a good deal of the year trying to protect LexCorp from his father's attempts to acquire it. He later discovered that Lionel bugged the mansion, and attempted to bug LuthorCorp. Lex finally secured his company again with the help of his long-lost half-brother, Lucas. When Rachel Dunleavy (Lucas' mother) arrived in town claiming to be Clark's biological mother, Lex thought that Clark was his brother, but it turned out to be false. Lex and Lionel also fought over control of the Kawatche Caves. Lex did a good deed for Smallville when he met Mayor William Tate, discovered him to be corrupt, and supported his opponent in the next election. He helped Lana learn to fight after she was attacked at the Talon, and he helped Jonathan find Clark when he ran away from home. Lex was briefly married to Desiree Atkins while under the influence of her super pheromones. His relationship with Helen Bryce was much more complex. They met at the hospital after Jonathan broke his leg. They broke up when Lex suspected Helen of spying on him, but they worked it out and got back together. Helen gave up a fellowship and moved into the mansion. Lex made a great leap forward and showed real trust when he shared with Helen his room of obsessions. When an ex boyfriend showed up in Smallville and beat her within an inch of her life, he very nearly killed him, but it was his love for her that pulled him back from the edge. That's when he decided to propose to her. They broke up again, when she learned that he stole something from her office, but Lex managed to dig deep and beg forgiveness. They were finally married, but while flying to their honeymoon, something went terribly wrong. Lex woke up to find the plane empty and crashing. 134

Lex managed to survive the crash and ended up on a deserted island. He met a man, Louis Leery Jr., who suggested that either Lionel or Helen set him up to die in the plane crash. Louis, however, revealed himself to be quite insane, forcing Lex to remain on the island with him and thwarting all his attempts to be rescued. Three months later, Lex found a skeleton that turned out to be the remains of Louis' father. Louis admitted to killing his father, but said the old man deserved it because he was always taunting him and chipping away at his sanity until he couldn't take it anymore. He then attacked Lex and chased him, but Lex turned the tables and hacked Louis to death with a machete. When he was rescued, Lex was shocked to learn that there hadn't been anyone else on the island. He had a breakdown while on the island and imagined the whole incident; it was all a manifestation of Lex's own hatred of his father and his struggle with his humanity. When he returned to Metropolis, Lex confronted Lionel at LuthorCorp and pulled a gun on his father, accusing him of setting him up to die. Lionel told Lex that it was Helen who had tried to murder him, but Lex refused to believe him. Later, Lex was shocked when he learned that Helen had lied to everyone and told them that the plane had been caught in a storm, the pilot had disappeared, and there was only one parachute, which Lex heroically offered to her in order to save her at the expense of his own life. Lex confronted Helen, who tearfully told him that she had awoken on the plane to find the pilot gone and the plane about to crash, realized he had been drugged but was unable to wake him. Afraid for her life, Helen took the only parachute and left Lex to die. She offered to have the marriage annulled, but Lex told her he wanted a second chance with her. However, when they went on yet another plane ride, Lex confronted Helen again, armed this time with the truth. He'd done his research and discovered that she had been working for his father to spy on him after all, but that she'd decided to kill him instead, against Lionel's wishes. Helen had the original pilot killed, snuck her own on board, drugged Lex, and was dropped off at a nearby island and later returned to Smallville. The pilot flew Lex hundreds of miles off course into a storm hoping he'd be killed, and then took the only parachute and jumped off the plane, only to find that Helen had rigged the parachute to fail so that he'd fall to his death. After Lex finished telling Helen what he knew, she pulled a gun on him. Lex fought with Helen over the gun and in the struggle the gun went off and the pilot was killed. Lex fought to get control of the plane, and while he did so, Helen escaped via parachute and was never seen again. Lex decided to try and get along better with his father and accept his destiny as a Luthor. He told his father, "If I were anyone else's son, I would have died on that island. If I keep my pride in check, I know there's a lot more I could learn from you." He and his father agreed to run LuthorCorp together and work on their relationship. Throughout the third season, Lex continued to want nothing more than to have a real family with his father, and later admitted to Chloe Sullivan that all he wanted was for his father to love him. During the course of the battle of wills between Lex and Lionel, Chloe uncovered evidence that Lionel had murdered his parents for the insurance money needed to start LuthorCorp. Seeing this as a way to get out from under his father's thumb once and for all, Lex went to the police, but Lionel had learned of Lex's plan and had him drugged to make people believe that Lex was insane. Morgan Edge was in on Lionel's plan. While under the effects of the drugs, Lex witnessed Clark's abilities, and while still in Belle Reve, he had kept Clark's secret. To prevent Lex from telling anyone else about his past or trying to stop him, Lionel requested that Lex be given electroshock therapy, which completely erased the seven weeks of his life. Later, Lex went to Dr. Lawrence Garner, seeking his help in regaining his memories. He underwent an experiment process which involved being lowered into a tank of liquefied meteor rock. Although he didn't regain memory of the past seven weeks of his life, Lex did regain his true memories of his younger brother's death at the hands of his mother years previous. Later, Lex was informed by Chloe of his grandparents' murder at the hands of his father and Morgan Edge, and got the information to the FBI. As the year ended, Lex's room about Clark was found out by Clark, and Clark, angered and hurt over the fact that Lex had been investigating him all of his life, ended their friendship. Though he was arrested by the FBI, Lionel proved to be especially brutal and tried to poison Lex in retaliation. Apparently, Lex's incredible metahuman immune system saved him from dying, but still, he required blood filtration every 72 hours to flush out the toxins. With his father in jail, Lex decided to continue one of his father's projects: search for the Kryptonian Stones of Power. It was only his discovery of the Crystal of Fire that completely healed him, so that he would not have to depend on blood filtration to save his life. Lex asked Clark for a second chance, and they reestablished their friendship. Later, he bought a manuscript that contained a hidden map that led to one of the Stones of Power, and also discovered that a family friend, Genevieve Teague, had been searching for the stones and a witch, Countess Margaret Isobel Thoreaux, who happened to be an ancestor of Lana Lang, was also searching for them. When conducting an experiment on meteor rock, the mineral turned black, which split Lex into two beings, one good and one evil. The evil Lex imprisoned the good Lex in the wine cellar of the Luthor Mansion and began his rampage by trying to kill Clark and Chloe, tempting a reformed Lionel to return to his old ruthless ways, threatening Lana to move in with him, and force Clark to use his powers to bring the world to its knees. Fortunately, Clark was able to use black kryptonite to recombine Lex and Alexander. It is still unclear as to what would have really happened if either the good or the evil Lex had been killed. As stated by the evil Lex, he was concerned as to what would really happen if something were to happen to himself or Lex. After learning that Lana and Lionel each had a stone, Lex tried to get ahold of them, but they were both eventually taken by Clark. Angered, even when he found his office a mess with Chloe there, he figured that 135

Clark was in the mix of all it. Incredibly obsessed and notwithstanding the impending meteor shower, Lex dragged Chloe along with him to the Kawatche Caves to find Clark, but was knocked unconscious by Chloe. After the meteor shower, Lex became the son that Lionel had always wanted. He became obsessive and controlling and never let anything slip by him. By the start of the season, Lex had broken all ties to his friends, including Clark. He started working on projects that would proved to be dangerous to others, such as Leviathan and Project 1138. Lex even decided to run for State Senator. Besides hiding the information about keeping the Black Ship from everyone, he told Lana that black ship may be the key to the meteor showers and the strange happenings around Smallville. On Christmas Eve, Lex was given an envelope containing damaging information that would destroy Jonathan Kent's life and had to decide whether to use it as it would also bring harm to Clark and Martha. Before he could decide what to do, Lex got shot and fell into a coma. He dreamed that his mother visited him and showed him the life he could lead if he walks away from his father and LuthorCorp. In this alternate life, Lex was happily married to Lana with a son, Alex, and a daughter, Lily, on the way. After Lex dropped out the race, Jonathan became Senator and years later, to that reality, he gave Lex an award. Lex also learned that Clark and Chloe had gotten together and were working at the Daily Planet as reporters. However, he was separated from his father, the power, and the money that came with it. When Lana gave birth to Lily, she died after losing large amounts of blood. Disappointed of how life was in this reality, Lex continued his ambition to become Senator and defeating Jonathan. About a month later, Lex and Lana were held captive by two crazed deputies who demanded to know where the black ship was. (It had disappeared following Clark defeating Brainiac). Lex was shot and almost bled to death. Lana remained by his side and the ordeal brought them closer. Lex lost the senatorial race to Jonathan and drunkenly asked Lana what she knew about Clark. He chased Lana in his car, and Lana was killed in a car crash. Lex also witnessed Clark super-speed to the scene of the accident. However, due to Clark reversing time, Lana didn't die in a car crash and Lex didn't see Clark. Lex later attended Jonathan's funeral. Some time later, Lex discovered Simone, a petty shoplifter with a stone that could hypnotize other people to do her bidding, and used her to break up Clark and Lana, and discover Clark's secret. Though Simone did manage to break the couple up, she betrayed Lex by using Clark to her own advantages. Lex used his resources to find Milton Fine in Honduras, and was led to believe that Fine was a government agent for the U.S. State Department who was investigating the recent meteor shower. Once Lex returned home, Simone sent Clark to kill him. When Chloe tried to stop Clark, Simone used her stone to hypnotize Lex and commanded him to kill Chloe. However, Chloe wrestled the gun from Simone and the gun went off; Simone was hit in the chest and the gem was destroyed. When Lex was injected with the Limbo drug while trying to save Lana, he died and awoke in the afterlife where he encountered his mother. Lillian told Lex how disgusted she was of him for not taking her advice, and told him that, by going down his current path of darkness, he would become a murderer. Lex and Lana began seeing each other, and Lex was attacked by Graham Garrett. When Graham attacked him and Lana at the Smallville Medical Center, Lex shot Graham dead (Unknowingly being saved by Clark) . Lex let Lana in on his plans with the virus he had been developing for Fine, but knew he could not trust Fine with what he had planned so he developed a vaccine for Fine's deadly virus. To stop him from carrying out any further, Lana told Lex about the meteor rocks which could weaken beings like the Disciples of Zod. However, Fine injected Lex with the vaccine, and shortly after, Lex developed accelerated healing. Later, Lex was abducted by Brainiac and given Kryptonian powers. He was later returned and confronted by Lionel, whom he threw against a car with his newfound super-strength. Lex shared his powers with Lana and told her to meet him on the roof of LuthorCorp in Metropolis. Unknown to Lex, he was chosen to be the vessel for General Zod, and Clark was told by Jor-El that he had to kill Lex in order to prevent Zod's return. Lex confronted Clark at the Kent Farm and told him that this was a new step in his destiny, now that he had Lana at his side. He then attacked with his Kryptonian abilities, and Clark reacted to it, letting Lex know that he had the powers as he did. After a brief but intense fight, Clark defeated Lex and prepared to stab Lex with a Kryptonian dagger. However, he could not bring himself to kill Lex, and instead hurled the dagger at Brainiac, who used the dagger to gain access to the Fortress of Solitude and open the portal for Zod. When Zod possessed his body, Lex became dormant and his spirit seemed to be "dead." After trapping Clark in the Phantom Zone, Zod posed as Lex for the time being, overseeing the destruction happening around Metropolis. Lana met him on the roof of LuthorCorp, and he kissed her. Lex managed to get free from General Zod when Clark returned from the Phantom Zone and used the Crystal of El to separate Zod's spirit from Lex's body, restoring Lex back to normal with no recollection of the destruction he caused while possessed by Zod, other than what Lana told him. Lex had Lana move into the Luthor Mansion due to the Metropolis University dorms being closed. Shortly after, he was [Sneeze|kidnapped]] by Orlando Block. Block threatened Lex until he told him about a serum that would supposedly endow a person with superhuman strength, and brought in Lana to be the test subject. Luckily, Lex got loose and killed Block. However, the laboratory caught fire, but Clark secretly put it out and Lex and Lana were saved. Lex hosted a charity costume ball to raise money for the families and victims of Dark Thursday, and consummated his relationship with Lana. Later, he enlisted Lionel's help in testing Lana's loyalty about their decision with the Kryptonian black box. Lex later encountered an old classmate, Oliver Queen, at their Excelsior 136

Academy class reunion, and he had to come to terms with the events that happened years ago. Shortly after, Oliver's old friends were killed in violent and mysterious accidents that pointed to Duncan Allenmeyer. Lex was confronted by Jimmy Olsen with evidence of his meeting with Dr. Groll to discuss the Kryptonian black box and had Jimmy fired from the Daily Planet. Lana grew tired of Lex's obsession with the box and gave Lex an ultimatum: the box or her. When the box was destroyed by the Zoner Baern, Lex chose Lana, but she suspected that he only chose her by default. Lex was shot with an arrow by the Green Arrow. As Lex lay dying, Clark gave him a healing drug to save his life. In one of his lowest moves, Lex seemingly had the maker of the drug murdered and had a teenager from the Halfway House blamed for it. As all of this was going on, Lana learned that she was pregnant. Feeling that her relationship with Lex had begun to go downhill because of Lex's dishonesty and mistrust, Lana seemed devastated by the pregnancy. Lex got stuck in a different "frequency" of reality by Bronson, a patient from Level 33.1. He was unable to be seen or heard by anyone, unless by radio. While Lex was in a different frequency, Lana told him she was pregnant, and after he stopped Bronson, Lex asked her to marry him. However, he didn't want to pressure Lana into an answer and waited several weeks for her to respond. Lana confessed to Chloe that something about Lex made her hesitate, and she still had feelings for Clark. When Lana's comments were published in the gossip column of the Daily Planet by Linda Lake, Lex had to face the reason for Lana's hesitation. However, Lana chose to resolve her feelings for Clark and accept Lex's proposal. Lex caught Bart Allen and displayed a new level of inhumanity by torturing the young man in the Ridge Facility of LuthorCorp before he was rescued by the Justice League. Clark and Lois, both infected with an aphrodisiac made with red meteor rock, burst in and disrupted Lex and Lana's engagement party. When Clark grabbed Lana and took her to the Kent Farm, Lex came after him with a gun. Clark knocked the gun out of his hand and tried to strangle Lex, until Lex grabbed a chisel and tried to stab him at the same time Martha disabled Clark with a meteor rock. When Lana feared she was being stalked, Lex did all he could to ensure her safety, but was angered by Lana's decision to hide out at the Kent Farm. He hand-delivered Clark a wedding invitation so that Clark could see what he lost. Lex worked with Dr. Robert Bethany to manipulate Tobias Rice into identifying meteor-infected people. He supervised the kidnapping and experimentation of Chloe Sullivan. On his wedding day, Lex confessed to Lionel that he was afraid Lana would not show up. That same day, Dr. Langston, Lana's obstetrician, attempted to blackmail Lex and threatened to tell Lana every detail of her pregnancy. In a fit of rage, Lex murdered Langston, but Lionel found out and berated him for doing such a sloppy job of cleaning up his messes. Due to Lionel's coercion, Lana did indeed show up and she and Lex were married on February 24, 2007. A week after the wedding, Lana miscarried and fell into a deep depression. Lex seemed concerned for Lana's health and state of mind, but he was seen burning her medical files. Lana continued to pull away and when she was hospitalized again, she learned that her pregnancy was faked due to synthetic hormone injections. She believed Lex to be responsible, but did not confront him and continued to pretend to be his devoted wife. Lex became increasingly preoccupied with his Level 33.1 project. He obtained the extraterrestrial body of the fighter Titan and had Moira Sullivan transferred, where he administered a drug that brought her out of her catatonic state. She was able to control her daughter Chloe to steal a flash drive from Lex, so Lex manipulated Moira by kidnapping Chloe too. Under her mother's mind control, Chloe shot Lex in the face, but Clark arrived in time to save Lex and rescue Chloe and her mother. Chloe attempted to write an article exposing Lex's project, but he calmly threatened to have her thrown in jail or killed, also possibly hinting to keep her in 33.1. Lex was trapped in an underground tunnel by Jodi Keenan. At Lionel's request, Clark attempted to save him but was also trapped by the green meteor rock lining the tunnels' walls. While attempting to escape, Lex and Clark analyzed the breakdown of their friendship and Clark revealed that Lana was going to leave him. However, they realized that they would only be safe if they helped each other. When Clark was trapped under rubble, Lex freed him. They managed to escape through a ladder leading up to the surface. The purpose of the tunnels was revealed to be an underground laboratory leading to Reeves Dam, for Project Ares, which had just completed its first prototype, Wes Keenan. Using the alien DNA of Titan, Lex turned Wes Keenan into a super soldier, with many different meteor powers and tested him in the tunnels. Lex met with Senator Ed Burke to inform him the progress of Project Ares, but Burke wanted it canceled, threatening to release incriminating evidence about LuthorCorp. Lex used Wes to kill the senator, but Wes unexpectedly ran into a familiar face, Lois Lane, and was able to circumvent his programming. Lex was unable to regain control of Wes before he battled Clark Kent. Wes was badly damaged and chose to die rather than be under Lex's control. Lex studied Wes' body but was unsatisfied with his results. He decided that Project Ares would only be successful with a living DNA donor and began to track the last loose Phantom Zone wraith, Bizarro. When Lana decided to leave Lex, he assumed that Clark had finally come between them. Lana maintained that his betrayal over the fake pregnancy was the real reason and declared that he would have to kill her to keep her. Lex claimed to not know anything about the scam and slapped Lana across the face, thus putting an end to their short and turbulent marriage. 137

Bizarro was apprehended in the body of a young boy but Lex and his team lost control. Lex narrowly escaped death but while fleeing Reeves Dam, he was arrested for Lana's murder. As the dam was about to burst, Lex watched as the water washed the police car he was in. Fighting to stay alive, Lex saw an angelic girl in the river, and she later saved him by bringing him to shore. Lex managed to catch a glimpse of her before she flew off. Lex was found later and decided to turn himself in. Lex was approached by Bizarro in need of finding Clark and killing him. Lex confessed and was incarcerated. Lex willingly went to jail for Lana's murder for a short time, until someone else confessed. He was let free and Lex was released because Lionel Luthor paid a terminally-ill LuthorCorp employee to confess to the crime. Lex believed Lana was not really dead and questioned Chloe, but she had nothing to say to him. Lex hired private investigators to use voice-recognition software on cellular phone lines and Lana was located in Shanghai, China. Lex subsequently tracked Lana down and confronted her and she revealed that she she discovered his experimental clone he had produced and used it to frame him. She claimed she allowed herself to be found and tried to shoot him but was unable to pull the trigger. Lex was resigned and apologetic for victimizing her and informed her that she could come back to Smallville and divorce him with no resistance from him. Lex began working with Dr. Curtis Knox on a way to cure metahumans. Lex started questioning Knox's experimentation of using their organs and discovered that he was killing his patients. Knox almost killed Lex but he was saved by Clark Kent. Lex then helped Clark located Knox's latest victim, Chloe, before Knox killed her. When the movie version of "Warrior Angel" came to Smallville, Clark went to Lex for help when a crazed fan, Ben Meyers, tried to kill the movie's leading lady. Lex used his extensive "Warrior Angel" comic collection and knowledge to help Clark figure out the fan's motives. Lex later confronted Ben and asked him what he knew about Clark's secret, but Ben would not tell him anything. Lex was revealed to be responsible for making Grant Gabriel an editor at the Daily Planet. He told Grant to break off the relationship he had with Lois. Although Grant said that he was Julian Luthor, it was later revealed that he was actually a clone of Julian when Adrian Cross from the time he used Lois to expose Project Gemini. He also revealed that he has purchased the Daily Planet. Lex cloned his deceased brother to have someone to love him and to be a companion. However, he had warned Gabriel to stay away from Lionel, under the guise that Lionel will reject and hate Gabriel. Instead, Gabriel, resentful of Lex's control of his life and how he was created confronted Lionel with what his son had done. Instead, to Gabriel's amazement, Lionel, while truly repulsed by what Lex did, none the less doesn't hold it against Gabriel and actually accepts him as his son. After learning that Grant went to Lionel and that Lionel knows about him and to his hurt Lionel prefers "Julian" over Lex despite being repulsed at Lex for creating him. Later, Lex tried to force the two to stay away from each other by warning Gabriel to do so and firing him from the editor position at the Daily Planet. However, when neither obeyed, Lex felt that he was forced to have Grant assassinated, not being able to stand that Lionel loved him more than him. He had an assassin pose as mugger to rob them. The assassin shot Gabriel in front of Lionel, and he died in Lionel's arms. The assassin text messaged Lex that the job was done. Lex, in numb shock, walked to his patio in the rain and screamed skyward in grief and loneliness over what he had done. Lex received the DVD that had incriminating information on it from Black Canary. He pays her and offers more for her if she brings in Green Arrow. Once Black Canary appeared, knowing he tricked her, Lex shoots her and forces her to tell him about the Green Arrow, only to start an intense fight with the heroic, green archer. He later gets stabbed by a dagger from the Black Canary, as he watches both of them leave. Lex and Lois had managed to track Kara down into Detroit, Michigan. To save both Lois and Kara, he shot Finley; unfortunately, Lex ended up with a bullet in the head. However, he was healed and saved by Chloe. Lex managed to bring Kara back to Smallville to regain her memory. Lex showed Kara pictures of Kryptonian symbols that resembled the one on her bracelet. Lex had the computers in the Daily Planet, especially Chloe's, connected to his so he could see what they are doing. Lex used blackmail to get Pete to steal Kara's Kryptonian bracelet from Lionel's vault to protect Chloe's secret as a metahuman. When Pete returned, Lex started torturing Pete about the bracelet. After getting knocked out by Clark, he was talking to an assistant about the meteor shower in 1989 when Kara came into the room. The assistant left and Kara asked if she could stay with him since she couldn't trust Clark and Lana anymore. Lex planned to get Kara's memory returned so he could have answers to the questions that plagued him. He later met his childhood friend, Patricia Swann, who informed him about Veritas. Lex later demanded to be told about Veritas, but Lionel did not give in. Lex had a hand in the assassination of Patricia as he had her necklace. He later remembers a memory in which his father is meeting with the secret Veritas Society. After Lionel returned to his office, Lex questioned his father about Veritas and the reason they were in Smallville on the day of the Meteor Shower. He then stolen his Veritas key and later pushed his father out of his office window. When the authorities came, Lex made up a story about hearing him fall to his death outside of his office. Somewhat overwrought with guilt, Lex saw his childhood personality questioning him about what he had done. He then later returned to the mansion, and remembering every trip he went with his father, as he told a story to his assistant. Lex found a Veritas key in Chloe's desk at the Daily Planet, and had her fired. As he found Clark in the mansion, the two had a heated discussion and argument about their friendship and their own fathers. While he was being tortured with guilt by his childhood personality, Lex had did away with it, for he claimed it made him weak. Lex made Lionel's funeral cut down to only one participant, him. 138

As he was ready to fly over to Zurich, Lex was halted by one of his security men who told him that there was a problem between him and the government, but Lex managed to make it to Zurich where he opened the Veritas safety deposit box and found a strange cryptograph. When Chloe was in danger by the government, Lex came to the rescue and ended the investigation for Jimmy. Lex reminded Jimmy that because he thought of Jimmy and the Daily Planet employees were like family to him, family should help each other out when needed. In an alternate universe, Lex was President of the United States. He and Milton Fine (Brainiac) were planning on destroying half the world in order to reshape it with his new order using a missile strike. In the real reality, Lex offered Clark his help with saving Lana, but Clark didnt agree to it. As Lex had one of North Americas greatest cryptographers examining the Veritas map, he felt impatient with him and was forced to have the man examine it in his laboratory. After he left, Lex was attacked and his attacker carves Kryptonian symbols into his chest. Lex later awakened to find himself in the hospital with the symbol on his chest. He then went to the cryptographer and killed his attacker. Lex learned from the cryptographer about the maker of the map and its possible location in Montreal. Lex had found the clock, placed the map inside it as it played a familiar melody to Lex, and released a black Kryptonian pentagon piece. He was then confronted by Edward Teague and the two fought over the secret of the Traveler and the Destroyer. After returning home, Lex put the clues together he had gathered about Veritas and discovered a device placed in the chimney of the Luthor Mansion. Bringing the pentagon piece and device together, showed an image of the Earth and exact coordinates to a certain point placed deep into the Arctic Circle. As he was searching for a specific location in the Arctic, he had Jimmy keep Lois occupied with a fake story as he threatened to put Chloe in jail. Brainiac, posing as Kara, told Lex that he was meant to destroy the Traveler to protect the Earth. Lex then left for the Arctic and had the Department of Domestic Security go after Chloe when Jimmy failed to do his bidding. Lex then arrived in the Fortress, with Clark arriving shortly after. The two had a brief confrontation, than Lex placed the Control Device in the console of the Fortress of Solitude, and the Fortress started crumbling down on them with him and Clark inside. Lex appeared in every episode of the first seven seasons. Beginning in season 8, he is no longer in the show. Lex is 6 feet tall. Had the meteor shower not happened, Lex would have curly red hair. Lex was nine years old when the meteor shower occurred, which puts his birth year at 1979 or 1980. Lex is left-handed. He speaks fluent German (Legacy) and Japanese (Fragile). Lex was named after Alexander the Great. Lex received a copy of The Will to Power for his 10th birthday, and a copy of The Art of War for his 14th birthday. He is, or at least was, an avid Warrior Angel fan. He claims to have not read it since he and Clark were friends, but still keeps his collection in catalogued protective sleeves and is well-versed in the comic's plotlines and details. He has been knocked unconscious more times than any other character on Smallville a total of 49 times as of season seven. Lex has had three weddings in the first six years after moving to Smallville. He married Desire Atkins in Heat, Helen Bryce in Exodus and Lana Lang in Promise. He has also had one funeral. Lex has an increased white blood cell count, which he speculates might be why he's never been sick since the day he was caught in the meteor shower. Younger versions of Lex have been played by four separate actors: Matthew Munn in Pilot and Lineage, Wayne Dalglish in Memoria, Lucas Grabeel in Reunion, and Connor Stanhope in Fracture, Veritas, and Descent. In the comics, Lex's middle name is Joseph, but this has not been confirmed on the show. The code for the safe behind Lex's bookshelf is "15899". Notable comic book aliases Mockingbird. Lex Luthor's friendships and relationships are dominated by his desire for control. He attempts to control people by offering them help, but only on his own terms. This includes finding out the "truth" about people he suspects of having secrets, often investigating them without their knowledge [1]. He can't abide it when people hide the truth from him, as it prevents him from achieving the control that he so greatly desires. As long as he can control someone through gifts and obligation, he will do in anything in his power to protect them [2]. As soon as he can no longer control someone, they quickly become his enemy. [3] In Season 7, Lex recreated this dynamic of publicly offering someone help while secretly investigating them with Kara Kent. After she saved him from drowning, he told her, "Your secret's safe with me. I've already protected you, like I would have protected others close to me if they would have told me the truth. This time, I'm hoping to change all that. I just need you to be honest with me." Interestingly, Lex's desire to protect people goes beyond individuals. In Season 6's Prototype, he builds an army of superpowered soldiers to protect Earth against aliens and kryptofreaks. Or as he put it, "What you're being asked to do is help protect the world. . . Unstable criminals with dangerous powers are becoming more and more common. Humanity's only chance of surviving the onslaught is this project." Lex views himself as a great man who is on a search for truth, and who wants nothing more than to help people and humanity. He is blind to the idea that his help is purely conditional: if the person he's helping doesn't completely depend on him or reveal the entire truth about their background to him, he will turn on them completely and make them his enemy. He often blames others for not coming to him right away with the truth, or for not asking for his protection. He has a narcissistic belief in his own importance, and sees himself as a victim: in his mind, his relationships would be successful if only other people trusted him or came to him for protection. He is oblivious to his own role in this dynamic, and how his desire for control consistently turns friends and lovers into enemies. 139

Quantum 2; Quantum Pool 24 (Regenerate every hour); Willpower 6; Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3 (3, Health x2), Manipulation 3, Charisma 4, Appearance 3, Perception 3, Intelligence 5 (1, Engineering Prodigy), Wits 3; Abilities: Academics 4, Arts 2, Athletics 2, Awareness 2, Biz 4, Bureaucracy 3, Command 4, Computer 2, Drive 3, Endurance 4, Engineering 4, Etiquette 3, Firearms 2, Intimidation 2, Intrusion 1, Investigation 2, Linguistics 3, Martial Arts 3, Medicine (Nova) 1, Melee 4, Might 3, Perform 2, Pilot 3, Rapport 1, Resistance 4, Science 5, Streetwise 3, Style 4, Subterfuge 5; Backgrounds: Backing 5, Cipher 3, Contacts 5, Dormancy 2, Influence 4, Reputation 3, Resources 5; Soak: Bashing 6 dice, Lethal 3 dice (Heals rates are five times normal, ignore three points of damage penalty, one extra Bruised health level, Lifespan 180+ years). MacGyver, Angus Angus MacGyver was born on the 23 March 1951, and raised in Mission City, Missouri. His father and grandmother died in automobile accident when he was a boy (on the 14 Dec 1962 to be exact), leaving him to be raised by his grandfather, who taught young "Mac" (as he likes to be called) the value of fair play. Early on, Mac gained a intense dislike of guns after the accidental shooting death of his friend Jesse, and for the rest of his life he refused to use them, no matter what the circumstances. Mac's grandfather, Harry Jackson (played by John Anderson) disappeared from the MacGyver household in 1969. Mac graduated Western Tech and moved to California. While there he met then DXS operative Pete Thornton. Thornton (played by Dana Elcar) recruited Mac into the DXS. During a mission overseas, Mac's mother died from complications of a stroke. These incidents built a fear of romantic commitment into Mac, causing him to feel that the women that got close to him would suffer. The various jobs that Mac held prior to the DXS made him a talented field operative.(The DXS is somewhat like the CIA.) Eventually, Pete Thornton left the DXS to act as Director of Operations for the Phoenix Foundation.(The Phoenix Foundation is an entirely benevolent organization, with activities like diplomatic relations, environmental studies, technological innovations and conservation efforts.), and Mac moved to that agency with him. It was during this time that Mac more frequently had run-in's with the HIT operative Murdoc. Since first becoming aware of Murdoc in 1975, Mac had thought that he seen him die on a number of occasions. He seemingly cheated death each time. Murdoc describes his employers as " the international murder incorporated" and himself as "quick, neat and untraceable." Murdoc was played by sometime musician Michael Des Barres. Mac settled down some and got a semi- regular girlfriend, Penny Parker (played by Teri Hatcher) and volunteered at a Boy's and Girls Club called the Challenger Club. He went undercover at one point as Dexter Fillmore. His grandfather came back into his life for a time. (The actor that portrayed him died in 1992.) Shortly thereafter, Mac discovered that he had a son by photojournalist Kate Malloy, whom he had dated just after his college years. His son's name was Sean Malloy, but he liked to be called Sam. In the end of the series, MacGyver left with his son on a motorcycle trip. Comments: Played by Richard Dean Anderson. The show ran from 1985 to 1992, a total of seven seasons, 139 episodes and two TV movies. There was some mention of MacGyver at one point being a special forces operative, but this was glossed over by the producers as it did not fit with the scheme of the character. MacGyver was created by Lee David Zlotoff. A new series featuring Angus' nephew Clay debuted in 2003, entitled Young MacGyver. Raised in Mission City, Minnesota moved to California after graduating from Western Tech. He worked several odd jobs including Special Forces bomb disposal, before meeting Department of External Services (DXS) agent Pete Thornton. Thornton was impressed with MacGyver's ingenuity - after all, he'd used a paper clip, a wrench, and shoelaces to help them escape two men armed with bazookas. MacGyver then went to work at the DXS for Pete. Over the years, their friendship became very strong, with Pete taking on a father like role to MacGyver after becoming the Phoenix Foundation Director of Operations and coaxing MacGyver to join him at the Foundation. MacGyver, or "Mac," as his friends call him, is a master of on-the-spot improvisation. He can use ordinary household objects to get himself and his companions out of trouble. All he carries with him is a Swiss Army knife and, occasionally, a roll of duct tape. He carries no gun, having forsaken firearms after a traumatic childhood incident, and tries to avoid violence. He is fiercely loyal to his friends; his enemies will find him a clever, resourceful, and uncooperative opponent. Mac's most unusual trait is his fear of romantic commitment. This fear, which has stifled many a relationship, stems from his previous experiences. His father and his grandmother were killed in a car accident when he was twelve years old; his mother died of complications from a stroke when MacGyver was on assignment overseas. He worries that whomever he becomes close to will die, just like his parents and his grandmother did. Despite his misgivings about commitment, MacGyver remains the eternal optimist. He firmly believes that the world can and will change for the better - one person at a time. Angus "Mac" MacGyver is a survival expert and scientific prodigy. He is single, 6' 2", 180 lbs. with medium brown hair. Mac graduated from Western Tech in Minnesota and then worked for the Department of External Services (ID: xc4479), and finally for the Phoenix Foundation. He favors non-violent solutions to get himself and others out of deadly situations. Born March 23, 1950 in Mission City, Minnesota (pop. 4532), MacGyver lives on a houseboat (until destroyed in 1991) follows a strict vegetarian diet, loves old western movies, ice-hockey, cycling, rock climbing 140

but surprisingly is afraid of heights. MacGyver's answering machine message says" Hi, this is MacGyver. We all know how these things work, so when you hear the beep... go for it." In general, MacGyver is an American James Bond, who like his British counterpart, is a troubleshooter extraordinaire who takes on special assignments - usually deemed impossible and always accomplishes his mission. But there are some differences between the two. While Agent 007 often uses a gun (a Walther PPK 7.65 mm) MacGyver abhors guns and refuses to bring one on his missions; he, in turn, relies on his ingenuity and bits and pieces of material he finds at the scene of an encounter (or the Swiss Army knife in his pocket) to solve his dilemmas. And whereas Mr. Bond, always had his hands on a beautiful women, the mild-mannered, soft spoken MacGyver is not as sexually prolific. But let's not pigeon hole the guy, if romance comes his way he is more that happy to go along for the ride. For example, while defusing bombs in Vietnam, Mac visited the French Quarter with his friend, Charlie Robinson and they reportedly had a very good time...nudge! nudge! wink! wink! Note: Mac does have a problem with commitment. Also like James Bond, MacGyver drives a special vehicle. But while 007 cruises in a gadget-ladden Aston Martin DB5 sedan, MacGyver prefers the rugged, open-topped reliability of an American-made Jeep Wrangler (license plate: IRJQ104) as well as a yellow (creme) '46 Ford truck (license: 2IAB345) and powder blue '57 Chevy Nomad station wagon (license: 2PEK-186) willed to Mac by his late grandpa, Harry. MacGyver's principal employer is the Phoenix Foundation, a privately funded research institute which sends him on assignments around the globe. MacGyver reports to a bald, sometimes sour supervisor named Peter Thornton, the Director of Field Operations. Peter is Mac's close friend and also a former DXS agent. His birthday is 12/18/1933. Another Phoenix Foundation operative who deals with Mac is Nicole Anne "Nikki" Carpenter, a level 6 operative. She occasionally acts as Mac's assistant. Her husband, Adam Carpenter was killed in a Mafia car bombing (meant for her) in W. Virginia on March 14, 1985. This made Nikki commitment shy in the romance department. She lives at 2723 Forest Lane. Her phone number was (818) 555-3082. When trouble arose, MacGyver used his extensive knowledge of chemistry, physics, and machinery to solve his problems. Always cool-headed MacGyver was extremely adaptive in the face of danger. As her once said "I found from past experiences that the tighter your plan, the more likely you are to run into something...unpredictable." In one predicament, a woman asked "I suppose you can make an explosive out of chewing gum?" and MacGyver replied "Why? Got some?" Here are some examples of MacGyver's improvisational skills (a.k.a. "MacGyver-isms"): MacGyver defuses a bomb using pastry tubes, oven cleaner, neon tubes, and low-fat milk, uses cabbage to distract motion detecting machine guns, uses a potato to power an alarm clock, mixes acetic acid and ammonia to create smoke, uses a paper clip to short-circuit a nuclear missile, stopped sulfuric acid leak with milk chocolate candy, made tear gas from alcohol and fire ash in bamboo pipe, turned hose, metal pipe, gasoline into flame thrower, made blow-dart, using reeds & anesthetic-type plant, used bicycle tire's inner tube as sling shot, a cannon from muffler, seat stuffing, gasoline, & steering wheel knob, scraped Graphite from pencil to make fingerprints show up, created arc welder from car antenna, jump cable, and battery, patched sea-plane gash with lifejacket material, dressed mannequins in perfumed jackets to fool dogs, made explosives from grenade detonator, copper wire, battery, poured alcohol on pine nuts in stove to mimic gunshots, used generator, jumper cables to make a "stunner", reversed vacuum cleaner to shoot hot chili, used compressed nitrogen to freeze, break rope. made poison antidote with eggs and charcoal, mixed soda & vinegar in bag for a fire extinguisher, filled lock with butane, blew it out by smashing light bulb into it, put egg whites in radiator to plug holes and used rosary beads to focus sunlight and trigger a slingshot. MacGyver used his Swiss Army knife (Victorinox) in a number of ways, including picking locks, dropping a net on someone, hot wiring an elevator, disarming a bomb, digging out grout seal on a rock, using the corkscrew to pull himself out of a pit, and starting an airplane. And don't get me started on his Duct Tape. When a gadget won't do, MacGyver is not averse to talking (or bribing) his way out of situation. Like the time he said to a guy "Oh, I'm sorry, maybe you guys don't recognize me. The name's Jackson, Andrew Jackson. You may have seen my picture on the front of the 20 dollar bill. You know what I'm, talkin' about?" When asked "How can you be so sure you'll win. MacGyver says "I'll cheat." One recurring bad guy in Mac's life was an assassin named Murdoc who worked for H.I.T. (Homicide for International Trust). He liked to send his employers, a photograph that depicted his victim's moment of death. Try and try again, though, he could never seem to carry out his assignment to kill MacGyver. He once told Mac "Yes, MacGyver, that's why you're so hard to beat. Nobody knows what you're going to do next - including you." Murdoc supposedly died at the conclusion of each of his failed attempts to kill MacGyver, but he always came back even after falling off a mountain; being electrocuted, drowning, blown up with a grenade, hit by dozens boulders, and felling into a elevator shaft). Murdoc met his final demise when his car drove a Jeep off a cliff (The End?) "When I was a kid, my grandfather used to say to me that a fella's life wasn't worth mentioning if he hadn't shared it with some folks along the way....My grandpa (also) used to say that friendship is a two-sided coin: it can be the best or worst thing that ever happened to you." -- MacGyver Outside of the Phoenix Foundation, MacGyver's had few family members. They included: Harry Jackson, Mac's equally inventive grandpa who disappeared for fifteen years. He returned and reconciled with Mac before 141

he died of a heart attack. Ellen MacGyver, Mac's mother. She died from a stroke while MacGyver was on assignment in Afghanistan. James MacGyver, MacGyver's father. James died in car accident on December 14th 1962 when Mac was a boy. Celia Jackson, MacGyver's grandmother. She died in the same car accident that killed Mac's father. Kate Molloy, MacGyver's college photo-journalist sweetheart killed in China, who bore "Mac" a son-Shawn - but never told him of the fact. Kate was killed by Chinese Colonel Chung; Mac met Kate in 1973. Shawn Angus Malloy, Mac's photo-journalist son. MacGyver first met his son in 1992. Sue Ling, MacGyver's Chinese Foster Daughter. She was later impersonated by a girl named Mei Len after Sue Ling died in 1989 during an incident at Tiananmen Square uprising. MacGyvers cousin, Allie Mac's other acquaintance included: Wilt Bozer, MacGyver's neighbor at the marina, Penny Parker, a talkative, trouble-prone struggling singer/actress. Jack Dalton, Mac's pilot friend whom he knew growing up in Minnesota. Jack followed MacGyver to California and set up a private airline, Fly-By-Night. Eventually, it became Jack-Be-Quick Messenger Service and finally Dalton Air Service. Jack is a get-rich-quick schemer and whenever he shows up, trouble is sure to follow. Jack's left eye twitches when he lies. Professor Willis, Mac's former teacher, who now studies environmental sciences and. works for the Phoenix foundation. The Colton Family, a family of bounty-hunters (Frank, Jesse, their young brother, Billy, mother, Ma Colton and their dog, Frog). Mamma Lorraine, Mac's voodoo practicing neighbor who owns Haitian Creations Botanical Shango down the street from Mac's apartment. Jennifer Reiner, a prostitute (a.k.a. "Crystal") whom MacGyver, Cynthia Wilson, helped reform. Det. Kate Murphy (Head of the Los Angeles police narcotics squad) who helped MacGyver track a psychotic killer called Dr. Zito. Lisa Woodman, the teenage daughter of a wealthy industrialist who develops a drinking problem Mac's ability to fall in love and maintain a steady relationship have been ever altered by the death of so many of the people he has loved in his life. Therefore, he is hesitant to commit to someone because his job is dangerous, keeps him on the go and mostly, because he fears any potential lover might die and leave him alone like so many others have done in the past. Mac's love interests over the years included: Amy Austin, an old flame of Mac's from colleege who now worked at a nuclear power plant. She got involved in a uranium theft case. Debra Easton. She ran an orphanage in the Southeast Asia. Lisa Kohler/Kosov. She and Mac were once engaged. He had thought Lisa dead, until she appeared at a hotel with a Soviet delegation. She was now married to Nicolai Kosov and involved in a case about a priceless Ming Dragon. Michelle "Mike" Forester. She was a botanist who attended college with MacGyver and Jack Dalton. Mike died from a fall off a mountain. Moments before her death Mac's told her that he was not ready for a committed relationship. The incident made Mac reclusive for awhile. Deborah. She was hired by Knapp land developers to influence and later kill MacGyver, but failed at both when MacGyver realized her true intentions - she later died). Karen Miller,. Mac's old girlfriend - now a park ranger who runs a wildlife preserve. She is no longer interested in MacGyver (she has a new boyfriend, Sam Sheehan). Nikki Carpenter, Mac's coworker at the Phoenix Foundation. She commitment phobic since the death of her husband. Maria Romberg, Mac's coworker at the Phoenix Foundation. However, any possible romance between Mac and herself was interrupted when she was assigned to Brazil. Ellen Stewart Jerico. She was Mac's Eyrie High School sweetheart. He met up with her in 1991 at the Jerico games, an international winter sports competition. She kills her abusive husband, media mogul Ralph Jerico and then pulls a gun on Mac for breaking up with her. Fortunately, Mac talks her down and she receives psychiatric treatment. Boy Mac, you really know how to pick 'em! Back in Mission City, Minnesota, Macs childhood friends were Neil Ryder (now a fire arms dealer), Chuck (now a police officer), and Jesse (deceased). Jesse was killed in 1963 when Mac borrowed his dad's gun and took it into the woods. The gun accidentally discharged when it fell to the ground shooting Jesse in the stomach. Mac tried to carry his friend to safety, but by the time the medics could tend to his injury Jesse had died. Jesse's death influenced Mac's life-long dislike of firearms. As a consequence, in high school, Mac became a member of Students for Gun Control. At 11, Mac and his friend, Freddie Maples drank beer. When they were 16, Freddie died in a alcohol-related car accident. When not battling nefarious villains around the globe, MacGyver found time for some extra-curricular activities, such as volunteering his time to The Challengers Club, an inner city youth club where Mac worked full-time years earlier. Its members included Cynthia Wilson, Head of the Challengers Club, and Breeze, a former gang member. In the spring of 1992, MacGyver left the Phoenix Foundation to spend time with his photo-journalist son, Shawn Angus Malloy (SAM). They set off on a motorcycle journey of self discovery. But a short time alter,. MacGyver is back in action. when he joins Jack Dalton on a search for a fountain of youth in Kabulstan, a land that appears to be a real Shangri-La. Then, in 1994, Mac teamed with his archaeology professor to search for the legendary treasure of Atlantis, and later that year he traveled to England to investigate the mystery of his friend's murder and stumbles upon a secret nuclear weapons facility. Looks like its time for more "MacGyverisms." Name: Angus MacGyver; Born: March 23, 1952 Mother: Ellen Jackson (maiden name); Father: James MacGyver; Known grandparents: Cecilia and Harry Jackson; DXS ID: xc4479; Real Name: Angus MacGyver; Identity/Class: Normal human; Occupation: Troubleshooter; Affiliations: Department of External Services (operative); Phoenix Foundation (operative), Pete Thornton (best friend), Jack Dalton; Enemies: HIT ( Homicide International Trust), Murdoc (HIT operative); Known Relatives: Unnamed parents and grandmother (deceased); Harry Jackson (grandfather, deceased); Sean Malloy (son); Clay MacGyver (nephew); Aliases: "Mac"; Dexter 142

Fillmore ( undercover identity); Base of Operations: Mobile; lives in a houseboat.; First Appearance: MacGyver episode #1, "Pilot" (ABC, 29 September 1985); Powers/Abilities: Genius gadgeteer, skilled in most sciences and able to improvise equipment from pretty much anything. Quantum 1; Quantum Pool 10 (Regenerate every hour); Willpower 7; Taint 0; Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Charisma 3, Manipulation 2, Appearance 3, Perception 4, Intelligence 5 (2, Engineering Prodigy), Wits 4 (1, Synergy); Abilities: Academics 2, Athletics 3, Awareness 3, Computer 2, Drive 3, Endurance 3, Engineering 5, Intrusion 3, Investigation 4, Legerdemain 3, Linguistics (ASL, English (n), French, German, Italian, Mandarin and Russian) 3, Martial Arts 4, Medicine 1, Melee 3, Might 1, Pilot 2, Rapport 2, Resistance 3, Science 4, Stealth 3, Streetwise 1, Subterfuge 2, Survival 3; Backgrounds: Allies 2, Backing (Phoenix) 4, Contacts 4, Node 3, Resources 4; Soak: Bashing 3, Lethal 1 (Healing rates are doubled. Lifespan 150+ years.) Marsciarelli, Arthur Herbert Arthur Herbert Marsciarelli, popularly known as Mash, is a leather jacketed mechanic who lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the late 1950s. Although he was a high school dropout and is seen as a rebel, he has a number of skills and qualities such as womanizing, strong loyalty, and sexual attractiveness. Despite the low opinion of the authorities, he commands tremendous respect throughout much of Milwaukee for his welldeserved reputation for fighting (in one episode, he outfought an expert fencer; in another, he literally mangled a gangster's prosthetic iron hand with one fist), his skills as a ladies' man and mechanic, his history of romantic involvement with virtually every attractive woman in Milwaukee, and his imperturbable "cool." Opponents far larger and more dangerous-seeming than himself back down from confrontations with him. Those who do confront him never come out on top, leaving 'Mash" without a scrape. Mash usually exhibited a characteristic sangfroid during times of challenge, stress, or annoyance (although he became more susceptible to irritation). Mash's "cool" occasionally manifested as the ability to make mechanical objects function with a single touch, implying that he knew so much about how they worked that he could set the works in motion via one "Technical Tap"; he frequently started and stopped the jukebox at Arnold's diner by this process. This knack eventually became almost supernatural in nature when he proved able to achieve similar effects by snapping his fingers. Once he is on the phone to Al, who is by the jukebox in Arnold's Drive-In. Al holds the phone up and Mash's fingers are heard snapping, causing the jukebox to cease playing. At the end of the phone call Mash snaps his fingers again, causing the jukebox to start playing once more. While camping in the woods with his friends, he became so annoyed by the repeated sounds of wildlife around him that he shouted "Cool It!" into the woods, silencing every animal in the vicinity. "Let's see Tarzan do that," he mused to himself as he settled into sleep. Occasional facts about Mash's past emerged throughout the series: As a child, he and his mother were abandoned by his father. The only words of advice Mash ever remembered his father giving him were "Don't wear socks in the rain." When he disappeared, he left behind a locked lockbox for his son, but not a key; the young Arthur did everything he could to open the box, finally running over it repeatedly with his tricycle. The contents? "The key, and that's it! Later, Mash meets a woman who he believes is his mother. She convinces him she is not but in the end she looks at a picture of Mash as a small child and sighs. As a youth, Mash dropped out of high school and ran with at least two gangs, the Demons and the Falcons. His "redemption" began in an incident that occurred months before the series began, when he intervened in a rumble to which gang members had challenged high school student Richie Cunningham, who, to his challengers' surprise, actually showed up for the fight in spite of his obvious fear. Intervening to save Richie, Mash developed a respect for him from that moment on, and despite their many differences, the two developed a close friendship. While the naive Richie learned much about the ways of the world from Mash, he in turn learned about the value and benefits of a tight-knit family from the Cunninghams, from whom he eventually rented an attic room. Even Richie's father Howard ("Mister C" to Mash), a would-be pillar of the community who was initially quite concerned of his son's streetwise friend, came to regard Mash with respect and familial affection. Despite his seeming aloofness, Mash had his more whimsical traits, most notably his utter devotion to the Lone Ranger. While he was always confident with the women, he would still blush when Mrs. Cunningham (Mrs. C.), who became like a surrogate mother to him, kissed him on the cheek. Mrs. C. was the only one whom Mash allowed to call by his real name, which she always did affectionately. Eventually Mash finished his high school diploma at night school and became an auto mechanic instructor, and later school teacher. He went from being a womanizer to having a single long-term girlfriend at least twice. Though he never married, he also adopted a son in the final season, completing the transformation from rebel to family man. In the mid 80s, Mash started up a detective agency after he retired from teaching. He is surprisingly youthful for a man of his years. He appears to be no older than his late 50s, even though he is over 70. His habit of regular exercise and good genes give him the physique of someone much younger. Oh, and then there IS the fact that he is a nova! Arthur is a single, ultra-cool Italian-American auto mechanic who loves to ride motorcycles. Abandoned by his father, Vito Masharelli (a merchant seaman) when he was a child, Mash now lives over a garage owned by Howard and Marion Cunningham who have adopted Arthur as one of the family. Mash hangs out at a local hamburger joint known as Arnold's Drive-In Restaurant and uses the men's restroom as his office. Because of the Masharelli mystique, Mash is constantly surrounded by a bevy of beautiful teenage girls. All he has to do is snap his fingers and they come a running. Besides these lovely ladies, Mashs 143

friends included Arnold, the owner of Arnold Drive-In (both Matsuo Takahashi & Al Delvecchio); Richie Cunningham, a student from Jefferson High School whom Mash mentored in the ways of women; Joanie Cunningham, Richies precocious little sister (whom Mash called Shortcake); Howard "Mr. C." Cunningham, Richie's father, who owns Cunningham Hardware Store and belong to the Leopard Lodge; Marion "Mrs. C" Cunningham, a homemaker who affectionately call Mash "Arthur"; Warren "Potsie" Weber, an aspiring singer; Ralph Malph, the teller of corny jokes; Spike, Arthur's tough little nephew (who likes flowers); Arthurs enterprising young cousin Charles Chachi Arcola (who later married Joanie); Pinkie Tuscadero, a sexy motorcycle queen (who is cooler than Mash); and an even cooler mystical hip chick known as Cat Mandu. Mashs catchphrase is Aaaayh! (accompanied by a thumbs-up gesture). Mash can also start the coinfed juke box at Arnolds Drive-In restaurant by thumping it with his fist in just the right spot, which only he seems to know. When Mash ate lunch at Arnold's Drive-In Restaurant, he enjoyed a garnish of parsley with his sandwich. When the owner of Arnold's asked "Why do you eat that stuff?" Mash replied "Why does Popeye eat Spinach?" Although Mash liked Parsley, he detested liver and anybody who had anything to do with it. Mash also had a hard time admitting he was "wr-wr-wrong." Mash's hero is The Lone Ranger and like his hero Mash lived by his own code of honor. They included the sentiments "Live fast, love hard, and don't let anyone else use your comb" and "A man saves your life, any favor he asks you gotta answer it" (The Masharelli Code). Mash first became acquainted with the Cunningham's through their son, Richie. In a flashback sequence, Mash, a former member of the toughest street gang in Milwaukee known as The Falcons, entered a cafeteria where Richie and his friends, Ralph and Potsie sat at a table. One of the Falcons said "Hey, there's three nerds sitting in your booth, Mash!" The Falcons then pointed to a message carved into the table top that read: "This is Falcon Turf." When Richie raised an objection about moving from the booth, he was challenged to rumble with Mash in the alley on Saturday night and told to BYOB (Bring Your Own Band-Aid). Richie met Mash but after talking, they became friends. Mash soon realized that he didn't need to wear a gang jacket to be cool. Although Mash left The Falcons, he kept contacts with some other gang members. Once when Mash had to visit the dentist, he instructed a group of street thugs known as The Sons of Death to throw the dentist out of the window should anything happen to the him. And when Richie Cunningham was being bothered by a pair of bullies Mash revealed his secret to being tough: Act tough, sound tough, and maybe people will think you ARE tough. But it helps to be a little tough in the first place. As Mash matured he took on the responsibility of a partnership in Arnolds Restaurant, went to night school to get his diploma, taught auto shop at Jefferson High, became the operator of Bronco's Garage, and was later appointed Dean of Boys at George S. Patton Vocational High by Marion's nephew Roger Philips. And after a continuous line of female companions, Mash finally decided to settle down for a time with Ashley Pfister, a divorce with an adorable daughter named Heather. When that relationship ended, Mash bought a house and adopted a little orphan boy named Danny. Quantum 4; Quantum Pool 30 (Regenerate every 30 minutes); Willpower 8; Taint 1; Strength 3 (1, Precision), Dexterity 5 (1, Physical Prodigy), Stamina 4 (1, Resiliency), Appearance 3, Manipulation 4, Charisma 5 (1, Center of Attention, Seductive), Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 4; Skills: Athletics 2, Awareness 1, Biz 2, Brawl 5, Command 4, Drive (Motorcycles) 5, Endurance 3, Engineering 5, Etiquette 3, Intimidation 5, Intrusion 3, Investigation 4, Legerdemain 3, Linguistics (Italian) 1, Melee 5, Might 3, Pilot 2, Rapport 5, Resistance 3, Ride 2, Science 2, Seduction 5, Stealth 3, Streetwise 4, Style 3, Subterfuge 3, Survival 1; Backgrounds: Allies 5, Contacts 5, Influence 2, Node 1, Resources 3; Merits: Iron Will, Sexy; Flaws: Overconfidence; Quantum Powers: Cyberkinesis 2 (Control, Overload); Soak: Bashing 6, Lethal 4, (Dice pool penalties reduced by one, Healing rates are tripled, Lifespan 150+ years) McAllister, John Peter John Peter McAllister is a veteran of World War II and the Korean War who stayed in Japan and became the first Occidental ninja. He trained Okasa in the ninja arts and took on Max Keller as his student upon arriving in America. He is a self-described "cantankerous old man who's lived alone a lot of years." He is a stern but fair teacher, and a skilled fighter, though his age is catching up with him. He is often grumpy and sarcastic towards other men, both friend and foe, but somewhat more mellow around Max, and politely flirtatious or selfconsciously "charming" towards women. Several pieces of his colorful history come out during the series: he flew P-40s during WWII, visited New York in 1938 and attended a sort of conference of secret assassin organizations in the Far East in 1972, where he gave a martial arts demonstration. He met Brian Elkwood in Washington DC in 1948, and the two men were subsequently imprisoned together in North Korea, but escaped by using a motorcycle. He has apparently visited Hawaii about twenty years ago: a friend who lives there has a daughter Max's age, whom McAllister remembers seeing when she was a baby. He denies having filmed westerns in Almeria, Spain with actor Saul Robbins circa 1969, but his reactions to Robbins's claim to remember him seem to suggest otherwise he was perhaps on some kind of secret mission for which the movie project made a good cover. He "always wanted to be a cowboy", but makes not wanting to dress up as one an excuse to turn down an ad exec who wants McAllister to shill for him. There are several recurring trains of thought that show up in his conversation, e.g. Eastern mysticism, but the closest thing he has to a catchphrase is probably "no kidding", said in an exasperated tone to people's more obvious statements. 144

The Master follows the character of John Peter McAllister, an American veteran who stayed in Japan following World War II and became a ninja master. At the beginning of the series, McAllister, now an old man, leaves Japan for the United States in search of a daughter he did not know he had. This flight from his ninja life is seen as dishonorable by his fellow ninja, including his former student, Okasa, who attempts to assassinate him. Escaping with a minor wound, McAllister finds himself in the small town of Ellerston, where he believes his daughter resides. Along the way, he meets a drifter named Max Keller, who aids the ninja master in a bar fight, but subsequently suffers defenestration, a recurring event for the hot-headed Keller. Max desires to learn to fight like a ninja, but McAllister is reluctant to train him, feeling him to be too emotional. When Max gets involved in a dispute between Mr. Christensen, a ruthless developer, and the Trumbulls, a father and daughter who run an airport targeted by Christensen, McAllister decides to train him to survive. The pair goes on to have many adventures traveling the country in search of McAllister's daughter, who of course is never found, as the series only lasted one season. Keller and McAllister often get sidetracked by oppressed people, and invariably McAllister uses his ninja skills to help save the day, hopefully teaching Max at the same time. Max spends a lot of time getting thrashed, however. A recurring enemy is Okasa, the rogue pupil of McAllister, who continually tracks his old master down and tries to kill him. In the first episode, the two duel and McAllister wins. However, the old master refuses to kill his opponent, preferring to renounce his ninja ways. Of course, this leads to Okasa's future attempts. The Master is an exemplar of the ninja of popular mythology rather than a realistic portrayal of contemporary or historical Ninjutsu, but the series also has some surprising nods towards the actual practices of Ninjutsu. For instance, most of the series (except the first two episodes) have the heroes using shurikens for a variety of non-lethal tasks throwing them to disarm an enemy, or using them as hand-held knives to cut through window latches rather than the more stereotypical and lethal uses of popular mythology. There is also some emphasis on the spiritual or character-building aspects of "Ninjutsu", as the series calls it, using the older romanization. The series makes reference to the ninja as a "sect" with different "Houses", apparently corresponding to dojos. The only two Houses represented in the series use a butterfly and a snake as their respective emblems. The former animal symbolizes the human soul in authentic Japanese tradition, the latter has no consistent significance. "Master", the title McAllister has, seems to mark him out as a high-level teacher and the head of a House, as does the silver medallion he wears. One succeeds to the headship of a House, by killing the current Master and taking his medallion (this is Okasa's objective throughout the series), but there are presumably less violent methods of succession as well. The series ninja tend towards very ritualized duels among themselves, and McAllister's tendency to end duels prematurely by feigning injury or luring adversaries to charge through windows or into dangerous electrical equipment always takes his dueling partners by surprise, implying that his methods are not entirely "honorable" by their standards. Ninjutsu is represented as having had a dark and violent history, which it had turned away from during the time McAllister was involved. It is implied that the ninja are reverting to this darker and older tradition as of the series time frame, and this may have been a factor in McAllister's departure from the "sect". Lika, a character from "Out of Time Step" is the only "Snake" ninja encountered in the series, and he preaches a kind of anarcho-nihilism that uses this fictional ninja history as a justification for committing crimes. All the other ninja seen in the series are trained by McAllister or his pupils, and so belong in a sense to his House, which uses the butterfly emblem. The symbolism of this House's emblem (see above) and McAllister's heavy emphasis on the Ki (or chi; the concept is referred to frequently but not very well explained in the series) and the process of character-building in Ninjutsu might be indications that this House specializes in Seishin teki kyoko, the ninja discipline of spiritual refinement. Affiliations: Max Keller (protg); Known Relatives: Teri McAllister (daughter); Base: Mobile across the USA; Inspiration 7 (Intuitive 2, Reflective 1, Destructive 4); Strength 3, Dexterity 4, Stamina 4, Charisma 2, Manipulation 4, Appearance 2, Perception 5, Intelligence 3, Wits 5; Abilities: Academics (Ninja Lore, Occult) 2, Animal Training 1, Athletics (Dodge) 4, Awareness 4, Command 4, Drive 2, Endurance 3, Etiquette 3, Firearms 3, Intimidation 3, Intrusion 4, Investigation 3, Legerdemain 4, Linguistics 2, Martial Arts (Ninjitsu) 5, Medicine 3, Melee 4, Might 3, Perform 4, Pilot 4, Rapport 3, Resistance 3, Science 1, Stealth 5, Streetwise 2, Subterfuge 4; Survival 4; Backgrounds: Allies 1, Backing 1, Cipher 4, Contacts 3, Nemesis 4, Resources 2; Dynamic Knacks: A Single Bound, Heightened Senses, Optimized Metabolism, Piledriver, Powerlifter; Willpower 8 Murdock, H.M. Capt. H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock is a fictional character in the 1980s action/adventure television series, The A-Team. He was played by Dwight Schultz. The character of Murdock was almost written out of the series before it aired, as the producers found the character too wacky. The popularity of the character among the test audience however convinced the producers to keep the part of Murdock. Murdock appeared on The ATeam from the series beginning in 1983 until its cancellation in 1987. The A-Team is a group of ex-United States Army Special Forces who were wrongly convicted of a crime during the Vietnam War. Managing to escape from the military police, they fled to Los Angeles, where as fugitives, the A-Team work as soldiers of fortune, using their military training to fight oppression or injustice. Murdock, along with Hannibal Smith, B.A. Baracus, and Templeton "Faceman" Peck make up the A-Team.

145

Although Murdock was not convicted of any crime, as the other three were, he is still a full-fledged member of the team. Considered the best chopper pilot of the Vietnam War, Murdock is either mentally unstable or exceptionally good at pretending to be. He is stated as having paranoid delusions and intermittent memory loss. Although he was the A-Team's pilot on the mission to rob the Bank of Hanoi (the crime for which they were convicted), he was never tried by the military. He is interned at a psychiatric hospital, although he routinely escapes (generally with the help of Face) to accompany the A-Team on their missions. The symptoms of his "insanity" vary from episode to episode, but include self-identification with fictional characters, hallucinations, and belief in the "intelligence" of inanimate objects, among others. He often "channels" a certain character for the duration of a mission (much to the chagrin of B.A.) or becomes fixated on a particular subject to the point of obsession. He also frequently refers to his invisible dog, "Billy". B.A., uneasy with Murdock's unusual behavior, is easily angered by Murdock and regularly refers to him as a "crazy fool". Murdock is almost always seen in a ball cap, a customized A-2 leather flight jacket with a picture of a tiger and the words "Da Nang 1970" on the back, and a pair of Converse All-Star shoes. He also often wears a tshirt with a comical caption or a picture of a cartoon character on it. Although he was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam, he is easily capable of flying anything with rotors or wings, including passenger planes, fighter jets, and even autogyros. Interestingly, unlike B.A., the initials H.M. were never explained in terms of what Murdock's actual first and middle name were, and the nickname "Howlin' Mad" were simply attributed to them (although it is rumored that his name comes from World War II Marine Corps General Holland M. Smith, aka "Howlin' Mad", a nickname given by his troops). It was revealed in the first season that Murdock and B.A. share the same blood typeAB negative, the rarest type. In the episode "Black Day at Bad Rock", B.A. receives a transfusion from Murdock, who was sprung from the hospital for just that, despite B.A.'s protests (fearing that Murdock's blood will make him "crazy"). This was again referenced in the second season finale "Curtain Call" when, in an unusually touching moment between the two, B.A. voluntarily offers to donate his own blood to save Murdock. Due to his nature, many of the details of Murdock's life are unknown, or possibly embellished. If he is to be believed, Murdock's mother died when he was five (although they still keep in touch), and he was raised by his grandmother (who is supposedly named "H. Emma Murdock") and his grandfather. In one episode in the third season, B.A. says that Murdock went insane after his plane crashed. The exact state of his insanity is never made clear, though he occasionally implies that his insanity is his ticket to his "room and board". Despite his purported mental status, Murdock is a thoroughly competent member of the team, when needed to be. Indeed, because he is not actually wanted by the military, Murdock is often the only team member to evade capture by a given episode's antagonists (or the military police), and he has single-handedly rescued the other team members several times. Murdock actually has extensive knowledge of various subjects and keeps up on current events, showing a genius level aptitude. He speaks several languages including Spanish, Vietnamese and Mandarin Chinese. In the second season episode "The Maltese Cow", Murdock says, "What can I say? One day I had a gonzo headache and before it went away I could read and speak Chinese. And it was a bad afternoon, too, lemme tell you." He also seems capable of a photographic memory. He is also a talented actor and often accompanies Face on his scams. He is capable of impersonating the voices of famous individuals and mimicking many different foreign accents. It is also revealed in the season 4 episode "Wheel of Fortune", that Murdock has worked for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) on at least two occasions, once in 1969 and once in 1972. The exact extent of Murdock's missions with the CIA are not revealed. One particular insight into Murdock's unique world view comes during the season five episode "Trial By Fire". Murdock is asked to take the stand at the A-Team's murder trial and give testimony about his helicopter flight following the Hanoi bank mission. The testimony takes the form of a surreal flashback from Murdock's perspective in which Murdock himself (wearing a grey wig and Biggles-style flight jacket) and his female co-pilot come under attack from The Spanish Armada, a sea serpent, and a tribe of Native Americans mounted on horseback, while Murdock spouts melodramatic dialogue. Murdock was permanently discharged from the mental institution in the fifth season. Quantum 2; Quantum Pool 21 (Regenerate every hour); Willpower 5; Strength 2, Dexterity 4, Stamina 2, Charisma 2, Manipulation 2, Appearance 2, Perception 3, Intelligence 4 (1, Eidetic Memory, Enhanced Memory, Linguistic Genius, Self-Analysis), Wits 3; Skills: Academics 3, Awareness 3, Arts 1, Biz 1, Brawl 3, Endurance 3, Engineering 2, Firearms 2, Intrusion 1, Investigation 1, Legerdemain 5, Linguistics 3, Medicine 1, Melee 1, Might 1, Perform 5, Pilot 5, Rapport 2, Resistance 3, Subterfuge 5, Survival 2; Backgrounds: Allies 4, Node 1;; Soak: Bashing 2 dice, Lethal 1 die Murdock, Matt Abandoned by his mother, Matt Murdock was raised by his father, boxer "Battling Jack" Murdock, in Hell's Kitchen. Realizing that rules were needed to prevent people from behaving badly, young Matt decided to study law; however, when he saved a man from an oncoming truck, it spilled a radioactive cargo that rendered Matt blind while enhancing his remaining senses. Under the harsh tutelage of blind martial arts master Stick, Matt mastered his heightened senses and became a formidable fighter. He also attended Columbia University Law School alongside his best friend, Franklin "Foggy" Nelson; but before Matt earned his Juris Doctorate 146

degree, his father was murdered by agents of the Fixer (Roscoe Sweeny) for refusing to throw a fight. Enraged when the legal system failed to bring the Fixer to justice, Matt donned a costume made from his father's boxing robe and went into action as "Daredevil," savagely beating his father's killers and frightening the Fixer himself to death. Establishing a small New York law firm with Foggy, Matt vowed to serve the law as Matt Murdock and to fight evils beyond the law's reach as Daredevil. Over the years, he has fought many super-criminals, including Mister Fear, Stilt-Man, Gladiator, Purple Man and Jester (Jonathan Powers), as well as crime lords such as the Kingpin and the Owl. He has loved and fought alongside both the Black Widow and Elektra. Although Daredevil and the Punisher both fight crime, they often clash over the Punisher's lethal tactics. During an early encounter, Daredevil shot the Punisher to prevent him from killing drug-dealer Peter "Hogman" Grunter. Since then, Daredevil has worked with the Punisher when necessary, but has also attempted to bring him to justice. Daredevil formed the "Marvel Knights" to apprehend the Punisher, who escaped police custody thereafter. Later, Daredevil teamed with Spider-Man and Wolverine in a failed attempt to take down the Punisher, who told Daredevil that the only way to stop him was to kill him. Recently, Daredevil's secret identity was exposed by a tabloid and he definitively defeated the Kingpin in public, declaring himself New York's new kingpin. To avoid disbarment, Murdock has been forced to publicly and legally deny his dual identity, though the public remains unconvinced. He was incarcerated by the FBI which had been publicly embarrassed by Murdock and placed in a population comprised of many of his enemies in the hope that Murdock would be killed while in prison. Murdock, aided by the Punisher, escaped shortly thereafter. Real Name: Matthew Michael Murdock; Aliases: Michael Murdock; Identity: Revealed in a tabloid newspaper, but denied by Murdock; Occupation: Crimefighter, lawyer; Citizenship: U.S.A.; Place of Birth: New York City; Known Relatives: Jonathan "Battling Jack" Murdock (father, deceased), Grace Murdock (mother, deceased), Milla Donovan (estranged wife); Group Affiliation: Formerly Defenders, "Marvel Knights"; Education: Daredevil possesses a high school diploma and a Juris Doctor (doctorate of law) from Columbia University. He also possesses the equivalent of a self-taught masters of applied sciences in mechanical engineering.; Height: 6'0"; Weight: 200 lbs.; Eyes: Blue; Hair: Red Powers: In compensation for his lost sight, Daredevils other four senses have been preternaturally enhanced. His sense of touch is sensitive enough to detect the faint impressions of ink on paper, allowing him to read by touch. He is also able to feel minute changes in temperature and pressure, enough to sense a human body at a distance of five feet, due to body heat and air disturbance. His sensitivity to heat allows him to sense the temperature of people and objects in order to determine whether a person is alive, how long they have been dead if they are not, and other changes in body temperature such as blushing or the heating up associated with various emotional states, as well as residual body heat on an object, or how recently a machine has been in use. Daredevils sense of smell is enhanced enough to distinguish individuals by their natural odors, and remember and identify them no matter how they attempt to mask their scent, as well as track that individual scent through a crowd of people at a distance of roughly 50 feet. His sense of taste is sharp enough to enable him to detect the number of grains of salt on a pretzel. His ability to remember tastes enables him to determine every ingredient of a food or drink he tastes, as long as there are at least 20 milligrams of that substance present. Daredevils enhanced sense of hearing enables him to detect an acoustic pressure change of 1 decibel at a pressure level of 7, whereas the average human can only detect a sound as low as 20 decibels. He can even hear people speaking through a standard soundproofed wall. Daredevil is also able to hear a heartbeat from 20 feet away, as well as identify people by their individual beat rhythm, or detect whether they are lying or not by the changes in their heartbeat, though a pace maker or self control will confuse his reading. Not only does Daredevils hearing allow him to be constantly aware of his own heartbeat, blood circulation, breathing, physical movements, etc, but he is also able to hear and sense the same attributes in other people. One of the primary ways he does this is by hearing the reverberations made by ambient sounds on objects and people, giving him a sonar-like sense of where things are, and how dense they are. And while he is able to block out a good amount of background noise, he can also be excessively disoriented by unexpected loud noises and can be confused when immersed in the wash of sound from a busy crowd. Along with the enhancement of Daredevils normal senses, he has gained another sense which he calls his Radar Sense. According to one theory, this sense reacts to an emission of electromagnetic energy a mutation in his brain has caused, reading the reverberations of this energy as a 360, 3-D map of objects. This sight is not perfect, and can only give Daredevil an impression of the exact physical shape of objects, not a literal one. Closely overlapping objects can also confuse this sense. The mutations that have heightened Daredevils level of sensitivity have also increased his awareness of other forms of electromagnetic radiation. He is capable of detecting and identifying any electromagnetic radiation on the standard scale; from radio waves, (which he can only detect, not understand the message) all the way to gamma waves, and everything in between. He is also able to judge the strength of a given radiation and even differentiate between individual colors by the amount of radiation they give off. At very close range, Daredevil is able to detect the micro voltage of a human beings brain. Daredevil possesses the strength, speed, agility, and endurance, not to mention acrobatic and gymnastic skills, of an Olympic-level athlete. Through a combination of the tutelage of Stick and self-training, Daredevil is a master of a unique martial art form, which is a hybridized form of American boxing and the Japanese arts of ninjutsu, judo and aiki-jujutsu. Martial arts training has given him an immense degree of 147

concentration and personal control over his body and energy, or Ki. Daredevil is also an accomplished criminal trial lawyer. Daredevil carries a billy club, disguised as a cane in civilian garb. It is a versatile, multi-purpose weapon, stronger than any fist. It contains thirty feet of aircraft control cable, which is connected to a case-hardened steel grapnel. Internal mechanisms allow the cable to be neatly wound and unwound, while a powerful spring launches the grapnel. Daredevil usually carries two fighting batons. Quantum 4; Quantum Pool 50 (Regenerate every 30 minutes); Willpower 7; Taint 3; Strength 4, Dexterity 4 (1, Physical Prodigy), Stamina 4, Manipulation 3, Charisma 3, Appearance 3, Perception 3 (3, Analytic Touch/Taste, Blindfighting, Bloodhound, Hyperenhanced Hearing, Quantum Attunement), Intelligence 3, Wits 4 (1, Lie Detector); Abilities: Academics (Law) 4, Athletics 4, Awareness 4, Biz 3, Bureaucracy 2, Command 1, Endurance 3, Etiquette 3, Firearms 1, Interrogation 4, Intimidation 4, Intrusion 3, Investigation 3, Legerdemain 3, Martial Arts 5, Melee 3, Might 3, Perform (Oration) 4, Rapport 3, Resistance 3, Science 1, Stealth 3, Streetwise 3, Style 2, Subterfuge 2, Survival 1; Backgrounds: Allies 2, Cipher 1, Contacts 3, Influence 2, Node 5, Resources 3; Flaws: Blind; Soak: Bashing 4 dice, Lethal 2 dice (Heals rates are two times normal, Lifespan 150+ years). Parker, May Spider-Girl (May "Mayday" Parker) is a fictional comic book superheroine active in an alternate future of Marvel Comics' shared universe, the Marvel Universe. The character was created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz as a spin-off of the Spider-Man character, and first appeared in What If (Vol. 2) #105 (1998). She later acquired her own ongoing comic book, Spider-Girl, written by DeFalco and drawn by Frenz and Pat Olliffe, which is the longest-running superhero book with a lead female character ever published by Marvel. May "Mayday" Parker is the child of Peter and Mary Jane Parker in a future, alternate universe continuity. In the MC2 continuity, they were reunited with their baby daughter by Kaine, who found the child living with Alison Mongraine, the con artist who had kidnapped the baby on instruction from the Green Goblin. After they were reunited, Peter lost a leg during the horrific final conflict with the Green Goblin. After the battle Peter received a bionic replacement from Mr. Fantastic and, considering it a wake-up call, decided to retire and focus on being a husband and father (the battle is glimpsed in Spider Girl #7, and fully explained in Spider Girl #49). For years, they chose to keep their past from Mayday and hoped that she wouldn't develop powers of her own. Despite her parents' hopes, May began developing versions of her father's Spider-powers when she was 15. At the same time, Normie Osborn (Green Goblin's grandson) set out to restore the family name (as he saw it). Mayday donned Ben Reilly's Spider-Man costume to stop him and soon took to crime fighting, at first hindered, then helped, by her worried parents. May shares traits of both of her parents. Like her mother, she is a good-looking and popular student, and she is intelligent and bright, just as her father was. She also inherited his love for in-fight bantering. In addition, she is a very good athlete and excelled in her girls' basketball team until she quit after her powers emerged. On the other hand, May seems to have inherited the "Parker luck" in which her dual identity wreaks havoc in her private life. In The Amazing Spider-Girl, May has promised to give up costumed superheroics, dates Eugene Thompson, and runs for student council. When Mary Jane becomes aware that the Hobgoblin poses a threat to her daughter's teenaged friends, she allows Mayday to resume her activities as Spider-Girl (a situation they wanted to keep secret from Peter). After a battle with the Hobgoblin, May tells her father the truth, and after a conversation with Mary Jane, they allowed May to resume her Spider-girl identity. After an attempt at helping the S.H.I.E.L.D government agency, a case filled with a piece of the Carnage symbiote was released. It attaches itself to May's friend Moose,who becomes the new Carnage. Carnage causes a stir at May's school and kidnaps Peter and Baby Ben, forcing May to confront her friend. May tries to talk to Moose within the symbiote but fails, and it bonds with her brother Ben. Peter escapes as May battles the two symboites and gathers sonic gear that may be able to defeat the Symbiote. However it is May who uses the weapons, thereby destroying the piece of the Carnage symbiote. May Parker inherited many of the same abilities as her father, Peter Parker. May possesses superhuman strength, can leap several stories high, and can cover the width of a city block. Spider-Girl's reflexes are also heightened to levels well beyond that of an ordinary human. She heals somewhat faster than a normal human, and is more agile than Spider-Man. Spider-Girl can adhere to almost any surface through a bio-magnetic field her body generates, allowing her to scale the sides of a building, just like a spider. Wall-crawling doesn't come as naturally to May as Peter; she has to concentrate to keep herself from slipping off surfaces. In addition to adhering to surfaces, May can also repel herself like an opposing magnet, or she can repulse and adhere another object or person through a shared medium. For example, she can cause a person to stick to a wall they're touching just by touching that same wall and willing them to, or she can just as easily violently push them away. May Parker has inherited a "spider-sense", a clairvoyance that warns her of danger that is somewhat more powerful and reliable than her father's. It tells her the direction a threat is coming from with a high level of accuracy. Through intensive training, she learned to fight blindfolded using only her spider-sense. She can use it to spot weaknesses in an opponent and use them to her advantage. She can also sense mundane threats or 148

observations like her father, but unlike him she can use it to sense deception. By touching her father's clone, Kaine, she experienced a shared precognitive vision, but she does not normally have that ability. May also has mechanical web-shooters based on Ben Reilly's web-shooter design, but longer and narrower. They can fire impact webbing and metal needles called "Stingers" but May rarely uses them, thinking them to be "too brutal". Her mobile phone is modified to attach to one of her web-shooters, and looks like one of its cartridges. She occasionally uses spider-tracers, but as they are tuned to her father's spider-sense and not hers, she needs a receiver to detect them. Spider-Girl once lost her powers due to being electrocuted. However, she borrowed the Green Goblin equipment from Normie Osborn until she regained them. May has also received some martial arts training from the Ladyhawks and Elektra Natchios, as well as being drilled in the use of her powers by her father. Whether Spider-Girl is a mutant has not been established. May was born with her powers an important criterion which usually leads to a character's classification as a "mutant" in the Marvel Universe. However, the term is never used to describe her. Before her birth, a Sentinel robot found her to be "beyond the range of embryonic normalcy", but not specifically a mutant (The Amazing Spider-Man #415). Several of the explanations for her father's powers stated that they were a result of his genome changing. However, if Franklin Richards, the son of Reed Richards and Susan Storm, Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman, is considered a mutant, then Spider-Girl could be considered a mutant. May Parker also existed in the primary Earth-616 timeline in which most Marvel Comics are set. Mary Jane became pregnant at the beginning of the Clone Saga. Impending fatherhood was one of the main reasons Peter retired as Spider-Man during that storyline, passing the mantle to Ben Reilly. However, at the end of the story, Mary Jane was poisoned by Alison Mongraine, an agent of the Green Goblin, and the baby was stillborn (or seemed to be, as Mongraine took the sedated infant away with her). Ben Reilly died at the Green Goblin's hands the same night, and Peter Parker became Spider-Man again. There were hints during the "Spider-Man: Identity Crisis" storyline in The Amazing Spider-Man #434435, one of Tom DeFalco's last storylines on the title, that Baby May would be returned. Instead, the subplot was dropped, and a few issues later DeFalco was replaced by Howard Mackie and John Byrne. Under that team, Aunt May was brought back instead.[1] In a flashback in Spider-Girl #49, an alternative version of this story was presented, with the younger May returned instead of the elder. However, baby May and her parents were never reunited in Marvel's main continuity. Editors repeatedly stated that the baby died, or at the very least would never be seen again; the child was considered a major factor in the aging of the characters. However, no proof of her death was ever shown; it was clearly implied that she was kidnapped; and Alison Mongraine and Kaine were never conclusively shown to have died either. In The Amazing Spider-Man #439 (Defalco's last on the title), the issue takes place 1,000 years (2998 based on the release date of the issue) in the future. Two archaeologists stumble across relics belonging to Spider-Man (such as his webshooters). They speculate on his career, and discuss the other heroes who were inspired by him, such as Spider-Girl, Spider-Man 2099, and Spider-Man 2211. In issue #545, the final chapter in the "One More Day" story-line, Peter and Mary Jane accept a deal from the demon Mephisto to save Aunt May's life in exchange for erasing their marriage from the timeline. The deal prevents May's conception, removing her from the universe whether she died or not. Mephisto shows the couple another daughter, a child who might have been theirs if they had chosen to remain married. In several interviews at Comic Book Resources following the publication of "One More Day," Joe Quesada mentioned that the Spider Girl title would be the ideal place for disgruntled readers to follow the development of an aged, married Peter and MJ as they raise a family. Quesada's comments were followed by a feature article on Spider-Girl with an interview with Tom Defalco, who acknowledged that Quesada was a fan of the character and the title. There are two variant and alternate universe versions of Spider-Girl. One was raised by a Ben Reilly who survived after her father died during her childhood, as seen What If? vol. 2 #86, and later revealed in the Paradise X: Heralds mini-series. Another version of Spider-Girl is actually Venom, who is seen in the Earth X mini-series and its two sequels, Universe X and Paradise X. The world of MC2 is designated as "Earth-982". The world where Spider-Girl was raised by Ben Reilly is known as "Earth-1122" and the world featuring Venom as Spider-Girl along with the other heroes of the Earth X saga is known as "Earth-9997" In Ultimate Spider-Man, Peter's girlfriend Kitty Pryde (Shadowcat) adopts a second costumed identity in order to fight crime at his side. (It is already public knowledge that she and Shadowcat are one and the same; hence, she cannot work with him as Shadowcat). She wears the costume in issue #91, and Peter jokingly suggests "Spider-Girl" as her crime-fighting name.[2] The Ultimate universe's real Spider-heroine is introduced in Ultimate Spider-Man #98; in issue #102 she is revealed to be a clone of Peter Parker whose chromosomes have been manipulated to make her female. She resembles Peter, retains his memories, and appears to be the same age. Cassandra Webb was preparing to erase her memories in order to replace them with a new identity as "Jessica Drew", but the clone managed to escape before the process could be carried out. This character is an analogue to the mainstream Marvel universe's Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew). An older, more cynical alternate version of May Parker/Spider-Girl appears in the Spider-Man/X-Men team-up novel Time's Arrow 3: The Future by Tom DeFalco and Rosemary Edghill (ISBN 0-425-16500-0). In that novel, Spider-Man travels to the alternate future known for its Iron Man 2020 (Arno Stark). This universe's 149

Earth is designated Earth-8410. In this reality, Spider-Girl wears a costume almost identical to the one worn by Jessica Drew, except the colors have been modified to look like Spider-Man's costume. She also has the ability to fire venom blasts as well as webs. In an alternate timeline, the child of Mary Jane and Peter Parker grew to become "Mayday" Parker - a vivacious teenager with a talent for basketball. Her athletic prowess and bubbly personality made her a popular student with a hectic social life. May was unaware of her father's heroic past until her own latent powers revealed themselves at a crucial point in a ballgame. Walking home afterwards, she was menaced by the Green Goblin - Norman Osborn, Jr. - who hungered for revenge on Peter Parker for the long-past battle that killed Norman's grandfather and crippled Spider-Man. Instead, it was Spider-Girl who faced the new Green Goblin, and twin legacies were born anew. Peter and Mary Jane Parker initially forbade May from adopting her new role, but they soon realized that their protests were in vain, and Peter chose to help teach his daughter the skills she would need to survive. As Spider-Girl, May encountered many new villains and allies in her war against crime. Most importantly, she convinced Norman Jr. to abandon his pointless feud, and they co-founded a loosely banded super-team of "New Warriors." In a battle with the super-villain Killerwatt, who controlled electricity, Spider-Girl was severely shocked. This apparently caused her to lose her powers, until, in a battle with the new Spider-Man, she fell into a generator, where she was, again, shocked severely. Her powers returned, along with a few new powers. Spider-Girl was faced with other specters from her father's past, including the near-invincible Black Tarantula. The Tarantula arrived from South America to select May Parker as the perfect young woman to continue his bloodline. Creating "Team Spider" to supposedly assist May in her war on evil, he began a twisted mind-game to win May's heart, all the while seeking to strengthen his grip on New York's criminal infrastructure. May has also fought versions of classic Spider-Man villains. She once fought the Savage Six, and has also fought Aftershock (Electro's daughter). She recently teamed up with Felicity Hardy, who has taken on the role of the Scarlet Spider. She also occasionally faces old villains from Spider-Man's past. She has faced Kaine, Venom, the Kingpin, the Hobgoblin, and Doctor Octopus, to name a few. Recently, May experienced some of Kaine's power and they both saw a vision of her being stabbed to death in her red and blue costume. She started wearing her black costume to try to trick fate, but she was nevertheless stabbed by a Scrier in a battle. Near death, Normie gave her his symbiote (as a farewell gift, the symbiote healed Normie's scars and tattoos) and the symbiote healed May. In order to save May from the Hobgoblin, the symbiote (who turned out to be a she) drove the Hobgoblin away, but in the process was killed by his sonic emitter. Hobgoblin later escaped. Whether facing old Spider-Man villains, newer versions of classic bad-guys, or completely new villains, Spider-Girl will always uphold her father's motto: With great power, there must always come great responsibility. Spider-Girl possesses super-human strength (lift/press 5 tons), speed, and endurance. She can cling to surfaces and objects, and when clinging to an object, can make others unwillingly stick to that same object. She can forcefully repel objects, effectively using them as missiles. She possesses a "spider-sense" which warns her of impending danger. Spider-Girl has inherited her father's web-shooters, spider-signal, and spider-tracers. She has also adopted the Scarlet Spider's impact webbing. Universe: MC2 (Earth-982); Real Name: May "Mayday" Parker; Aliases: Web-Stunner, Mayday, May "Mayday" Porker, Hotshot; Identity: Secret; Occupation: Student; Citizenship: U.S.A. (alternate future); Place of Birth: Manhattan, New York; Known Relatives: Peter Parker (Spider-Man, father), Mary Jane Watson-Parker (mother), Benjamin Parker (baby brother), Mary and Richard Parker (grandparents, deceased), Phillip Watson (grandfather), Madeline Watson (grandmother, deceased), Gayle Watson-Byrnes (aunt), Tim Byrnes (uncle), Tommy and Kevin Byrnes (cousins), Anna Watson (great-aunt), Lou & Lorraine Watson (cousins), Kristy Watson (cousin); Ben Parker (great uncle), May Parker (great aunt), "Uncle" Ben (clone of father, deceased), Kaine (clone of father), Reilly Tyne (Darkdevil, cousin by clone); Group Affiliation: Avengers (MC2); formerly New Warriors, Team Spider; Education: Attending high school.; Height: 5'7"; Weight: 119 lbs; Eyes: Blue; Hair: Brown Quantum 6; Quantum Pool 35 (Regenerate every 10 minutes); Willpower 7; Taint 3; Strength 4 (2, Lifter, Quantum Leap), Dexterity 5 (3, Enhanced Movement, Perfect Balance, Physical Prodigy, Rapid Strike), Stamina 4 (3, Durability, Irresistible Object), Manipulation 3, Charisma 3, Appearance 3, Perception 4 (2, Blindfighting, Fast Sense, That Creepy Feeling, Ultraperipheral Perception), Intelligence 3 (1, Analyze Weakness), Wits 3 (2, Enhanced Initiative, Lie Detector, Quickness x2); Abilities: Academics 2, Arts 1, Athletics (Dodge) 4, Awareness (Intuition) 4, Brawl 3, Computer 1, Endurance 4, Etiquette 2, Firearms 2, Intrusion 2, Investigation 2, Legerdemain 3, Martial Arts 3, Melee 2, Might 3, Perform 1, Rapport 3, Resistance 4, Science 1, Stealth 3, Streetwise 1, Style 3; Backgrounds: Allies 1, Contacts 4, Mentor 4, Node 3, Resources 1; Quantum Powers: Body Modification (Adhesive Grip, Web Tendrils 100 long), Immobilize (Web) 5, Intuition 5, Quantum Bolt (Web Balls, Bashing) 3, Telekinesis (Requires touch or touching same object) 5; Soak: Bashing 7 dice, Lethal 4 dice (Heals rates are five times normal, ignore three points of damage penalty, one extra Bruised health level, Lifespan 180+ years).

150

Parker, Peter Orphaned as a baby when his parents were killed overseas in a plane crash as U.S. government spies, only child Peter Parker was raised by his elderly Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Academically gifted, Peter displayed an uncanny affinity for science that was nothing short of genius. Socially, however, he was painfully shy and the target of much cruelty by his peers at Midtown High School. Attending a public science exhibit when Peter was 15-years old, he was bitten on the hand by a radioactive spider accidentally irradiated by a particle beam, empowering Peter with the arachnid's proportional strength and agility, and the ability to cling to almost any surface. Most incredibly, he had gained a sixth sense that provided him with early warning of impending danger. Disguised, Peter tested his new-found abilities defeating professional wrestler Crusher Hogan in the ring, and earning some cash. Using his scientific prowess, he constructed a pair of artificial web-shooters that attached to his wrists. With an agent, a costume, and a new name, Spider-Man became an overnight sensation on television. Unconcerned with the rest of the world, he vowed to use his powers only to take care of himself and his aunt and uncle. After his first TV special ended, he allowed a burglar that he could have easily restrained to run past him and escape. A few days later, Peter returned home to find his beloved Uncle Ben had been shot and killed. When Spider-Man confronted the killer hiding in the old Acme Warehouse at the waterfront, he discovered to his horror that his uncle's murderer was the burglar he apathetically allowed to pass. Consumed with guilt, he became aware at last that with great power comes great responsibility, just as his beloved uncle had once said. To help his Aunt May with finances, Peter took a freelance job at the Daily Bugle selling pictures of himself as Spider-Man to publisher J. Jonah Jameson. Despite Spider-Man rescuing his son, astronaut John Jameson, from a malfunctioning space capsule, Jonah used his newspaper to publicly condemn Spider-Man as a menace. Unlike heroes like the Fantastic Four or the Avengers, Spider-Man was mistrusted and feared by the public. At school, his popularity was no greater, as "Puny Parker" frequently clashed with bully Flash Thompson and his followers. Flash's girlfriend, Liz Allan, often complicated matters, harboring a crush on "Petey" and making Flash jealous. Spider-Man soon found himself facing a rogue's gallery of powerful thieves, gangsters, and megalomaniacs including the Chameleon, the Tinkerer, the Vulture (Adrian Toomes), Doctor Octopus (Otto Octavius), the Sandman, Doctor Doom, and Electro. In Florida, he befriended Dr. Curtis Connors after administering an antidote to reverse his transformation into the terrible Lizard. Though he had many enemies, he also shared adventures with the Fantastic Four (including rival the Human Torch), the Avengers, the X-Men and Daredevil. At the Daily Bugle, he discovered a friend and his first love, Jameson's secretary, Betty Brant. Even more villains clashed with Spider-Man including the Green Goblin, the Big Man and the Enforcers, Mysterio (Quentin Beck), and Kraven the Hunter. Dating Betty became awkward after her brother, Bennett, was murdered in a clash between Doctor Octopus and Spider-Man. Betty at first held Spider-Man responsible. Though she later recanted, the thought of Spider-Man reminded her of losing her brother. At home, Aunt May suffered a heart attack, causing Spider-Man to abandon a fight with the Green Goblin. For a while after, the public viewed Spider-Man as a coward, before he made a comeback. May's fragile health and poor finances, however, remain a lingering concern. Frustrated by their defeats at the hand of Spider-Man, six of his top villains gathered forces under Doctor Octopus to form the Sinister Six. Through wits and determination, SpiderMan defeated the group one at a time. Peter Parkers confidence gradually increased. At the same time, his relationship with Betty crumbled as handsome reporter Ned Leeds stole her heart. Jameson took his campaign against Spider-Man to a new level, sponsoring the creation of the deranged Scorpion, under Dr. Farley Stillwell. Though the Scorpion turned on Jameson, the publisher persisted with attacks against Spider-Man, and rented the first of a series of robotic Spider Slayers invented by Dr. Spencer Smythe. Spider-Man was able to use his technical know-how to defeat the Slayer. While Aunt May persisted with attempts to introduce Peter to Mary Jane Watson, the niece of neighbor Anna Watson, Spider-Man tackled organized crime led by the Crime Master and the Green Goblin. Tired of the Bugle's harassment, Peter tried selling pictures for the Daily Globe but gave up when the Globe's editor proved too nosy. After capturing a new foe, the Molten Man, Peter Parker graduated high school and earned a science scholarship to Empire State University (ESU) for achieving the highest scholastic average in Midtown High's history. College brought a fresh start with new peers including the wealthy Harry Osborn, son of industrialist Norman Osborn, and beauty queen of Standard High, Gwen Stacy; Flash Thompson followed Peter to ESU on an athletic scholarship. Consumed with worry about his aunt's hospitalization, Peter was misunderstood as an unfriendly snob by Harry and Gwen. Because a previous transfusion of his radioactive blood to Aunt May was slowly killing her, Spider-Man enlisted aid from Dr. Connors. The antidote that had been called in to cure Aunt May was stolen, and Spider-Man fought like a madman to retain it. Before Spider-Man could deliver the antidote, ISO-36, he was trapped under rubble in a battle with the "Master Planner (revealed to be Doctor Octopus). Spider-Man courageously forced his way out to administer the elixir to Aunt May. While Aunt May convalesced, Peter relaxed and befriended Harry and Gwen. Soon after, the Green Goblin negated Spider-Man's spider-sense, and kidnapped him. There, the Goblin revealed himself to be Harry's father, Norman. The two battled, but Spider-Man triumphed knocking the Goblin into live wires and chemicals. Norman was left with partial amnesia, blocking his memories of being Goblin and of Spider-Man's identity. 151

The Avengers invited Spider-Man to join their ranks, but after facing the Hulk, he declined the offer, preferring the freedom of working alone. Meanwhile, Peter could no longer evade meeting Mary Jane. Assuming the worst, Peter was stunned to discover she was both gorgeous and vivacious. Their first date involved riding into the city on Pete's new motorcycle take pictures of the Rhino. After another battle with the Lizard and new foe, the Shocker, Peter moved into Harry's apartment, rent free. Despite his new found independence, happiness eluded him. Worn out by Jameson's editorials, the public's fear of him, Aunt May's fragile health, slipping grades, and floundering love life, Peter decided to become Spider-Man no more. While Peter enjoyed time studying, and being with friends and family, crime escalated as the Kingpin's initiated his master plan to oversee the criminal underworld. After Peter rescued a watchman resembling Uncle Ben from two robbers, he renewed his vow to never let an innocent come to harm because he failed to act. Subsequently, Spider-Man battled the Kingpin, Doctor Octopus (who became Aunt May's boarder), a new Vulture, a new Spider Slayer, and Mysterio. He and the Human Torch went to Hollywood where they tackled Mysterio and the Wizard. Though Peter dated MJ on occasion, he soon fell for the more serious-minded Gwen, causing tension between Harry and himself. Peter met Gwen's father, retired police Captain George Stacy, who studied SpiderMan, and questioned Peter about his first-hand experience. The Kingpin brainwashed Capt. Stacy (using Norman Osborn's equipment) into stealing police records. After Peter published pictures exposing Stacy, the Kingpin kidnapped George and Gwen. Spider-Man and Osborn rescued the two, but the Kingpin escaped. The Kingpin next focused on stealing a legendary stone tablet but Spider-Man retrieved it, and left it with Capt. Stacy. The Shocker stole it back, and Dr. Connors was forced by Man Mountain Marko to translate it for an aged gangster, Silvermane. Connors revealed a formula for a youth potion. Silvermane drank the liquid, and became a young man again. Tragically, he could not stop the de-aging process, and shrank so small, he ultimately disappeared. Meanwhile, the stress on Dr. Connors triggered a transformation again. After a fierce melee across the city, with unwelcome help from the Human Torch, Spider-Man rescued Connors. Though Peter's frequent unexplained disappearances as Spider-Man have caused friction with Gwen, their love for each other gave Peter hope for a happy future together. As the bond between Peter and Gwen grew ever stronger, it was approvingly observed by Gwen's father, Police Captain George Stacy, who also supported the efforts of Spider-Man. But tragedy struck when Captain Stacy was crushed by a falling chimney, saving an innocent child during a battle between Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus. With his dying breath, Captain Stacy told Spider-Man, "take care of Gwen, Peter". Spider-Man had lost a great ally. Gwen blamed Spider-Man for her father's death. Peter's conscience, already tormented by the ever present need to lie to Gwen, became even more troubled. Yet their love prevailed through life's challenges including Harry's drug addiction, and Spider-Man's aborted attempt to remove his own powers, that instead resulted in him being transformed into a six armed freak. In the end, it was death which separated the two lovers. The Green Goblin kidnapped Gwen, and dropped her off the Brooklyn Bridge. Spider-Man tried, but failed to save her. In the vicious battle which followed, Norman was accidentally impaled by his own Goblin Glider. His apparent death was secretly observed by his son, Harry, who swore his own revenge on Spider-Man. Harry soon succumbed to the Osborn Legacy, kidnapping those whom Peter loved most, only barely being stopped from finishing the work that Norman Osborn had started. Meanwhile Peter and Gwen's college Professor, Miles Warren, had begun his own deadly schemes as the Jackal. Miles blamed Spider-Man for the death of Gwen, whom he had himself fallen in love with. The climax of the Jackal's plan was his creation of a Spider-Man clone, but at the conclusion of the final battle, both the Jackal and the clone were killed. With their departure, Peter's life returned to normality, as much as it ever could for a college student who was secretly a costumed super-hero. In the meantime, Peter and Mary Jane realized that their relationship had become far more than just friendship. So much so that, shortly before his college graduation, Peter proposed to Mary Jane. But she had seen too much pain in her own family, and she turned him down. She left New York to pursue her modeling career in Florida, and Peter Parker moved on to post-graduate studies. It was a time for new challenges, and new friends. But one thing would never change; the ever-present responsibility he faced as Spider-Man. Entering his post-graduate studies, Peter's close college friends began to find their own lives. Liz Allan was dating (later to marry) a recovering Harry Osborn. Flash Thompson was looking for a life after football and the army, with his girlfriend Sha Shan. Betty Brant had married Bugle reporter Ned Leeds. Even Peter's Aunt May had found romance with Nathan Lubensky, fellow occupant of the convalescent home she had moved into. With his friends all in cozy couples, Mary Jane's departure was all the more unsettling. But it was not long before Peter began dating again. He enjoyed several dates with Cissy Ironwood. Also, departmental secretary Deborah Whitman was attracted to Peter, but failed to win his heart. Dawn Starr, undergraduate student, pretended to date Peter though actually wanting to sneak a look at an upcoming exam. Amy Powell tried to use Peter to make her fianc Lance Bannon jealous. These women had one thing in common - Peter Parker. But when Felicia Hardy, crossed Spider-Man's path, things were different. Felicia was beautiful, talented, and determined. She was also an unrepentant burglar who had a romantic fascination with her web-slinging hero. Spider-Man persuaded Felicia to turn away from crime, and the two of them became lovers - and crime-fighting partners. Felicia urged Peter to spend more and more time in costume. The glamorous Black Cat could never bear to see her super-hero living the squalid life of post-grad student. Becoming Spider-Man was made easier since Aunt May had recovered enough to return home and open the Parker residence as a boarding home for retired people, aided by Nathan. Aided by the Black Cat, 152

Spider-Man faced Doc Ock and the Owl - a battle which nearly cost Felicia her life. Peter was brought crashing down to earth. He realized that without super-powers, Felicia was just like the others from his past, who had so often paid the price for Peter being Spider-Man. When Mary Jane returned from Florida she found Peter and the Black Cat in a shaky and tempestuous relationship. Felicia could not bear the thought of Peter not allowing her to accompany him into battle, and she embarked on a secret search for super-powers at any price. Tricked by the Kingpin, and twisted in her own deceit, the Black Cat and Spider-Man finally parted ways. In contrast, Mary Jane was determined not to let lies come between her and Peter Parker. She finally told Peter that she had known for some time about his secret identity. With Spider-Man's secret finally out in the open, Peter and Mary Jane's relationship found new depth. Peter Makes a New Friend from Outer Space Certainly there always was plenty of action for Spider-Man in New York, especially with the appearance of the deadly Hobgoblin, and Peter's troubles with his symbiotic black costume he obtained after being whisked away to the Secret Wars, a battle on a far away world between the Earth's greatest heroes and villains orchestrated by the enigmatic Beyonder. His costume shredded, Spider-Man thought he obtained a new black and white costume (similar in design to the new Spider-Woman) from a costume making machine. After returning home to Earth, Peter discovered his costume was actually a living entity, feeding off his adrenalin as it possessed his body while he slept. Thanks to Mister Fantastic, the costume was removed by sonic blasts, and captured. It escaped, still emotionally dependant on Spider-Man and reattached itself. Spider-Man forced it off by the loud noise atop the bell-tower of a church (where the alien costume would later attach itself to Eddie Brock forming Venom). Wedding Bells for the Webhead As Spider-Man, Peter faced the death of his good friend Police Captain Jean DeWolff at the hands of the Sin-Eater. He watched Flash Thompson be taken for a criminal, and Ned Leeds killed, both for their involvement with the Hobgoblin. But things were different now - he had Mary Jane by his side. Peter proposed for a second time, and was accepted. As newlyweds, Peter and Mary Jane shared happiness, but faced many perils also. Mary Jane was menaced by both Kraven the Hunter, and by Venom, both of whom knew Peter's identity. Mary Jane loved Peter, and had deep respect for his sense of responsibility. But she was unprepared for the loneliness, the fear for his life, and the nagging doubt that perhaps Peter needed Spider-Man far more than he needed her. During this time, Spider-Man gained the cosmic powers of Captain Universe making him virtually indestructible, able to fly, shoot cosmic energy blasts, and possess unimaginable strength. This temporary augmentation allowed Spider-Man to defend himself against a new assortment of foes (including Graviton, Magneto, Titania, and Dragon Man), as villains attempted to aid each other by targeting each others' enemies. At the opposite extreme, Spider-Man temporarily lost all of his powers under the trickery of the Chameleon, but was aided by the Black Cat in restoring his abilities. Spider-Man, along with the Hulk, Ghost Rider, and Wolverine briefly formed an unofficial ad-hoc Fantastic Four team, while the real Fantastic Four were captured by Skrulls. The group quickly disbanded. Amongst the daily battles with New York's villains, and the challenges of keeping his marriage alive, Peter soon faced the inexplicable return of his parents, Mary and Richard Parker. Long since believed dead, they claimed to have lost their memory of the intervening years. Aunt May was not ready to accept them, but Peter finally believed them to be what they claimed to be, even showing them his identity as Spider-Man. But Peter's heart had over-ridden his instincts. The pair were eventually revealed as robot agents of the Chameleon, part of a plan prompted by Harry Osborn, recently returned as the Green Goblin. Spider-Man was filled with anger at this deeply personal attack. It seemed to him that those he loved were fated to die, while the evil in his life would always return to haunt him. A darkness began to fill Spider-Man's heart, like never before. Still brooding over the Chameleon's invasion of his life, and Harry's death after a twisted attack on both the Osborn and Parker families, Peter was then faced with Aunt May's serious heart attack. May hospitalized, and not expected to recover. Peter's frustration at life's injustices boiled over into violence. Encountering the recently reformed and powerless Scorpion, Spider-Man cruelly beat his former foe close to death - ignoring his victim's pleas for mercy. Calling himself "the Spider", it seemed that Peter was even beyond Mary Jane's powers to heal him. In the end, his salvation came at the hands of Judas Traveller, a psychologist with most unusual methods. Peter's recovery from his dark madness coincided with the return of a figure from Peter's distant past - his clone, created by the Jackal. The clone had survived, and had wandered the U.S. using the adopted name "Ben Reilly". Learning that Aunt May was very ill, the clone returned to New York, just in time to see her pass away. He adopted a costumed identity as the "Scarlet Spider", and portrayed himself as Peter's long-lost cousin. Peter and Ben became friends, even almost brothers. The Jackal himself had also survived. Deceived at the hands of Norman Osborn, the Jackal declared that in fact Ben was the original, and Peter the clone. Though Peter took the revelation badly, Ben subsequently took over the role of Spider-Man, leaving Peter and pregnant Mary Jane free to enjoy a "normal" life. Peter returned to his scientific career, though hampered by having never completed his doctorate. He and MJ also tried moving to Portland, until they realized that New York was where they truly belonged. But all too soon, their new world was shattered when Norman Osborn burst back into their lives. He also had survived his apparent death, and was the mastermind behind all of the Jackal's schemes. Norman killed Ben, revealing him to be the clone after all. But Norman's schemes went even deeper and deadlier than ever he apparently caused Mary Jane to miscarry the baby and held Peter's Aunt May hostage. The woman believed 153

to have been Aunt May that had died was a genetically modified actress, part of a subtle plot which was never carried to fruition. Reunited at last, Peter, Mary Jane, and Aunt May moved into a luxurious apartment. With the Green Goblin defeated in battle, driven more deeply insane by a mystical ceremony, Peter promise Mary Jane that he would give up being Spider-Man and concentrate on their family. He took a job at Tri Corp Research while Mary Jane returned to modeling. But after various emergencies and the appearance of a new Spider-Man (actually Mattie Franklin), Peter could not seem to keep his word. While Mary Jane was being increasingly threatened by an anonymous stalker, Peter was secretly breaking his promise and returning to web-slinging. Mary Jane, preoccupied with modeling, was distraught feeling a space grow between her and Peter. After catching Peter still active as Spider-Man, MJ vanished when a plane she had boarded exploded. Peter was devastated. Aunt May returned to her home in Forest Hills, while Peter returned to his bachelor lifestyle moving in with Randy Robertson. He socialized with Randy, Glory Grant (now a couple), and Gwen's cousin Jill Stacy while his attractive neighbor, Caryn intrigued him. But with Peter still emotionally adrift, Norman picked the perfect time to drug Peter and incite him to becoming his heir. But even lost and confused as he was, Peter proved that his could resist Osborn's brainwashing attempt. Meanwhile, Mary Jane was not dead, but had been kidnapped by her stalker. Spider-Man managed to rescue Mary Jane, only to discover that she needed time away from him. Mary Jane left for the West Coast, leaving Peter to struggle with a loss almost as traumatic as her apparent death. While Peter turned to his Aunt May for support, May discovered Peter's greatest secret, visiting unannounced, and finding him asleep in costume after his grueling victory against Morlun. After coming to terms with the truth, May quickly became Spider-Man's strongest supporter, and the two became closer than ever. At May's suggestion, Peter returned to Midtown High, now more rundown that Peter remembered it, to teach science part-time. With renewed hopes, Peter and Mary Jane agreed to try once to make things work between them. After their time apart, Peter earnestly assured Mary Jane that he truly needs her in his life. The mysterious Ezekiel, who shared similar spider-like abilities, made Peter question the source of his powers, implying a mystical reason the spider chose to bite him. Ezekiel had stolen his powers through an arcane ceremony and needed to sacrifice Spider-Man to keep them. When his ritual joined their minds, however, Ezekiel realized Spider-Man was the worthy hero and sacrificed himself. Back home, Spider-Man fought the two adult children of his ex-love, Gwen Stacy. Years before, Gwen had an affair with Norman Osborn, subsequently became pregnant and rapidly gave birth to twins, Gabriel and Sarah. After his own apparent 'death,' Osborn raised the pair, who were aging rapidly due to their genetic inheritance of the Goblin formula. Osborn told them that Peter was their father and had killed their mother but Spider-Man eventually made them face the truth. Osborn also revealed Spider-Man's identity to the Scorpion, and had him kidnap Aunt May. Osborn had been publicly revealed as the Green Goblin and jailed after murdering journalist Terri Kidder. He knew big businesses had been conspiring for decades to create super-villains and, as a potential whistle-blower, was an easy target in prison. Osborn wanted Peter to break him out in return for May's freedom, but when Peter did, a battle erupted with the Sinister Twelve, including Gargan himself - now the new Venom after bonding with the alien symbiote. Spider-Man, with the help of other super-heroes, was able to defeat the Sinister Twelve and save his Aunt May. Around this time, Spider-Man met the Queen who had powers allowing her to control the world's insects, eventually causing Spider-Man to mutate into a giant spider. She planned to detonate a bomb that would kill everyone except those with the "insect" gene but Peter returned to his human form and stopped her, augmented with enhanced powers including silk glands within his forearms. After a breakout at the Raft Security Prison, Spider-Man joined the Avengers (newly formed in the aftermath of the Scarlet Witch's attack on her own team). An old classmate of Peter's named Charlie Weiderman went on an insane rampage after his experiments covered him in Vibranium, and burned down the Parker's home in Forest Hills. Peter moved into Tony Stark's tower with Aunt May and Mary Jane. For this and various other reasons, Spider-Man's secret identity was shared with many of the world's heroes including the Avengers and the Fantastic Four, providing him with an venue to communicate among his peers. Morlun returned again, viciously beating Spider-Man, removing an eye, and hospitalizing him. Mary Jane tried to stop Morlun from finishing off her husband. But when Morlun threatened to kill her, Spider-Man gave the last of his energy to protect her. With stingers that burst from his wrists, Spider-Man slayed Morlun. Spider-Man then apparently died; however, a new Peter Parker emerged from the old corpse, now more fully embracing his "other" self - his spider personae. Retaining his stingers, he discovered other new abilities including night vision, greater control of his skin adhesive properties, and enhanced sensory perceptions, such as being able to sense the vibrations traveling through his webline. Tony Stark looking at Peter as his protg, gave Spider-Man a new technologically advanced costume with a red and gold color scheme as a gift. Choosing Sides, Unmasking, and Switching Teams In the aftermath of a tragedy in Stamford, Connecticut, in which a band of televised heroes were unable to prevent the villain Nitro from killing an entire elementary school full of children and parts of the surrounding community, the U.S. government propelled forward the Superhuman Registration Act requiring the superhero community to register themselves as living weapons of mass destruction, and reveal their identities to the government. The act was supported by Tony Stark, who became the leader of the Pro-Registration side. The superheroic community was split between registering or refusing and becoming an outlaw. Leading the 154

opposition to the act was Captain America, in defense of heroes' right to privacy. To support Iron Man, and perhaps obtain the ever-elusive respect from the public by compliance with the Act, Spider-Man made the difficult decision (with support from May and Mary Jane) to reveal his identity to the world during a press conference. As Spider-Man now faces the danger of public exposure to his family and loved ones, and the prospect of having to capture his renegade friends in what has become an all-out Civil War in the superpowered community, Peter regretted his decision. After witnessing a prison in the Negative Zone for super humans who refused to register, Parker fled Avengers Tower with his family, clashing with Iron Man during his exit. He aided Captain America and the forces opposing registration, culminating in a major battle during the jailbreak of the heroes imprisoned in the Negative Zone, Captain America's surrender, and the end of the Civil War. Spider-Man has remained a member of the unsanctioned Avengers team in the aftermath. Since Spider-Man's identity is now public knowledge, the Kingpin arranged a sniper to slay the Parker family. Though Mary Jane was spared, Parker was unable to prevent his aunt from getting shot. May was left in a coma on the verge of death. The anguish of yet another loved one injured because of his life as Spider-Man embittered the hero. He resumed wearing his black cloth costume, reflective of the dark times while his Aunt May was precariously close to death. Spider-Man confronted the Kingpin in Ryker's Island prison, and, while unmasked, beat him within an inch of his life, vowing to come back and kill him if Aunt May died. Real Name: Peter Benjamin Parker; Aliases: Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, the Amazing SpiderMan, the Sensational Spider-Man, the Spectacular Spider-Man, "Tiger," Spidey, Webhead, Webslinger, Wallcrawler, Little Man; formerly Bag-Man, Captain Universe, Spider-Hulk, Spider-Phoenix, "Bookworm," "Puny Parker," Scarlet Spider, Man-Spider, Hornet, Dusk, Ricochet, Prodigy; Identity: Publicly known; Occupation: Assistant high school coach; former freelance photographer, science teacher, scientific researcher; Citizenship: U.S.A.; Place of Birth: New York City, New York; Known Relatives: Richard Parker (father, deceased), Mary Parker (mother, deceased), Benjamin Parker (uncle, deceased), May Parker (aunt), Will Fitzpatrick (grandfather), Mary Jane Watson-Parker (wife), May Parker (daughter, deceased), Benjamin Reilly (Scarlet Spider, clone, deceased), Kaine (clone), other clones (deceased); Group Affiliation: Avengers, formerly the Secret Defenders, "New Fantastic Four", the Outlaws; Education: College graduate (biophysics major), doctorate studies in biochemistry (incomplete); Height: 5'10"; Weight: 167 lbs.; Eyes: Hazel; Hair: Brown Quantum 5; Quantum Pool 75 (Regenerate every 15 minutes); Willpower 10; Taint 4 (Hormonal Imbalance: Rage); Strength 5 (3, Lifter, Precision), Dexterity 5 (3, Enhanced Movement, Flexibility, Physical Prodigy, Perfect Balance), Stamina 4 (4, Durability), Appearance 3, Manipulation 3, Charisma 4, Perception 5 (2, Blind Fighting, Electromagnetic Vision*, Fast Sense, Hyperenhanced Hearing, Quantum Attunement, Ultraperipheral Perception), Intelligence 4, Wits 5 (1, Quickness x2); Skills: Academics 4, Arts 3, Athletics (Dodge) 5, Awareness 5, Computer 3, Endurance 4, Engineering 4, Investigation 3, Legerdemain 2, Martial Arts 5, Medicine 2, Melee 2, Might 3, Occult 2, Rapport 1, Resistance 4, Science 4, Stealth 3, Streetwise 3, Weave 5; Backgrounds: Allies 3, Cipher 2, Contacts 5, Eufiber (Vampiric Symbiote) 5, Influence 2, Node 4, Resources 3; Quantum Powers: Animal Mastery (Arthropods Only) 1, Body Modification (Adhesive Grip, Web Tendrils 150y long), Claws (Wrist Stingers) 2*, Fangs (Claws) 5*, Immobilize (Web) 5, Intuition 5, Poison (Wrist Stingers, Bashing) 5, Telepathy (Insect Gene People Only) 5; Merits: Ambidextrous; Flaws: Vengeful, Vulnerability (ethyl chloride); Soak: Bashing 8 dice, Lethal 4 dice (Heals rates are six times normal, ignore four points of damage penalty, two extra Bruised health levels, Lifespan 200+ years). * Currently only available if the Hormonal Imbalance: Rage is engaged. The less-human side of Peter comes out when these powers activate and his eyes glow red. Spider-tracers: Spider-Man uses small electronic "spider-tracers" of his own design that allow him to track objects or individuals. These little devices are attuned to his spider-sense frequency, so that Spider-Man will be able to know whether or not he is in the proximity of the tracer (using Perception + Intuition). Typically, Spider-Man plants one on a departing enemy, or throws one to adhere to an escaping enemy, then follows the target to their hideout for later attack. Spider-Man sometimes also uses a launching device in his web-shooters for better range and accuracy. A tracer's outer casing is shaped like a spider, with legs for aerodynamic flight. The tracers are small enough to remain unnoticed, in general, but sometimes a target finds a tracer and destroys it. In early stories, Spider-Man uses a small electronic receiver to follow the signals of his tracers, but eventually he modifies the tracers to emit a signal he can follow with his spider-sense. According to what he once said to Hank Pym (who noted that Peter may actually be smarter than him if he was able to design this at fifteen when Pym spent years developing similar technology for his helmet), he is able to sense the tracer within a 100-yard radius. The receiver, however, offers better range. Spider-Man is unable to sense a tracer that had been taken out of Manhattan at one point. The receiver, however, allows him to follow it to the town of Scarsdale, New York, some 20 miles away. It is not yet established if the changes to his spider-sense documented in "The Other" storyline have affected Spider-Man's ability to sense the tracers. In several stories, enemies use the tracers to lure him into a trap. Enemies with sufficient technical knowledge can reprogram the tracers into overloading his spider-sense, making it hard for him to tell the difference between real danger and the tracer. Or they just attune it to his sixth sense and they can simply put to a target of their own, just like Tracer did in "The Other". His clone Ben Reilly can also pick up the signal from Peter's tracers. Ben also developed a modified version of the original tracer into a simpler 'Micro-Dot' form. Like Peter's, these devices can be fired from Ben's web-shooters and can adhere to most surfaces. They fly like 155

miniature Frisbees. Following her rescue from an obsessed kidnapper, Mary Jane Watson wears an amplified version of a spider-tracer in a necklace pendant. It carries a boosted signal so Spider-Man can follow it over a longer distance. Pendergast, Aloysius X. L. Dr. Aloysius X. L. Pendergast is a fictional character appearing in novels by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. In the novels, Pendergast is a special agent with the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He is a favorite among fans for his unique personality, appreciation of culture and his almost supernatural competence. He works out of the New Orleans, Louisiana branch of the FBI, but frequently travels out of state to investigate cases which interest him, namely those appearing to be the work of serial killers. Born to a wealthy Southern family of French and Creole descent circa 1960 and raised in New Orleans, Pendergast retains his gentlemanly Southern manners and mellifluous Southern accent. He studied Anthropology at Harvard University (graduating summa cum laude) and received a dual Ph.D. in Classics and Philosophy from the University of Oxford (Although Oxford actually awards the D.Phil. degree, not the Ph.D.). As mentioned in Relic, Pendergast served with the U.S. Special Forces. At some point during his lifetime, Pendergast married, but has indicated that he is now widowed. Very little is known about his late wife, other than that she was a skilled big game hunter and may have died only a few years before the events of Relic. Pendergast is a withdrawn man, but can be remarkably polite, charming or dangerous when need be. Well-learned in many subjects, he converses easily with doctors, scientists and intellectuals. He is a master of manipulation, both of people and of his own mind when difficult circumstances demand a fresh view of the situation. Pendergast's build is described as tall and thin, and he boasts a strong torso with lean muscle. His fingers are long and tapered. Pendergast has very light blue or grey eyes, a pale complexion, and light blond hair that appears almost white. Pendergast typically dresses in a black, hand-tailored, designer suit regardless of weather conditions, and is often described as looking like a well-dressed undertaker. Observers note that he moves with a "wraith-like" grace. In many cases, Pendergast's normal appearance is irrelevant. A master of disguises, he has fooled even close acquaintances on several occasions. Pendergast owns and drives a 1959 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith. His personal sidearm is usually a .45 caliber pistol that is expensive, customized, or both. In Still Life with Crows, it is a Les Baer .45 caliber government model. An internally-renovated Beaux Arts mansion on 891 Riverside Drive in New York City, near Harlem, and inherited from a deceased relative in The Cabinet of Curiosities, serves as his personal residence. Pendergast also has an apartment at the Dakota. Normally kept hidden from view, Pendergast wears a chain with a pendant that depicts a lidless eye over two moons, one new and one full, and a phoenix. The Pendergast family crest consists of the same eye and moons, but a lion instead. Pendergast carries a variety of hidden tools, such as lock picks, flashlights of various sizes, test tubes, syringes, and forensic chemicals. Pendergast appreciates the finer things in life, including expensive cuisine and wines. He has a stock of 1990 Petrus, and another one of his favorite drinks is green tea, in particular Oolong or Black Dragon tea, and he has specific ways to prepare it. He is known to enjoy steak tartare. He also has a passion for Bonsai trees. He enjoys classical music but detests opera. Perhaps because of his background in special operations, Pendergast has displayed sufficient ability in unarmed combat (see Brimstone) to kill a prison inmate with his bare hands (see The Book of the Dead). Pendergast is a student of many languages. He is fluent in Italian, Latin, Greek, Chinese (some Mandarin, fluent in Cantonese) and presumably Spanish and French. He does not speak German or Neapolitan. Friends: Pendergast has several friends that make frequent appearances. Lieutenant Vincent D'Agosta is a New York City Police Department / Southampton PD officer, possibly Pendergast's most trusted friend and associate. Constance Greene is Pendergast's ward. Proctor is Pendergast's butler and chauffeur. Corrie Swanson, from Medicine Creek, Kansas, 18 years old, assisted Pendergast on a case. Currently enrolled at Phillips Exeter Academy. "Wren" is book restorer at New York Public Library. Mime" is an invalid of unknown affiliation; skilled in obtaining obscure information via the computer and Internet. Dr. Nora Kelly is a New York Museum of Natural History curator. William "Bill" Smithback, Jr. is a New York Times (formerly New York Post) journalist. Dr. Margo Green is a New York Museum of Natural History curator. Dr. Viola Maskelene is an Egyptologist. Diogenes Dagrepont Bernoulli Pendergast is Pendergast's younger brother (born circa 1962). As intelligent as Aloysius, if not more so, but a criminal mastermind. Although he was always a unique child, Diogenes was pushed over the edge during a certain Event which occurred in his early years. The book Dance of Death deals with a cat and mouse chase between the two brothers. Following Dance of Death, the novel The Book of the Dead concludes the brothers' saga. Antoine Leng Pendergast (Enoch Leng) is Pendergast's great-grand uncle. He traveled north to New York after being expelled from the Pendergast mansion. He was a taxonomist and chemist as well as a member of the New York Lyceum in the late 19th century. He was exposed as a serial killer in Cabinet of Curiosities who killed many people in the pursuit of a substance that would prolong his life. He succeeded and survived until his home on Riverside Drive was invaded and he was tortured to death. Hezekiah Pendergast is Antoine's father. Was a traveling salesman who contributed greatly to the family fortune by selling a quack medicine known as Hezekiah's Compound Elixir and Glandular Restorative. The tonic was eventually exposed as a lethal blend of cocaine, acetanilide, and alkaloid botanicals. It was the cause of 156

uncounted addictions and deaths, including that of Hezekiah's wife and Antoine's mother, Constance Leng Pendergast. Cornelia Delamere Pendergast is Pendergast's great-aunt. She poisoned her husband, brother and children and watched them die. Currently resides at the Mount Mercy Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Ambergris Pendergast is Cornelia's brother, whom she poisoned. He is possibly Pendergast's grandfather. Henri Prendregast de Mousqueton was a seventeenth-century mountebank who pulled teeth, performed magic and comedy, and practiced quack medicine. Eduard Pendergast was a well-known Harley Street doctor in eighteenthcentury London. Comstock Pendergast was a famed mesmerist, magician and mentor to Harry Houdini. He eventually murdered his business partner and his family. He then committed suicide by cutting his throat twice. Linnaeus Pendergast was Pendergast's father who was killed in the fire. Isabella Pendergast was Pendergast's mother, also killed in the fire. Helen Pendergast was Pendergast's deceased wife. She was an experienced hunter who was killed in an accident in Tanzania. Quantum 4; Quantum Pool 28 (Regenerate every 30 minutes); Willpower 9; Taint 1; Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4 (7, Health, Regeneration), Charisma 3, Manipulation 4, Appearance 2, Perception 5, Intelligence 4 (1, Compartmentalized Mind, Investigative Prodigy, Self-Analysis), Wits 3 (1, Human Nature); Abilities: Academics (Law, Occult) 3, Athletics (Dodge) 3, Awareness (Intuition) 4, Bureaucracy (Covert) 2, Computer 3, Drive 3, Endurance 5 (2 automatic successes), Etiquette 4, Firearms (Pistols) 4, Interrogation 4, Intimidation 4, Intrusion 5, Investigation (Deduction) 5, Legerdemain (Escapology, Sleight of Hand) 4, Linguistics 3, Martial Arts 5, Medicine 2, Melee 3, Perform (Acting) 4, Rapport 1, Resistance 5 (2 automatic successes), Science 3, Stealth 4, Streetwise 3, Subterfuge 3, Survival 2; Backgrounds: Allies 5, Backing (FBI) 3, Cipher 2, Contacts 4, Library 3, Resources 5, Sanctum 3; Quantum Powers: Pretercognition 1; Soak: Bashing 11 dice, Lethal 7 dice (Heals rates are nine times normal, Lifespan 1000+ years, Five extra bruised health levels, Two extra wounded health levels). For those of you in the know, this missing chapter from Cabinet of Curiosities explains Pendergasts extreme level of Mega-Stamina. To maintain this level, Pendergast requires regular (monthly) infusions of his alchemical cocktail. It was five minutes to closing at York Avenue Chemists & Pharmaceutical Supply, and Charlie McDorr was not at all pleased to see the gaunt man enter the shop and approach the counter. It was two days before Christmas, and he had some last minute shopping to catch up on after dinner. McDorr gave the man a peripheral glance - if he avoided eye contact, maybe he could discourage the fellow - but what he saw surprised him sufficiently to turn and stare. At first the man looked like the director of a funeral parlor. He wore an impeccable black suit, brilliant white shirt, grayish tie of fine silk. But this was clearly no mortician: the suit was too expensive, the cut too elegant and fresh. The face, however, was worn and creased, with dark circles under the eyes: the man looked like he hadnt been sleeping well at all. And yet the pale blue eyes were as clear and cold as two chips of ice, and there was a severity, an aloofness, about him that McDorr found unsettling. The man spoke, his voice soft, subdued, yet overlain with a mellifluous southern accent. Without pleasantries or introductions, the names of the chemicals he desired began rolling off his tongue, with such felicity McDorr realized at once that, despite his dress, the man must be either a fellow pharmacologist or a chemist. He straightened up. The chemicals the man wanted were pretty sophisticated. Then, suddenly, McDorr had him pegged: the fellow was one of those famous medical researchers from nearby Rockefeller University, perhaps even a Nobel Laureate. Usually they sent underlings to buy their chemicals. Well, hed come to the right place: York Avenue Chemists was the only place in Manhattan that carried what he was looking for, in stock, no waiting, ready in an hour. McDorr jotted down the chemicals as the man spoke. Funny the man hadnt just faxed or brought in a list. It was a damned complicated series of compounds, too, and he was amazed the man could have kept it all in his head. In less than five minutes the man had finished his recitation. Some of them were restricted chemicals Schedule C synthetic opiates, various poisons, and the likebut the man had all the required paperwork for each one, ready and waiting on the counter. "Hows tomorrow at ten?" McDorr asked. The man stared back. "I need them now. Ill wait." McDorr glanced at the clock. "Its past closing time, sir." The fleeting look on the mans facesomething not at all genteelunnerved him. But when the man spoke, the voice remained soft, aristocratic, modulated. "I shall pay you triple if you would kindly fill this order immediately." It was already close to a thousand-dollar order: there were some expensive exotics on the list. McDorr stared back. "Really?" The man nodded, his face relaxing, the fleeting look, if it had ever been there, now gone. "Its an ongoing experiment. Once I get started, I cant bear to be interrupted. An annoying habit, but very hard to break." McDorr nodded. "Suit yourself." Pretty cushy if the universitys springing for it, he thought to himself. Whats a thousand here, a thousand there? While he had to watch every penny. 157

He went into the back and began pulling bottles and cans and vials off the shelves, weighing or measuring them out, packing and sealing. A damned odd group of chemicals. McDorr wondered what kind of experiment this strange-looking professor was running. The look in the eyes, when hed said he couldnt fill the order until tomorrow. . . Like most pharmacologists, hed seen that look before. A look, not of detached scientific curiosity, but of personal, desperate need. It occurred to him that the man might very well be some kind of drug addict. Still, it wasnt his place to question a good order, with all the correct paperwork and a hefty profit besides. Forty minutes later he was back with three plastic trays, their compartments loaded with chemicals. The man eyed the tray with an intensityeven a hungerthat again alarmed McDorr. But when the man spoke it was in the same mild voice: "If it isnt too much trouble, Ill take the trays, too." "Of course," said McDorr, setting them down on the counter and ringing up the order. "The paper?" the man said. McDorrs hand paused at the register. "What paper?" "The list of chemicals you wrote out." McDorr removed it from his shirt pocket. "This?" The man plucked it from his fingers. "Thank you. Proprietary information." He paid. McDorr rapidly counted the money, but by the time hed finished and looked up to give the man his change, he found himself staring at an empty shop. The man had vanished. Odd: the entry buzzer hadnt even sounded when hed opened the door to leave. Perhaps McDorr had been too busy counting the crisp new hundred-dollar bills the man had given him to hear it. And the man had left with almost thirty dollars in change coming to him. He glanced down at the name on the paperwork: Maurice de Poincarlle, M.D., and he remembered he was supposed to have asked for identification. He cursed inwardly, but it was too late. And then the phone began to ring. The wife, no doubt, checking on why the hell he wasnt home yet. With a sigh, McDorr exited the shop, locking the door on the still ringing phone. Outside, he paused to look down East Sixty-Second, inhaling the crisp evening air. It was a beautiful night. Snow was falling. The big flakes dropped slowly out of the night sky, glittering momentarily as they passed the streetlights, then settling onto a layer of fresh snow covering the sidewalks and parked cars. He paused, staring for a moment at the single dark set of footprints that led from his shop door and off into the night, footprints that were rapidly vanishing under the deepening blanket of snow. Strange man. He wondered just what Maurice de Whatever would be doing that Christmas, and shivered involuntarily. As for himself, he thought, what could be more perfect than a quick stop at Tammany's on the way home for a little refreshment with the boys? Yes, that's exactly what he would do, damn the Christmas shopping and damn the wife. Life, he said to himself, was just too short. Petrelli, Peter Peter Petrelli is a former hospice nurse in his mid-20s with the power to absorb and mimic the powers of other evolved humans. Sensitive and compassionate, he is also defined by his complex relationship with his older brother, Nathan. In the premiere episode, Peter Petrelli is a hospice nurse living in New York City. Differences between Peter and Nathan, an ambitious politician focused on his congressional campaign, cause tensions between the two, which are exacerbated when Peter starts having extraordinarily vivid dreams of flying. He confides in Nathan, who passes them off as a sign of psychological distress. Peter summons Nathan to witness as he jumps off a building to prove he can fly. However, it's Nathan who flies, catching Peter as he falls. Peter blacks out after the brothers lose their grip on each other, waking up in the hospital with muddled recollections of what happened. Nathan claims neither of them flew and Peter is led to believe he's going crazy. Attempting to discover the truth, Peter threatens to jump from another rooftop if Nathan doesn't tell him what really happened. Nathan admits that they both flew. Peter first thinks Nathan is only telling him what he wants to hear, until Nathan points out that Peter is levitating as they argue. Peter's later attempts to fly, when away from his brother's presence, are initially unsuccessful. Peter decides to quit his job as a nurse. He confides to Simone Deveaux, the daughter of his dying patient, Charles Deveaux, that he has loved her ever since he first saw her. The two of them spend a night together, even though Simone doesn't know how she truly feels about him. The first hint of things to come arrive in the form of Hiro Nakamura, a man with the power to manipulate time and space, who travels back in time to give Peter a message: "Save the cheerleader, save the world." He urges Peter to be "the one we need". He tells Peter to go and visit Isaac Mendez, a painter and ex-boyfriend of Simone. Hiro notes how strange it is to see Peter without his scar. Peter visits Isaac and convinces him to see past their amorous connection to Simone. He learns that Isaac has predicted an explosion will happen in New York soon, and they are both convinced saving this unknown cheerleader is connected to averting the catastrophe. While in Isaac's company, Peter also confirms that his superhuman ability involves copying those of others, when he mimics Isaac's powers. He finishes a painting of Isaac's showing the cheerleader being killed by Sylar. Peter has a dream of showing Simone's ailing father that he can fly, and is awoken by her ringing his doorbell to tell him that her father died shortly after telling her that he had dreamed of flying with Peter and is worried about the state of the world. Peter told him that there are people who care, who will save the world 158

from destruction. Simone then tells Peter that she has sold the painting by Isaac to a man named Linderman in Las Vegas. Peter believes the painting will help him to save the world. Peter goes to Nathan's house, hoping that his brother can help convince Linderman to give up the painting. When he gets there, he finds Nathan, their mother, and Nathan's family attending a brunch with a newspaper reporter. Peter saves his brother from adultery charges by claiming Nathan was arranging for a private clinic to treat Peter's mental illness. That night, Nathan tells a skeptical Peter he was temporarily kidnapped in Vegas, and warns that people will want to lock them up if they realize the two of them have powers. Simone shows Peter a photograph of the painting which sends Peter to the high school in Odessa, Texas where he meets Claire Bennet, the cheerleader with superhuman regenerative abilities. Sylar soon shows up to kill Claire, and Peter manages to fight him off while Claire escapes, ending with the pair fall off the roof of the school. Sylar survives the fall, but it seems as if Peter hasn't. However, when Claire shows up, Peter mimics her healing powers. As he begins resetting his bones, he asks Claire to call the police. They show up while Peter is still covered in his own blood and arrest him. During a dream, he sees Nathan and his wife get into the car accident that paralyzes her from the waist down. He realizes the accident was partially caused by Nathan's first use of his flying ability (leaving the car with no driver). Peter later asks Nathan about "the other car" (one chasing Nathan's in the dream) involved in the accident, a detail no one else knew except for Nathan and Heidi. Peter is in jail holding cell when he has a dream in which he is visited by his brother, who metamorphoses into Sylar. He is then interviewed by telepathic LA cop, Matt Parkman, during which they telepathically piece together Sylar's attack on Union Wells High. He tells him Claire Bennet was the real target. Claire visits Peter in his cell later, believing he shares her powers, and tells him that he is her hero. A short time later, Nathan gets Peter out of jail. Peter's health is visibly and quickly deteriorating for yet unknown reasons. On their way out of the building, he passes out and has a vision in which he sees the other main characters in a city street just before he explodes. In the vision, as Nathan walks up to him, he begins to explode. After recovering from the vision, Peter tries to explain it to Nathan, but falls into a coma. Peter is comatose. In his comatose state, Peter continues to have the same vision, with a little variation. Eventually, a new face appears in his dreams. This man, a tall, bearded Englishman, is shown laughing. Another new scene indicates that Peter may be mimicking Ted Sprague's radioactive powers. Eventually, Peter wakes up, and decides that his next destination is "the desert". He makes travel plans, looking for a place where nuclear testing has been done. Las Vegas is recommended. As he's put on hold, he notices the Englishman from his dreams stealing from a purse. Peter confronts the man, who is shocked that someone can see him. Calling himself "Claude", he tells Peter to leave him alone. However, Peter instead insists "Claude" teach him how to control his abilities. "Claude" declines, and tells Peter to stop following him. Peter returns to his apartment to find Mohinder and Nathan there. Mohinder believes he can help him while Nathan is insistent that Peter not go running off again. To get away, Peter pretends to consider their help, then runs out the door. Mohinder and Nathan see an open window and assume Peter has flown out it. However, this was misdirection, as Peter is actually hiding invisibly with Claude. Claude agrees to train him. The lessons commence in "Distractions". Claude tells Peter to separate himself from his loved ones. Peter fiercely disagrees, but Claude says that caring about peopleparticularly Nathanis holding him back. Claude reminds Peter that he must learn to harness the powers he's previously mimicked intentionally (or face exploding), and without their inherent users present. Then, Claude pushes Peter off a tall building and tells him to fly. Peter falls onto a taxicab suffering fatal injuries, but survives by remembering Claire Bennet and mimicking her powers. Peter realizes that he does not need to push people out of his mind; he just needs to remember how those people made him feel to regain use of their abilities. He then starts to lose control thinking about too many others at once leading Claude to knock him out. In "Unexpected", Peter is shown to have more control over the abilities he has absorbed. During a sparring session with Claude, Peter uses telekinesis to shield himself from a blow, which puzzles Claude since none of Peter's acquaintances has that power. Peter surmises that he must have picked it up from the man who attacked him in Texas. Later in the episode, when assaulted by Mr. Bennet and the Haitian, due to a betrayal by Isaac, Peter stops the taser darts in mid-air, then uses flight to save himself and Claude. After their escape, Claude blames Peter for bringing Bennet and Haitian after him (revealing that he has remained invisible in order to elude them) and leaves Peter on his own. Peter then confronts Isaac about his betrayal but Isaac is adamant that what he was doing would save the world. Peter, however, concludes jealousy was Isaac's main motivation. When Isaac tries to shoot him, Peter becomes invisible. Thoroughly unnerved, Isaac begins to firing indiscriminately and accidentally hits Simone twice in the chest as she walks through the door. Peter cradles Simone as he and Isaac both watch her die. Peter goes to to see Mohinder Suresh and is attacked by Sylar. Fighting him off, Peter becomes invisible, but Sylar foils the attempt at evasion by spraying glass shards everywhere, one of which strikes Peter in the back of the head, rendering him dead. He is saved by Suresh, who takes his body to Nathan's home. Everyone believes him to be dead, but Claire - drawing from her own near death experience, finds and removes the glass in the back of Peter's head, allowing him to recover. Believing that he will be the one to cause the catastrophe, he tries to convince Claire to stay, as her ability will allow her to get close enough to stop him from exploding. The moment Peter comes in range of Ted, 159

Peter's hands begin to glow, but Peter barely manages to rein in the newly-absorbed power. They decide to leave the city immediately and thwart the foreseen catastrophe, but Ted is captured by the FBI. Sylar attacks the transport vehicle carrying him and steals Ted's power, killing him. Realizing that Sylar now has Ted's power, Peter assumes Sylar will become the bomb instead of him. Peter confronts Sylar face to face in an attempt to stop him at Kirby Plaza. Matt Parkman and Niki Sanders intervene as well, and Hiro runs Sylar through with a sword. Peter discovers to his horror that his own lack of control over Ted's ability makes himself the one who will explode, causing the catastrophe. Nathan arrives and flies Peter high into the atmosphere where the younger Petrelli forces Nathan to let go, and explodes. Immediately after the explosion, Peter flies up to and catches a falling and radiation-burned Nathan. After taking his brother to a hospital, Peter is apprehended by Bob and Elle and taken to a Company facility. Peter is told that the Company is developing a cure for his "disease," and that it would be best for him to stay in the facility until then. Peter, not willing to endanger any more lives after the near-miss at Kirby Plaza, readily agrees. Part of the treatment includes pills to suppress his powers, which Elle calls "Haitian pills." Aside from dealing with an obviously smitten Elle, Peter leads an unremarkable life until he comes into contact with the inmate in the adjacent cell, Adam Monroe (who had been known as Takezo Kensei to Hiro Nakamura in feudal Japan). The four-hundred-year-old Adam insists that the Company has no interest in helping anyone. After Bob refuses to allow Peter to see his family, Peter comes around to Adam's point of view and covertly stops taking his medication. After five days, he is able to use his aquired phasing ability, to pass through the wall between his and Adam's cell. After the two finally meet face-to-face, they use the phasing ability to escape from the facility. Fulfilling a promise he made to Peter, Adam goes with him to see his brother Nathan, who is still recovering from Peter's meltdown and explosion, in a Manhattan hospital. Mindful of his regenerative powers, Adam injects his blood into Nathan's IV, and the elder Petrelli's wounds begin to heal almost instantly. Knowing that Nathan's bedside would be the most logical place to find the pair, Adam urges Peter to flee quickly. They make haste but are confronted by Elle and the Haitian. Adam tells Peter to meet him in a warehouse in Montreal, and the two split up. Peter is pursued by the Haitian, who corners him in an empty container. Peter resists but is told by the Haitian that he deserves a better life than one spent imprisoned by the Company. The Haitian says that Peter's mother helped him in his time of need, so he is returning the favor. Peter does not understand what sort of alternative the Haitian has in mind; the Haitian puts his necklace around Peter's neck and erases his memory. While Peter's family and friends mourn his death, an amnesic Peter is found half-naked and handcuffed inside a cargo container at a port in Cork, Ireland, by a group of thugs led by Ricky McKenna. The thugs accuse Peter of stealing the cargo container's alleged contents, which they had intended to take. After he and his henchmen beat him, Ricky is finally convinced that Peter is suffering from amnesia. He tells Peter his name and reveals that he has a box containing items (which were found on Peter's person) that will provide clues to Peter's former identity (credit cards, driver's license, etc.). However, Ricky will only hand over the box if Peter helps him and his gang with a job. Upon accepting and completing the job - by helping the gang rob a gambling house - Peter earns the box but is initially unwilling to open it for fear that he might not like who he was before. Caitlin, Ricky's sister, encourages him to do so, stating that she believes him to be a good person. The two quickly form a romantic relationship. In the episode "Fight or Flight," Peter experiences a sudden resurgence of his acquired precognition power, painting a picture of a street intersection in Montreal, specifically the intersection of Boul. Saint-Laurent and Boul. Saint-Jacques (spelled Boul. Saint-Jaque in the painting), with a building that appears to be La Cathedrale de Notre-Dame in the background. Peter is unaware of it, but this is the warehouse that Adam had told him to meet him at two weeks prior (in "Four Months Ago"). In "The Line," Peter and Caitlin travel there and find a note from Adam warning Peter about the Company. Peter accidentally jumps ahead in time with Caitlin to a desolate Times Square in New York City. A flyer on the ground, dated June 14, 2008, explains that Homeland Security had ordered an evacuation of the entire city. In "Out of Time", Peter and Caitlin are captured and separated by a bio-hazard team in 2008. After learning that he has already been killed by the virus, he meets his mother. His mother tells him that he is the one who can stop this future and save the world. When Peter sees Caitlin, they meet and hold hands through the fence barricade separating them. Before he can help her, he unwillingly returns to the present, leaving Caitlin trapped in the future. Repeated attempts by Peter to return to the future fail. Peter is soon startled by someone entering the Montreal safehouse and uses his acquired electricity power to attack the intruder. The person blocks the attack with his hand, which regenerates, and reveals himself to be Adam Monroe. He curiously asks why Peter attacked him, quickly discovering Peter's amnesia. He then helps Peter to restore his memories by encouraging him to use his acquired healing abilities to repair the damage to his mind. In "Truth & Consequences", Adam and Peter track down Victoria Pratt, who Adam says discovered the virus. Peter tells her he needs her help to save the future. When Victoria sees Adam, she shoots him. Peter reads Victoria's mind to discover the virus is at Primatech Paper in Texas. When Peter and Adam arrive at Primatech, time stops for everyone but Peter, a result of Hiro's powers. Hiro is shocked to find that Peter is working with Adam Monroe, then declares his intent to kill the man who killed his father. When Peter refuses to let Hiro pass, Hiro charges at him with his sword. 160

In "Powerless", Peter and Hiro fight in Primatech, though Hiro is ultimately knocked unconscious. Peter helps Adam Monroe break into the Primatech vault, but he is confronted once again, this time by a revived Hiro, Matt Parkman, and Peter's brother, Nathan. After a mental struggle with Matt, Peter is convinced by Nathan that Adam cannot be trusted. Peter turns to find that Adam had already slipped into the vault. Peter runs in to see the virus falling to the floor. He catches it and destroys the virus. Together, Matt, Nathan and Peter decide to reveal what the Company has been doing. During a press conference, headed by Nathan, an unknown assassin shoots Nathan twice in the chest, preventing him from revealing his power. Peter tends to his brother as the crowd panics. In the alternate future of "Five Years Gone", it is revealed that Peter was the bomb that destroyed New York City. The rest of the world believes that it was Sylar who had exploded because Nathan had set him up as a scapegoat in order to protect his brother. In this alternate future, Peter resides in Las Vegas with Niki Sanders, with whom he is now romantically involved. He has a very prominent scar across his face, although it is never revealed how he acquired it. When he rescues Ando and "future Hiro" from Matt Parkman, he stops time and teleports them both away. He also has gained many more powers, including pyrokinesis, superhuman strength and speed, and electricity manipulation, though the his superhuman speed abilities were only initially seen within the official graphic novels. Peter has the ability to mimic other powers. According to Dr. Suresh, Peter's DNA automatically resequences itself to mimic the abilities of those around him. Originally, Peter could only mimic powers while in close proximity to their source, but learns how to recall previously mimicked powers with greater and greater ease with the help of Claude. Quantum 9 (Pool 100, Regenerate every 9 minutes); Willpower 6; Taint 5; Strength 3 (2, Crush, Quantum Leap), Dexterity 3, Stamina 5 (5, Durability, Hardbody, Health, Regeneration), Charisma 3, Manipulation 2 (1, The Voice), Appearance 3, Perception 3 (1, Bloodhound, Electromagnetic Vision, HyperEnhanced Hearing), Intelligence 3 (10, Analyze Weakness, Eidetic Memory, Enhanced Memory, Engineering Prodigy, Linguistic Genius, Medical Prodigy, Science Prodigy, Self-Analysis, Speed Reading, Taint Resistance), Wits 2 (1, Quickness); Abilities: Academics 3, Athletics 3, Awareness 2, Brawl 1, Bureaucracy 2, Computer 1, Drive 1, Endurance 5, Etiquette 3, Firearms 1, Investigation 1, Legerdemain 2, Medicine 2, Melee 1, Might 3, Rapport 3, Resistance 5, Science 1, Style 1, Subterfuge 2; Backgrounds: Allies 5, Dormancy 2, Node 5, Resources 3; Powers: Body Modification (5 Extra Bruised Health Levels), Claws 5, Cyberkinesis (All Techniques) 5, Density Decrease (Affects Others) 3, Domination 2, Elemental Mastery: Cold (Blast, Lethal Blast, Storm) 3, Elemental Mastery: Electricity 2 (Blast, Lethal Blast), Elemental Mastery: Radiation (Lethal Blast, Shield, Sphere, Storm) 4, Flight 5, Force Field (9 + 2 / Success) 5, Healing 5, Hyperflight 4, Immolate (Radiation, 28 bashing or 14 lethal dice) 5, Invisibility 3, Luck 4, Magnetic Mastery (EMP) 1, Plasma Bolt (Range 490, Damage 18 + 20 dice lethal, Supercharge 18 + 30 dice lethal) 5, Pretercognition 4, Quantum Imprint (Permanent, Immune to Rogues Quantum Imprint Touch) 4, Quantum Regeneration 5, Telekinesis 5, Telepathy (Surreptitious) 2, Teleport 5, Time Manipulation (Accelerate Time, Dilate Time, Internal Clock, Stop Time) 4, Time Travel (Physical) 5; Soak: Bashing 10, Lethal 5 (Healing rates are x7. Lifespan 250+ years. Ignore five points of dice pool penalty due to injury. Eight Extra Bruised Health Levels) Queen, Oliver Oliver Jonas Queen is the billionaire CEO of Queen Industries, who also masquerades as a heroic archer known as the Green Arrow. As the Green Arrow, Oliver dresses in green and commands a variety of arrows for many forms of defense. Oliver went to boarding school at Excelsior Academy Preparatory School, where he studied fine arts and was a classmate of Lex Luthor. He is also the founder of a team of pro-active heroes that gathered many metahumans together to bring down Lex Luthor. Tall and blonde, Oliver is extremely charismatic with an affable demeanor. Known for his wit and subtle humor, he is very easy to talk to. He is in his late twenties. As the Green Arrow, Oliver adopts a Robin Hoodtype philosophy-- he steals ill-gotten valuables from the rich and donates the proceeds anonymously to charity. Clark Kent argued with him that stealing is wrong for any reason, but Oliver stands by his conviction that the ends justify the means. He believes that he has a duty to find people who need saving. Oliver easily assumes a leadership position and, as the Green Arrow, is the unofficial leader of Smallville's version of the Justice League. Oliver has no superhuman abilities, but he makes up for it with his extraordinary skills as an archer and his enormous family fortune. From the roof of Queen Tower, Oliver was able to hit the ornamental globe on the roof of the Daily Planet building almost a mile away; not only did he hit the globe itself, but he was able to specify which country he wanted to hit (Borneo). He was able to aim his arrow inside of the hole of a pop tab of a soda can. He was also able to anticipate a bullet in flight and block it with an arrow. Oliver also has access to top of the line technology and electronics equipment through his corporation, Queen Industries. This technology not only powers his quiver of superpowered arrows; it also provides technology for members of his Justice League, including Cyborg. He also funds the research and development of drugs like RL65, a healing drug which allowed him to temporarily acquire the metahuman power of a healing factor. His satellites also provide him with imagery he is able to use for his superhero team, as well as to monitor his enemies. He is also extremely fit, training extensively (including yoga). As a human with no known metahuman skills, Oliver is extremely vulnerable to physical attack. As a result, he often uses his archery skills to maintain distance between him and his antagonists. Oliver also often 161

carefully plans his assaults, such as when he's stealing jewelry to give to the poor (Sneeze). He also uses technology whenever possible (such as from his satellites or from Cyborg's information warfare capabilities) to gain an informational advantage. Oliver also compensates for his physical vulnerability by partnering with metahumans whenever possible. The ultimate manifestation of this strategy is his team of superheroes (Justice). Oliver's parents traveled frequently and extensively when he was young, associated in business and in research with the Teague, Swann and Luthor families. They died on October 14, 1989. En route to visit a prominent politician in Seoul, their plane was sabotaged and crashed into the ocean. Oliver was in the fourth grade, around age 9 or 10 at the time. Oliver attended Excelsior Academy with Lex Luthor in the 1990s. He graduated in 1998 and deferred admission to an Ivy League school to sail away in a private yacht to say goodbye to his parents. However, his crew attempted to murder him and steal his yacht. Oliver used his limited archery skills to escape onto an inflatable life raft, but the crew sailed away in his boat, leaving him in the middle of the stormy, shark-infested ocean. Oliver washed up on an island and was stranded for twenty days before encountering the island's natives. He lived among them for over three months during which time they taught him how to hunt and improved his archery skills. Upon further exploration, Oliver was shocked to discover the wreckage of his parents' plane on the island. He collected their wedding rings from their remains and also found a letter his mother had written to him the night of the crash. Serendipitously, Oliver's stolen yacht also banked on the island eleven months after his arrival. Oliver resolved to get it back; he and the natives staged a coup and Oliver was able to reclaim his boat and return to his home, Star City, where he began fighting crime in the city as the Green Arrow. During his time in Metropolis, Oliver lived in a loft apartment known as Queen Tower. His company, Queen Industries, owned the only satellite that stayed online during Dark Thursday and Oliver learned that Lex was behind the destruction. He had Lex followed and kidnapped so he could be questioned about the origins of his powers. Lionel suspected he was responsible and showed up at his loft. Oliver found him there and denied having anything to do with it. Something to keep in mind, however, is that Oliver specifically ordered his men not to use any type of violence unless they were in danger. It is possible that Lex was being "scouted" as a possible member of the Justice League, or else he was being evaluated as a potential enemy. Either way, Oliver realized that Lex's powers were gone and his interest seemed to have done the same. Oliver donned his Green Arrow uniform and stole a diamond necklace from Martha Kent. Lois Lane became obsessed with finding the identity of the green thief, which got her kidnapped by his enemies. They tortured her to force her to provide information, but he rescued her in time. She attempted to unmask him, but Clark Kent intervened, in exchange for return of the diamond necklace, and the two agreed to protect each others' secret identities. However, Oliver was unimpressed with Clark; he believed Clark should use his powers to help anybody in need. Lex and Oliver returned to their school for an alumni event and were startled when Oliver's old friends were killed in violent and mysterious accidents. It was revealed that Oliver and his friends relentlessly teased Lex and his best friend Duncan Allenmeyer, eventually goading Lex into beating Duncan up and causing him to become severely injured in a car accident. Oliver believed that Duncan had died, but the recent murders began to point to him. Oliver had to face the guilt and regret over his part in Duncan's severe injury and admitted to Lex that he was sorry. However, Duncan had, in fact, survived and almost killed Oliver in revenge, but he was saved by Clark Kent. Oliver had Dr. Pamela Black manufacture a healing drug. In the middle of a date with Lois, Oliver dashed away to save a couple from being carjacked, but was shot in the process. He used the drug to heal his wound completely. However, it also had side effects: angry outbursts and mood swings. When Clark went to see if he was all right, he insulted him and ordered him to leave him alone. Lois came into the apartment and saw him there, dressed as the Green Arrow. He pushed her down into a glass table and fled. He went to find his shooter and discovered he had obtained the drug from a LuthorCorp halfway house. Oliver attacked Lex with an arrow and Lex shot him in the chest. He took the drug again to save his life and Clark gave Lex the drug to save him. Oliver had been recruiting super-powered individuals to form a group that fought for good. His band of super-human heroes then had to spring into action and rescue team member Impulse. They worked together to destroy one of LuthorCorp's Level 33.1 facilities. He and the Justice League left Metropolis to shut down other Level 33.1 locations across the globe. Even after leaving Metropolis with his superhero team, Oliver's benevolence and wealth continued to help the friends he made in Kansas. His hero team shut down at least eight 33.1 labs around the world. He provided Clark Kent with the details on a lethal internet fight club so that Clark could shut it down. When Clark met Tobias Rice, he asked Oliver to arrange for him to receive a cornea transplant and sent him to Oliver's hometown of Star City for the surgery. Oliver also provided a safe haven for Moira Sullivan, the mother of Chloe Sullivan, after Moira was kidnapped and exploited by Lex. Chloe enlisted Oliver's help again when Lois was kidnapped by Wes Keenan. Oliver reported to her about encountering another version of Lex's super soldier in a desert in Utah, explaining that he used an exploding arrow to penetrate the soldier's force field. Clark, upon learning about Oliver's solution to the shield, used his heat vision at maximum to shatter Keenan's force field. Once Oliver returned, he asked Chloe for help to download information on Lexs projects, and once she did, she was attacked by Black Canary. Oliver managed to get to her in time to save her, although Clark later showed up in his apartment with angry words for getting Chloe involved with Oliver. He figured Lois would be there to see him so he made dinner for them, however, Black Canary appeared, and attacked them. After the 162

attack, Lois saw Green Arrows gear and discovered he was Green Arrow. Oliver later got loose, and had an intense fight with Lex. He then asked Lois to try to make their relationship work, but she knew it was not going to work out. Although, he did make an addition to his team of heroes: Black Canary. Shortly after arriving in Metropolis, Oliver stopped by the Kent household to meet with Senator Martha Kent and deliver a letter to her. There he met Lois Lane, with whom he was quite taken, but she mistook him for a messenger boy for Queen Industries. She gave him a tip and sent a rather stunned Oliver on his way. After Lois learned from Mrs. Kent who he actually was, an embarrassed Lois went to his loft to apologize and gave him a fruit basket as a token of her apology. He invited her to go to Lexs charity ball and Lois reluctantly agreed. They attended the ball together as Robin Hood and Maid Marian. After the ball, Oliver attempted to give Lois a goodnight kiss, but she stopped him and told him he'd have to earn it; she challenged him to hit a can off of a dumpster with an arrow. He said it was an easy task, but seemingly missed. A slightly disappointed Lois told him, "Better luck next time," and went inside, while a pleased Oliver looked on at his target, where the pop tab was dangling from his arrow. Oliver inadvertently injured Lois as the result of taking the healing drug RL65. Clark told Lois he saw Oliver injecting something and she guessed that a drug addiction was the problem. Afterwards, she forgave him for his erratic behavior and they spent the Kents' Thanksgiving together. When Lois began to seriously suspect that Oliver and the Green Arrow were one and the same, she enlisted Clark's help to find out. However, Clark worked with Oliver instead to devise a plan to throw Lois off. Clark put on Oliver's Green Arrow costume and Lois was tricked into thinking they were two different people. She told Clark that she thought she was falling in love with Oliver, but shortly after, Oliver interrupted another date to dash off. Lois grew tired of his disappearing act and confronted him. To make up for it, he promised her a romantic vacation, but then canceled the trip because he felt his duty to the Justice League was more important. Lois told him that she would not be waiting for him, but he admitted that he did not intend to return to Metropolis. He told Lois that he knew he would always regret leaving her behind. Lois kissed him goodbye and left in tears, ending their relationship in an emotional parting. When Oliver returned to Metropolis, he correctly guessed that Lois would approach him first and planned a romantic dinner for her in his loft. However, they were accosted and kidnapped by Black Canary, whose sonic scream exposed all of his Green Arrow gear. Lois was furious that he never told her his secret, but after thinking about it, she decided she understood why. Oliver asked her if she would consider rekindling their relationship and promised to make time for her, but Lois turned him down. She later confessed to Clark that she was still in love with Oliver, but knew she would always come second to his greater destiny and be left behind. Lois and Oliver's relationship has been nicknamed "Lollie" by fans. Though he uses them in the show, in the comics, Green Arrow has a strong distaste for crossbows. Oliver Queen's home town is Star City. Oliver Queen is allergic to peanuts. According to Lionel, Oliver was a very "convincing actor". Oliver Queen's parents died when he was in fourth grade in 1989, placing his birth year around 1979 or 1980, the same time as Lex. The Green Arrow can be seen on security camera footage that Lex views in Combat. He has been called OJ Queen in the comics Smallville's Oliver Queen is like Bruce Wayne, he is a wealthy playboy, uses his company's technology to support his crime-fighting career, his parents are dead, has no true superpowers and becomes a member of the Justice League. Also like Batman he is more mysterious and uses the shadows as cover. Like Andrea Rojas, Arthur Curry, Dinah Lance, and Victor Stone, when he met Clark he attacked him. However unlike the others, this is when Clark first met him as the Green Arrow. (Although this is not the case with Dinah Lance/Black Canary.) He is the founder of Smallville's version of the Justice League and, as far as we know, the first member to wear a costume. He rescued each of the other members before asking them to join. Quantum 1; Quantum Pool 22 (Regenerate every hour); Willpower 7; Strength 4, Dexterity 4 (1, Accuracy, Catfooted, Kensai), Stamina 4, Manipulation 3, Charisma 4, Appearance 3, Perception 5, Intelligence 3, Wits 4; Abilities: Academics 2, Archery 5, Athletics 4, Awareness 3, Biz 4, Bureaucracy 3, Command 5, Drive 3, Endurance 3, Engineering 2, Etiquette 3, Firearms 3, Interrogation 4, Intimidation 2, Intrusion 5, Investigation 3, Legerdemain 5, Martial Arts 4, Meditation 4, Melee 3, Might 3, Perform 4, Rapport 3, Resistance 3, Science 2, Seduction, Stealth 4, Streetwise 5, Style 4, Subterfuge 4, Survival 4; Backgrounds: Allies 5, Backing 6 (In Charge), Cipher 4, Contacts 5, Dormancy 3, Influence 4, Resources 5, Sanctum 3; Soak: Bashing 4 dice, Lethal 2 dice (Heals rates are two times normal, ignore one points of damage penalty, Lifespan 120+ years). Kensai: Baseline humanity has always respected those individuals who were truly skilled in the use of weapons, as the legends of Annie Oakley, William Tell, and Miyamoto Musashi can attest. Novas with this enhancement can display the same prowess and then some, as they have refined their skills to a frightening degree. The nova gets an additional - [Mega-Dexterity] difficulty bonus on all Melee, Archery, and/or Firearms rolls, and is incapable of botching on rolls for those abilities rolled botches are considered to be simple failures instead. Also, the nova can draw or sheathe his weapons and reload firearms and bows without having to roll Dexterity. This enhancement is always in effect, and costs no quantum points to use. Richards, Reed One of the bravest adventurers and most brilliant scientific minds of his generation, Reed Richards was born to Evelyn Richards and her husband Nathaniel, a scientific genius whose inventions and discoveries made 163

their family quite wealthy. Evelyn died when Reed was only seven, and Nathaniel was left to raise Reed on his own, nurturing the boy's obvious intellectual prowess and seeing to his education. Taking college-level courses at age 14, Reed attended four different universities, earning various degrees before he was out of his teens and studying under distinguished mentors such as Noah Baxter, Harmon Furmintz and Roderick van Nuys. While attending State, Reed met fellow student Victor Von Doom, an egotistical and unstable genius who refused Reed's offer to room with him. Instead, Richards roomed with football scholarship student Ben Grimm, who became Reed's best friend. Amused by Reed's dream of someday creating a starship, Ben jokingly promised he would fly it if Reed ever built it. Reed's other notable college peers included Randolph James (Futurist), Janus the Nega-Man, and possibly Alyssa Moy. Reed's many scientific colleagues included Abe Jankovitz, Harvey Jessup (Great Coordinator), and Phillip Zolten Rambow. During his time at State, Doom pursued a rivalry with Reed, trying to prove himself the superior intellect. When Doom built a machine designed to contact the afterlife, Reed tried to warn him that his calculations were slightly off; but the proud Doom refused to listen and the device blew up in his face, leaving him badly scarred and expelled from the university. An early brush with the fantastic came when Reed helped expose and capture an extraterrestrial spy at college, the amnesiac Zankor of the Skrull race; young Reed turned the spy over to the super heroic First Line team, which helped them stop a subsequent full-scale Skrull invasion (albeit at the cost of many of their lives). While attending Columbia, Reed met the much younger Sue Storm, his landlady's niece, who was instantly smitten with him. Reed received her interest awkwardly at first, but they later dated steadily during Sue's own college years; Reed also befriended Sue's kid brother, Johnny. After college, Reed did military work that took him overseas, after which his old friend Alyssa Moy manipulated him into helping her rescue Asian ruler Prince Bayan from the rogue General Lao-Tse. After taking a job with Demarco Laboratories in France, Reed teamed with Alyssa and Professor Francesca Fisher on a quest for the mystical artifact known as the Claw of Bast, which they recovered despite interference from Reed's old rival, Doom. Reed shared several other adventures with Alyssa around the world, even proposing to her at one point, though they parted as friends. Returning to America and Sue, Reed secured government funding for his starship project and asked Ben-now a successful test pilot and astronaut-to fly the mission. When the huge energy-absorbing alien Gormuu sought to conquer Earth, Reed outwitted and destroyed the entity. Partly in response to this incident, government funding for Reed's starship project was cut. By this time, Reed's father Nathaniel had disappeared, having secretly embarked on an attempted time travel journey that took him to the alternate world Other Earth, where he resided for years. Nathaniel had left Reed two billion dollars to fund his work, but the withdrawal of government backing still threatened to kill his starship project. After the Gormuu incident, Reed was more determined than ever to further the advance of space technology, and he convinced a reluctant Ben to help him make a test flight before their project could be shut down. Sue and Johnny Storm insisted on sharing the risk with them and came along for the ride. The quartet successfully launched into space, but intense cosmic rays penetrated the ship's shielding and irradiated the crew, forcing them back to Earth. Once there, the quartet discovered that the cosmic rays had mutated them into superhumans, with Reed gaining stretching powers. As Mister Fantastic, leader of the resultant Fantastic Four, Reed used his scientific genius, remaining family fortune and the income from his patents to fund and equip the new team, establishing their high-tech headquarters in the Baxter Building. One of Reed's earliest and closest super heroic friends was the Sentry, a supremely powerful and beloved costumed hero who predated even the FF; however, in order to neutralize the Sentry's evil counterpart, the Void, Reed was forced to erase the world's memories of the Sentry, including Reed's own memories, and the Sentry languished in forgotten obscurity for years. Reed led the FF against many foes, notably Namor the SubMariner, a misguided Atlantean warrior who became Reed's rival for Sue's affections; the Wizard, an evil genius who founded his own criminal Frightful Four in envious imitation of Richards; and Reed's old college foe Victor Von Doom, who had become the armored super-villain Doctor Doom and had seized the throne of his native Latveria. Determined to conquer the world and destroy Richards, Doom quickly became the FF's most frequent and formidable opponent. Namor, meanwhile, became a valued friend and ally to the FF, though Sue ultimately married Reed regardless. Their first child, Franklin, proved to be a vastly powerful mutant whose fluctuating abilities have alternately saved or menaced both the FF and the world, forcing Reed to take steps to contain Franklin's powers; on one such occasion, Franklin's mind was temporarily shut down. An outraged Sue, already resentful of Reed at this point as she felt he did not regard her as an equal, left her husband and quit the team. She was replaced in the FF for an extended period by Medusa of the Inhumans, but Sue reclaimed her spot on the roster after she and Reed finally reconciled. After losing his powers, Reed was imprisoned and impersonated by the Brute, his then-criminally insane counterpart from the High Evolutionary's Counter-Earth, who exiled himself to the Negative Zone after he finally regained his senses. The FF even broke up for a while, during which time Doom hypnotized Reed into capturing his former teammates as the Invincible Man. The team regrouped after Reed took a solo space flight into the Van Allen radiation belts, guided by information from colleague Stephen Beckley (later Comet Man), regaining his powers at amplified levels, and the FF foiled Doom's latest world-conquering plot. Later, seeking a more normal family life, Reed and Sue established a household in small town Belle Port, Connecticut for a while, living quietly in disguise there as the Benjamin family while continuing to serve with the FF in their original identities. 164

After a conflict during which he mercifully spared the life of the planet-eater Galactus, Reed found himself placed on trial in an interstellar court by survivors of the many worlds Galactus had consumed; but Reed was exonerated once the last-minute testimony of Eternity proved to the court that Galactus was a necessary aspect of the cosmos. On the family front, Sue's second child was stillborn despite Reed's frantic efforts to save their unborn baby; Reed discovered that his own long-lost father Nathaniel was living a new life with a new family on Other Earth; and an embittered Thing quit the Fantastic Four, partly because a well-intentioned Reed had withheld information from him regarding the state of Ben's ability to resume human form, an ability Ben lost due in part to Reed's misinformation. Ben's hand-picked replacement, She-Hulk, served a long stint with the FF, but eventually left after Ben finally reconciled with the group and rejoined their ranks. Seeking a more normal family life again, Reed and Sue retired from the FF altogether to concentrate on raising Franklin, leaving Ben in charge of the group. To replace them, Ben recruited his friend Ms. Marvel and Crystal (who had already served as Sue's FF substitute during and after Sue's first pregnancy); however, Reed and Sue's retirement was short-lived. After teaming with several Avengers to rescue a captured Franklin during the demonic Inferno invasion, Reed and Sue reluctantly agreed to join the Avengers, who were critically shorthanded at the time. But Reed was too accustomed to leadership himself to serve smoothly under Captain America for long, so Reed and Sue amicably stepped down from active Avengers membership after only a few missions with the team; they later resigned their Avengers membership altogether after rejoining the Fantastic Four. They remain friends and allies with the Avengers, though. When Reed and Doom seemingly died as a result of their conflict with the alien Hunger, they were actually spirited away by the space-time-warping Hyperstorm, mad son of an alternate-future Franklin Richards. Hyperstorm kept Doom as a tortured captive and trapped Reed in the distant past for months, during which time the world believed both Reed and Doom to be dead. In Reed's absence, Sue took over leadership of the FF and served capably in the role, recruiting Ant-Man as the team's new scientist; however, she refused to believe Reed was truly dead, and she rebuked romantic advances from her old flame, Namor. Reed was eventually rescued, but the entire FF soon appeared to die in battle with the psychic monster Onslaught, though they secretly survived in a new "Counter-Earth", parallel world created instinctively by Franklin. They eventually returned to Earth. An even more surprising resurrection unfolded during the team's reality-warping conflict with the cosmic being Abraxas, when Franklin revealed he had used his powers to rescue Sue's seemingly stillborn second child years earlier, and that this child had been raised in an alternate future to become the Marvel Girl (Valeria Von Doom), who was now an ally of the present-day Fantastic Four. As a side-effect of Abraxas' defeat, Marvel Girl was restored to her original state, as an unborn child in Sue's womb. This time, Sue's pregnancy resulted in the birth of a healthy baby girl, christened Valeria in memory of Doctor Doom's first love. (Doom had insisted on naming the child in exchange for assisting with the difficult birth.) Later, Doom would exploit his special bond with the child to employ her as a mystical familiar, using sorcery to mount one of his most ruthless and terrifying attacks on the FF ever. In the end, Doom was taken by his own demonic benefactors, but not before he hideously disfigured Reed's face as a parting gesture. Physically and emotionally scarred, Reed led the FF into Doom's now-leaderless Latveria, where he worked obsessively to dismantle Doom's regime, neutralize his arsenal, erase Doom's legacy and create a better state, becoming increasingly tyrannical himself in the process and ignoring threats of international criminal charges from the United Nations. At the same time, unknown even to his teammates, Reed was secretly plotting to retrieve Doom from Hell and place him in a specially prepared other-dimensional prison from which he could never escape; but this transfer was unwittingly interrupted by the rest of the FF, allowing Doom to escape long enough to kill the Thing. Devastated, the remaining FF returned to America where their standing with the authorities and their reputation with the general public had taken a terrible beating due to the Latverian controversy. The FF broke up, Reed and Sue split up, and Reed was even forced to sign over most of his patents to the government as part of a deal to escape prosecution. However, Reed was certain that Ben could be resurrected, and he convinced Sue and Johnny to join him in this quest, which ultimately led them to the gates of Heaven itself using a modified model of Doom's old afterlife machine. Persuaded it was not yet his time, Ben agreed to return to the land of the living with his friends-and the Creators allowed it, even healing Reed's facial scars as an added boon. With the FF back together, Reed lead them in trying to rebuild their reputations and their finances. For a time, he also steered the team into taking on more conventional civilian occupations as life experience; but his chief goals continue to be raising a family, protecting humanity and seeking knowledge in all corners of the universe and beyond. When the New Warriors' actions during a taping of their reality TV show caused the deaths of hundreds of innocent people and children, Tony Stark took the lead in a Superhero Registration initiative and Reed joined him, eager to put his scientific abilities to use in the capture and imprisonment of unregistered heroes. This created a rift between Reed and Sue that expanded when Reed spent more time working on his blueprints than visiting his brother-in-law in the hospital - after an angry mob attacked him outside of a nightclub. Sue soon left and joined the anti-Registration side, led by their mutual friend, Captain America. In the meantime, Reed designed a prison within the Negative Zone to hold the super-powered captives, but the anti-Registration forces quickly broke into the prison and released their allies, eventually bringing the fight into downtown New York. During the fight, Sue retailed against the Taskmaster when he attacked Reed. But Captain America soon 165

withdrew when he saw the damage done by his fight and turned himself in to the authorities. Despite finding himself on the winning side, Reed has been left to put back together the pieces of a family and a team that each joined against him before surrendering to the law. Mister Fantastic can shift his body (or portions of same) into a super-malleable state, enabling him to stretch, compress, expand, deform, elongate, contract or otherwise reshape his physical form at will. He can stretch his limbs, neck and torso to incredible lengths, though extending himself beyond approximately 1500 feet is a serious physical strain. When assuming non-humanoid shapes, he tends to favor simple constructs such as barricades, canopies, cylinders, cubes, nets, parachutes and spheres, generally assuming a volume of no greater than 1.7 cubic feet (though he can expand far beyond that volume if the shape he forms is thin-shelled and hollow). He can render himself paper-thin, or become slim enough in diameter to thread the eye of a needle. His malleable form renders him relatively immune to most conventional impacts; for instance, bullets fired into his body tend to bounce back at the shooter, and he can bodily contain small explosions. It is almost impossible to lacerate or puncture his skin unless he consciously allows such penetrations. By reshaping his features, Reed can disguise himself at will. Reed Richards is perhaps the greatest living genius of his time, proficient in almost all fields of science and technology, a visionary theoretician and inspired machine smith who has made breakthroughs in such varied fields as space travel, time travel, extra-dimensional travel, biochemistry, robotics, computers, synthetic polymers, communications, mutations, transportation, holography, energy generation, spectral analysis and more. He is also a natural leader and a gifted tactician and strategist. Just a few of Reed's notable inventions include the FF's high-tech vehicles, notably their Fantasticars; robots such as HERBIE, HUBERT and FF receptionist Roberta; a serum granting Inhumans temporary immunity from the effects of environmental pollution; and various devices that have enabled Reed and others to monitor, access and traverse the alien realm known as the Negative Zone, discovered by Reed. One of Reed's most lucrative, well-known and widely used inventions is the material known as "unstable molecules", generally used to fashion extraordinarily durable fabrics that adapt to the form and physical state of their wearers-giving Reed, for instance, an outfit that stretches along with him. Real Name: Reed Richards; Aliases: Doctor Doom, Richard Reed, Invincible Man, Reed Benjamin, "Man in the Mystery Mask", Mister "Elastic"; Identity: Publicly known; Occupation: Scientist, adventurer; former computer technician, university professor, student; Citizenship: United States of America; Place of Birth: Central City, California; Known Relatives: Susan Richards (Invisible Woman, wife), Franklin Richards (son), Valeria Richards (daughter), Johnny Storm (Human Torch, brother-in-law), Evelyn Richards (mother, deceased), Nathaniel Richards (father), Major John Richards (grandfather), Franklin Storm (father-in-law, deceased), Mary Storm (mother-in-law, deceased), Cassandra Richards (Warlord, stepmother, deceased), unnamed Richards child (half-brother), Tara Richards (Huntara, half-sister), Kristoff Vernard (alleged half-brother); Kang, his divergent counterparts, and offspring (common ancestry); Group Affiliation: Fantastic Four, the Illuminati; formerly Knights of the Atomic Table, Avengers, Defenders associate; Education: Multiple scientific doctorates in fields such as engineering, math and physics from California State Institute of Technology, Columbia University, Harvard and State University, and others; Height: 6'1" (variable); Weight: 180 lbs.; Eyes: Brown; Hair: Brown, graying at temples Quantum 4; Quantum Pool 40 (Regenerate every 30 minutes); Willpower 7; Strength 2, Dexterity 2 (2, Flexibility x8), Stamina 3, Manipulation 2, Charisma 4, Appearance 3 (1, Appearance Alteration), Perception 3, Intelligence 4 (1, Engineering Prodigy), Wits 2; Abilities: Academics 4, Athletics 2, Awareness 2, Biz 4, Brawl 3, Bureaucracy 2, Command 4, Computer 4, Drive 2, Endurance 3, Engineering 5, Etiquette 3, Firearms 2, Interrogation 2, Investigation 4, Linguistics 3, Medicine (Nova) 3, Melee 3, Might 1, Pilot 1, Rapport 2, Resistance 3, Science 5, Streetwise 2, Style 2, Subterfuge 1; Backgrounds: Allies 5, Attunement 1, Backing 5, Contacts 5, Dormancy 1, Eufiber 2, Influence 4, Node 2, Resources 5, Sanctum 3; Quantum Powers: Armor 5, Body Modification: Patagia, Invulnerability (Bashing) 2, Shapeshift (Body Shaping Only) 5; Soak: Bashing 30 dice, Lethal 16 dice (Heals rates are two times normal, Lifespan 150+ years). Richards, Sue Long the least visible member of the Fantastic Four in more ways than one, the once-passive Sue Richards has matured into a formidable and commanding heroine over the years-but it is still her warmly maternal presence that binds the team together. Born Susan Storm, Sue and her brother Johnny had a happy childhood until their mother Mary died in a car crash. Their father, celebrated surgeon Doctor Franklin Storm, survived the accident without injury but was unable to save his wife despite his best medical efforts. His spirit broken, Dr. Storm abandoned his practice, becoming a gambler and a drunk, and eventually went to prison after he accidentally killed an underworld loan shark during a struggle. Sue became more like a mother than a sister to Johnny thereafter, though both were soon placed in the custody of their loving aunt Marygay. While she was still quite young, Sue became smitten with her aunt's handsome and brilliant tenant, science prodigy Reed Richards, then a university student. The young Storms lived a relatively normal life with their aunt for several years, interrupted by the discovery of the mystical Amulet of Zarathos, which had been unearthed by local archaeologist Professor Henry Brandeis. Working together, Johnny, Sue, family friend Max Parrish and the Professor's daughter Cam managed to prevent the amulet from falling into the hands of vampire lord Dracula; during the conflict, Max used the 166

amulet to become a demonic Ghost Rider, though Johnny helped Max prevent this transformation from becoming permanent. During her own college years, Sue began doing some minor acting and modelling work and renewed her contact with Reed, dating him steadily for some time. Reed's old friend Ben Grimm took an interest in Sue as well, though she remained loyal to Reed. When a sudden loss of funding threatened to derail Reed's experimental starship project, Reed urged his pilot, Ben, to join him in making an unauthorized test flight before the project shut down. Grimm was reluctant, but accepted the challenge after Sue questioned his courage. Sue and her brother Johnny insisted on coming along as well, wishing to share the risk. The quartet successfully launched into space, but intense cosmic rays penetrated the ship's shielding and irradiated the crew, forcing them back to Earth. On landing, they discovered they had mutated into superhumans, and Sue became the Invisible Girl. Dedicating their new powers to superheroics and scientific exploration, the quartet became the Fantastic Four. Sue's relatively static invisibility power made her seem like a weak link in the team at first, but she soon discovered that she also had the ability to project and manipulate invisible force fields, making her a more effective combatant. While team leader and financier Reed provided the FF with a Manhattan headquarters in the Baxter Building, Johnny and Sue maintained a suburban home in their native Glenville for some time. Johnny also tried to moonlight as a solo super hero, and his sister sometimes aided him against foes such as the Wizard, who would become one of the FF's most relentless enemies. One of the FF's earliest foes was misguided Atlantean warrior Namor the Sub-Mariner, who was strongly attracted to Sue and vied with Reed for her affections. Sue was drawn to Namor, who eventually became a valued friend and ally to the FF, but she remained true to Reed. When Sue was gravely injured during a battle with the Mole Man, her father-who had just recently escaped from prison-came out of hiding to operate on her, saving her life and reconciling with his children before he willingly returned to jail. This attracted the attention of the Super-Skrull (Kl'rt), who abducted Dr. Storm, impersonated him and attacked the FF as the Invincible Man; but in the end, the Super-Skrull was defeated and the real Dr. Storm sacrificed his life to save the FF from a Skrull booby trap, dying secure in the belief that he had redeemed himself at last. Reed and Sue were finally married-despite a small army of super-villains dispatched to attack their wedding by Reed's old enemy Doctor Doom, who had become the FF's foremost foe. Sue soon became pregnant with her first child and stepped down from active FF duty, replaced by Inhuman elemental Crystal (then Johnny's girlfriend). Sue's cosmic-irradiated physiology complicated the pregnancy, but Reed ensured the child's safe delivery via a Cosmic Control Rod taken from Annihilus. The baby, christened Franklin after Sue's late father, proved to be a vastly powerful mutant whose fluctuating abilities have alternately saved or menaced both the FF and the world over the years. During a period where Franklin's powers were raging out of control, Reed was forced to shut down his son's mind for a time. Appalled by this, and frustrated by her growing belief that Reed did not regard her as an equal, Sue separated from Reed and quit the FF, taking Franklin with her. Medusa of the Inhumans took Sue's place in the FF for an extended period, but Sue reclaimed her spot on the roster after she and Reed finally reconciled-with the aid of Namor, ironically enough. The FF broke up altogether for a time when Reed temporarily lost his powers, but they soon regrouped. Sue became pregnant a second time. Seeking a more normal family life, Reed and Sue established a household in smalltown Belle Port, Connecticut for a time, living quietly in disguise there as the Benjamin family while continuing to serve with the FF in their original identities. This baby had been conceived during a stay in the Negative Zone, exposing Sue to radiation that made this pregnancy even more complicated and dangerous than the previous one, finally resulting in a stillbirth. Still traumatized and bitter, Sue was easy prey for the Psycho-Man and his Hate-Monger android, who used their emotion-manipulating powers to amplify Susan's darker impulses, changing her into the mad villainess Malice and turning her against the FF. Freed from their influence by Reed, Sue exacted a chilling revenge on Psycho-Man by subjecting him to his own emotion-warping technology (the Hate-Monger, meanwhile, had been slain by the vigilante Scourge). Sobered by these events, Sue changed her costumed alias to the more mature Invisible Woman, the code-name she uses to this day. Seeking a more normal family life again, Reed and Sue retired from the FF altogether to concentrate on raising Franklin, leaving Ben in charge of regrouping; however, Reed and Sue's retirement was short-lived. After teaming with several Avengers to rescue Franklin during the demonic Inferno invasion, Reed and Sue reluctantly agreed to join the Avengers, who were critically short-handed at the time. Reed and Sue amicably stepped down from active Avengers membership before long, later resigning their Avengers membership altogether after they rejoined the Fantastic Four. The FF remain staunch allies to the Avengers regardless, and Sue is friendly with various Avengers members, notably the size-changing socialite Wasp and the super-strong She-Hulk, who had served a lengthy stint with the FF during a period when Ben was estranged from the team. Like the other FF founders, Sue has participated in many mass super-hero gatherings over the yearsnotably the original Contest of Champions, during which she teamed with Iron Fist and Sunfire as pawns of an unknown entity to battle the Grandmaster's pawns Daredevil, Darkstar and Australian hero Talisman, ultimately teaming with Talisman to unmask the Grandmaster's opponent as Death itself. Later, during the cosmic conflict known as the Infinity War, Sue absorbed her own evil doppelganger (a creature from the Dimension of Manifestations, controlled by Adam Warlock's dark side, the Magus), which had been dispatched against her in the form of Malice. This led to a gradual revival of Sue's Malice persona (which had been temporarily released by the cosmic In-Betweener once before), but Franklin, temporarily transformed into the teen hero Psi-Lord, forced 167

Malice out of his mother and absorbed the entity, apparently destroying his mother's dark counterpart. Sue never fully accepted Psi-Lord, perhaps resenting the notion of a Franklin who grew up without her as Psi-Lord did. When Reed was seemingly killed in action, Sue took over leadership of the FF and served capably in the role, recruiting Ant-Man (Scott Lang) as the team's new scientist; however, she refused to believe Reed was truly dead, leading an ongoing search for her husband and rejecting romantic advances from her old flame, Namor. As it turned out, Reed had been abducted and time-displaced by the villain Hyperstorm. Once the FF finally rescued Reed, it took him some time to regain his confidence, especially since Sue had become such an effective team leader in his absence. Shortly thereafter, the entire FF seemingly died in battle with the psychic monster Onslaught, though they secretly survived in a new "Counter-Earth" parallel world created instinctively by Franklin, and they eventually returned to their own world after a series of adventures in this alternate-reality. Soon after their return, the FF befriended the new Marvel Girl, Valeria Von Doom, who came from an alternate future where she believed herself to be the offspring of Sue and a benevolent incarnation of Doctor Doom. Reluctant to trust or believe the girl at first, Sue gradually came to regard Valeria as a friend, even forming a familial bond with her. Later, during the team's reality-warping conflict with the cosmic being Abraxas, Franklin revealed he had used his powers to rescue Sue's seemingly stillborn second child years earlier, and that this child had been raised in an alternate future to become the Marvel Girl they now knew. As a side-effect of Abraxas' defeat, Marvel Girl was restored to her original state, as an unborn child in Sue's womb. Yet again, it was a risky and complicated pregnancy; but Sue finally gave birth to a healthy baby girl, thanks largely to the assistance of Doctor Doom, who was allowed to name the infant after his childhood sweetheart Valeria in exchange for his services. Later, Doom used Valeria as his mystical familiar in sorcerous attacks on the FF, but was ultimately defeated and cast into Hell. Reed led the FF in dismantling Doom's Latverian regime despite international condemnation of his actions, which hurt their public image and their standing with the authorities. The FF broke up, Reed and Sue split up, and Reed signed over most of his patents to the government as part of a deal to escape prosecution; however, Reed convinced Sue and Johnny to join him in a quest to resurrect Ben, returning him from the gates of Heaven itself. While the FF work to rebuild their reputations and their finances, they have recently dabbled in more conventional fields of employment, such as teaching. Sue was recently captured by Zius, leader of a group of survivors from worlds consumed by Galactus. Knowing Sue's power could overcome a device designed to hide planets from Galactus, Zius intended to execute her; but Reed used a device to swap Johnny and Sue's powers, duping Zius into thinking the invisibility powers had been completely neutralized. These powers were enhanced by Galactus, who claimed Johnny as his herald; but Johnny's new cosmic state helped facilitate Galactus' defeat, and Sue regained her original powers-though she also gained new respect for Johnny regarding his ability to control his dangerous fire power. Sue currently moonlights as a substitute teacher while juggling her roles as wife, mother and celebrity adventurer. When the government of the United States instituted a Superhero Registration in light of a schoolyard tragedy in Stamford, Connecticut, Reed joined alongside Tony Stark, using his scientific genius to work against unregistered heroes. Sue disagreed with his decision, and the tension between them grew after a crowd outside a nightclub - enraged by the paranoia surrounding the country - attacked Johnny and put him into a coma. While Sue visited him daily, Reed brushed it off and lost himself in his work for the government. The tension finally came to a head and Sue left Reed in a spectacular exit that blew a hole through the ceiling and floor of the building, and joined the anti-Registration side led by Captain America. But the Captain soon turned himself in after an all-out battle in downtown New York that devastated the people he meant to protect. Afterwards, Sue was left to pick up the pieces of her team and her marriage to Reed. Sue can render herself wholly or partially invisible at will. She can also render other people or objects invisible, affecting up to forty thousand cubic feet of volume. She achieves these feats by mentally bending all wavelengths of light in the vicinity around herself or the target in question, and she somehow does this without causing any visible distortion effects; she also somehow directs enough undistorted light to her eyes to retain her full range of vision while invisible. Sue can also mentally generate a psionic field of invisible force apparently drawn from hyperspace, which she manipulates for a variety of effects. Most commonly, Sue generates nearindestructible invisible force fields around herself or other targets. She can vary the texture and tensile strength of her field to some extent, rendering it highly rigid or as soft and yielding as foam; softer variations on the field enable her to cushion impacts more gently, and are less likely to result in a psionic backlash against Sue herself (in rare cases, sufficiently powerful attacks on her psionic fields can cause her mental or physical pain). Sue can shape her psionic force fields into invisible constructs, usually simple shapes such as barriers, columns, cones, cylinders, darts, discs, domes, platforms, rams, ramps, slides and spheres. By generating additional force behind her psionic constructs, Sue can turn them into offensive weapons, ranging from massive invisible battering rams to small projectiles such as spheres and darts. She can generate solid force constructs as small as a marble or as large as 100 feet in diameter, and her hollow projections such as domes can extend up to several miles in area. By forming one of her force fields within an object and expanding the field, Sue can cause her target to explode. She can also travel atop animated constructs such as ramps, stairs, slides, columns and stepping discs, enabling her to simulate a limited approximation of levitation or flight. She is capable of generating and manipulating multiple psionic force fields simultaneously. Sue once swapped powers with her 168

brother Johnny for a brief period, and during that time had the ability to generate and manipulate flames for various effects. Sue has some modest experience and ability in the field of acting, and has recently taken up teaching. She is a capable unarmed combatant. She is renowned for her changing hairstyles (once said to match the Wasp's changing costumes). Like the rest of the FF, Sue wears a highly durable costume composed of unstable molecules that shift to accommodate the wearer's form. Short-lived variations on her standard costuming have included a mini-skirt, "4"-shaped cleavage and an exposed midriff. Real Name: Susan Storm Richards; Aliases: Baroness Von Doom, Stormy Sue, Malice, Mistress of Hate, Susan Benjamin, Invisible Girl; Identity: Publicly known; Occupation: Adventurer, substitute teacher; former actor, model, student; Citizenship: U.S.A.; Place of Birth: Glenville, Long Island, New York; Known Relatives: Reed Richards (Mister Fantastic, husband), Franklin Richards (son), Valeria Richards (daughter), Johnny Storm (Human Torch, brother), Franklin Storm (father, deceased), Mary Storm (mother, deceased), Marygay Jewel Dinkins (aunt), "Bones" (cousin), Evelyn Richards (mother-in-law, deceased), Nathaniel Richards (father-in-law), Cassandra Richards (Warlord, mother-in-law, deceased), unnamed child of Nathaniel Richards (brother-in-law), Tara Richards (Huntara, sister-in-law), Kristoff Vernard (alleged brother-in-law), Lyja (sister-in-law); Group Affiliation: Formerly Secret Avengers, Fantastic Four, Avengers, Brides of Set, pawns of Death; Education: High school education, incomplete college studies; Height; 5'6"; Weight: 120 lbs.; Eyes: Blue; Hair: Blonde Quantum 3; Quantum Pool 40 (Regenerate every hour); Willpower 4; Taint 1; Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Manipulation 2, Charisma 3, Appearance 3, Perception 2, Intelligence 3, Wits 3; Abilities: Athletics 1, Brawl 3, Computer 1, Drive 2, Endurance 3, Etiquette 2, Firearms 1, Intrusion 3, Linguistics 2, Perform 3, Resistance 3, Science 1, Stealth 3, Style 3, Subterfuge 2; Backgrounds: Allies 5, Attunement 1, Backing 4, Contacts 5, Eufiber 2, Influence 2, Node 3, Resources 4, Sanctum 3; Quantum Powers: Disrupt (Physical or Energy Only) 5, Flight 2, Force Field (Wall, Extended Area -1 Level / x2 area) 5, Invisibility (Area Effect) 2, Quantum Bolt (Bashing Force Shield) 5; Soak: Bashing 3 dice, Lethal 1 dice (Heals rates are two times normal, Lifespan 150+ years). Singh, Khan Noonien Khan Noonien Singh was one of the "Augments", a group of genetically engineered supermen, born in the early 1960s as the result of a revolutionary eugenics program conducted by a group of scientists trying to create a new, artificially improved breed of men and women: smarter, faster, stronger than ordinary human beings, a super-race to take command of the entire planet. Designed and facilitated by a group of world renown biochemists and geneticists, the top-secret Chrysalis Project involved manipulating chromosomes of human embryos using techinques that appeared to be far beyond what humans were capable of at the time. Essentially its goal was to improve the human race artificially by editing out "bad" influences in genetic structures and adding in "improvements" which would maximize the potential mental and physical development of the subject embryos, which would create a race of superhumans. The designers focused on increasing intelligence, strength, endurance, respiratory capacity and the cardiovascular system. The Chrysalis project endeavored to give their genetically enhanced creations full rein of the planet. To do so, the engineers of this project also genetically enhanced the bacteria streptococcus, making it a volatile flesh eating entity. In order to infect the worlds populous, Russian ICBMs were procured as implementation vehicles. Free from any governments authority, Chrysalis was a private consortium that answered to no one, having complete autonomy. Chrysalis had its headquarters located in the Great Thar desert, thanks to its remote location, the Chrysalis endeavor was completely isolated. The main complex was hidden beneath the ruins of an ancient Rajput fort. The genetically engineered Augments of the Chrysalis Project were mentally and physically superior to ordinary men and women. They were five times stronger than the average person, their lung efficiency was 50 percent better than normal, and their intelligence was double that of normal humans, which gave them superior analytical capabilities compared to ordinary humans and an increased capacity for absorbing new information. What the scientists failed to realize was that creating a superior race also meant creating a superior ambition: the so called supermen felt that their superior physical and intellectual abilities gave them the right to rule over the rest of humanity. To that end, they conspired throughout the 1980s to seize power through the use of behind-the-scenes manipulation, brute force and "puppet leaders" who answered only to them. In the mid22nd century, Doctor Arik Soong would theorize that a defect in the genomes of the Augments created a problem in the base-pair sequences that regulate the neurotransmitter levels in their brains, causing them to be highly prone to aggression and violent behavior. The son of the original director of Chrysalis, Sarina Kaur, Khan Noonien Singh was the greatest threat to the world out of all the Augments. Khan strove to create a world that gave equal opportunity to all. To purge the world of governments that did nothing for their people. He considered himself a humanitarian. Khan Singh's presence was felt throughout the world, perhaps most discreetly. He fought against Soviet soldiers outside Lenin's tomb, where he stopped a coup, and maintained the safety of President Mikhail Gorbachev while he was attending the summit at Reykjavik. He was rumored to be all over the Asian and Indian subcontinent, inciting the 1987 pro-democracy uprising in South Korea, fighting alongside the Afghan rebels in their guerilla war against the Soviet Union, personally arranging the mysterious 1988 plane crash that killed General Zia ul-Haq, 169

leader of the Pakistan's military government, returning democracy to India's nearest neighbor and rival. Khan was credited with the so called "natural" death of the Ayatollah Khomeini. Aided and abetted by power-hungry individuals in various governments, business organizations, and independent agencies who allowed themselves to fall under his domination, Khan attempted to gain control of the entire planet. In 1992 Khan quietly seized power over much of Southeast Asia and the Middle East through blackmail and strong-arm tactics. Dozens of "figurehead rulers" either answered to Khan or in some fashion allied themselves with him. He ruled his dominion from what he called the Great Khanate in the remote parts of India. His fellow "supermen" took over key positions of power in South America, Somalia, the former Yugoslavia, remote parts of the South Pacific and in isolated sections of North Africa. Khan's Great Khanate was centered in Chandigarh, India and had a secondary command center on Muroroa atoll, "Chrysalis Island", of the Tuamoto islands in the French Polynesia. On June 14, 1992 from Muroroa atoll, a former French Nuclear testing area, Khan launched the Morning Star satellite into orbit, giving him the ability to damage the Earth's ozone layer. On July 10, 1992 Singh held an assembly with delegates from nations in Southern Asia and the Middle East, where he demonstrated Morning Star's abilities and issued an ultimatum, "if I fall, the world falls with me". On June 14, 1993 Khan held a summit with 6 of his most powerful Chrysalis siblings, where he attempted to unify them to create a new world order with him as the prevailing voice. The summit was a failure as Khans dream of unity collapsed when the Augments' enhanced ambition caused them to turn on one another, spawing what would later be called the "Eugenics Wars." Carried out through mostly covert operations, the war did result in massive casualities that the legitimate Earth governments publicly said were rogue terrorist incidents or natural disasters. During this time, in their eagerness to assert their self-proclaimed destinies as rulers of the Earth, the Augments sparked civil wars and unrest all over the globe, in Eastern Europe, Liberia, Somalia, Peru, Haiti, Rwanda and elsewhere. Though the public-at-large was aware of the majority of such events - most never knew that the events were in fact all related to one another. Indeed, the public was kept entirely ignorant of many of the related "battles" of the so-called Eugenics Wars and even Khan himself was not known to the majority of the planet's inhabitants. Apart from his intellect, strength, and ambition, one of the attributes that made Khan so powerful and dangerous was his magnetism. He inspired complete loyalty among his followers, and they believed he could lead them to greatness. While it was true that there was little freedom on Chrysalis Island, there were also no massacres. Even those who were against him had an admiration for what he had accomplished. Eventually, after learning the secrets of the Chrysalis Project, Khan redeveloped the flesh eating streptococcus that his mother developed and prepared to devastate the planet with its presence. On September 5, 1995 Chrysalis Island was attacked by a joint Russian-American strike, a nuclear device destroying Khan's Doomsday weapon. With his weakened arsenal and with the major superpowers of the world now aware of Khan's plans of genocide, air strikes from American B-52 bombers and a ground assault from the Russian Spetsnaz eliminated Khan's henchmen and palace. On January 10, 1996 Khan and 83 of his fellow Augments escaped Earth aboard a stolen prototype vessel of the DY-100 sleeper ship "Botany Bay", which was developed using technology reverse-engineered from the Ferenghi ship that crashed at Roswell, and launched from the secret American facility nicknamed "Area 51." Khan headed for outer space with the dream of someday ruling a world of his own making. On board the ship, the crew was cryogenically frozen to allow them to remain in suspended animation. Quantum 7; Quantum Pool 50 (Regenerate every 10 minutes); Willpower 8; Taint 6 (Hormonal Imbalance Rage, Megalomania); Strength 4 (2, Crush), Dexterity 5 (1, Fast Tasks), Stamina 4 (3, Resiliency), Manipulation 4, Charisma 5 (1 (Commanding Presence, Natural Agitator), Appearance 4, Perception 3, Intelligence 5 (2, Eidetic Memory), Wits 4; Abilities: Academics 4, Arts 2, Athletics 2, Awareness 3, Biz 5, Bureaucracy 4, Command 5, Computer 3, Drive 1, Endurance 4, Engineering 3, Etiquette 4, Firearms 3, Interrogation 4, Intimidation 3, Intrusion 4, Investigation 4, Linguistics 3, Martial Arts 4, Medicine 2, Melee 4, Might 3, Perform 4, Pilot 3, Rapport 3, Resistance 4, Science 4, Stealth 1, Streetwise 4, Style 2, Subterfuge 3, Survival 3; Backgrounds: Allies 5, Backing 5, Cipher 4, Contacts 5, Followers 5, Influence 4, Node 5, Resources 5; Soak: Bashing 10 dice, Lethal 6 dice (Heals rates are five times normal, ignore three points of damage penalty, one extra Bruised health level, Lifespan 180+ years). Storm, Johnny Growing up in suburban Glenville, Johnny Storm was drawn to automobiles despite his mother's death in a car accident, and became quite a mechanic at a young age. While still a teenager he selflessly rescued two of his friends from a burning building. No stranger to adventure, Johnny-son of famous doctor and infamous criminal Franklin Storm-was nearly chosen as the human host of the demonic Zarathos, the Ghost Rider, and was attacked by the legendary St. Germaine, who sought the power for himself. Johnny escaped the lure of Zarathos with the help of archeologist Max Parrish, the uncle of Cammy Brandeis, on whom Johnny had a bit of a crush. Following his sister, Sue, Johnny joined Reed Richards' crew in a space flight. Riddled with cosmic radiation, Johnny transformed into a flaming monster when the flight crashed back to earth. Calling himself Human Torch in tribute to the World War II era hero of the same name, the youthful Johnny found new adventure as part of the Fantastic Four, proving to be an invaluable if somewhat volatile member of the team. Falling out with his teammates after a battle with the Miracle Man, Johnny left the group and encountered 170

amnesiac World War II hero Namor the Sub-Mariner. Recognizing Namor from comic books, Johnny dropped him into the sea, hoping to restore his memory. The plan worked, but after Namor found Atlantis in ruins, he declared war on humanity. Johnny rejoined the FF and they drove Namor off. The immature Johnny again considered quitting the Fantastic Four, this time to join his cousin Bones' circus, but quickly returned to the team. Though a member of the world-famous Fantastic Four, Johnny was still a teenage Glenville High student - albeit one who regularly clashed with super-powered menaces. Johnny even tried to conceal his dual identity from most of the locals at first, though this soon proved futile (the true identities of all four FF founders being widely known almost from the start). In solo action, he fought the communist Destroyer (Charles Stanton) and Rabble Rouser; the Wizard (born Bentley Wittman); Zemu, Warlord of the 5th Dimension; Paste-Pot Pete; Acrobat (Carl Zante); Vilhelm von Vile, the enigmatic Painter of 1000 Perils; the Sorcerer of Glenville Woods; the Asbestos Man (Orson Kasloff); the Eel (Leopold Stryke); the Plantman; modern-day pirate Captain Barracuda, whom Johnny defeated in the first of several team-ups with his super-heroic opposite number Iceman; and the Terrible Trio. Super-villains, however, weren't Johnny's only rivals. Mike Snow, a member of the Glenville High wrestling squad, bullied Johnny until an accidental flare-up of the Torch's powers scarred Snow's face. Despite their animosity, Snow concealed the incident, blaming the injuries on a prank gone wrong and maintaining that Johnny had actually saved his life that night by flying him to the hospital. While Mike tried to move on with his life, Johnny did the same, dating fellow student Dorrie Evans, although she eventually grew tired of his constant disappearances and broke it off. Johnny met another teenage hero, Spider-Man, who broke into the Baxter Building hoping to impress the FF. Despite their early misunderstandings, the Torch and Spider-Man eventually became good friends. When the Super-Skrull (Kl'rt), possessing the combined powers of the Fantastic Four, attacked the team, the Human Torch managed to trap him inside a cave, but the Super-Skrull escaped and impersonated Franklin Storm. The Four exposed the Super-Skrull, but the Skrulls strapped a bomb to the real Franklin's chest, and Franklin sacrificed his own life to save his children. A trip to the Skrull homeworld and the death of Warlord Morrat, the Skrull who authorized Franklin's murder, brought some measure of revenge, but this was not the last time the Skrulls would interfere in Johnny's life. After graduating high school, Johnny enrolled in Metro College, where he befriended his roommate, Wyatt Wingfoot. Wyatt joined Johnny and the Fantastic Four on a trip to Wakanda, where they first encountered the Black Panther and helped him defeat Klaw. Around this time, Johnny met the young Inhuman Crystal. It was love at first sight, and Johnny, along with the rest of the FF, helped her overthrow the mad Inhuman prince Maximus. Their love was passionate but short-lived, as Crystal returned to Attilan and married Quicksilver, the son of Magneto - eventually bearing his child. Johnny was crushed, but tried to move on. Hoping to catch up on old times with Dorrie Evans, he found that she had married and had two kids since they had broken up. Despite dropping out of Metro U, Johnny remained friends with Wyatt, who often participated in the Fantastic Four's adventures and was later romantically linked to the She-Hulk. When Johnny's sister Sue and her husband Reed were separated, Johnny joined the Thing, Medusa and Thundra in a staged battle against the rehabilitated Namor in an effort to bring the couple back together. Their ploy worked, and Sue and Reed patched things up for good. Seeking direction in his life, Johnny was tricked into attending the high-class Security College, a front for the Monocle, an agent of the megalomaniacal Enclave, who used him to steal top-secret high-tech weapons. Spider-Man broke the Monocle's control of the Torch. Johnny then joined the rest of the FF in space, where they helped the Champions of Xandar against the invading Skrulls. When Johnny's teammates were dying from a Skrull aging ray, Johnny destroyed the robotic assassin Skrull X, allowing the infirm Reed to use his weapon to reverse the aging. Hearing of the execution of David George Munson, his former high school classmate, Johnny helped the NYPD clear his name and nabbed several leading members of the Maggia criminal organization, including Hammerhead. After a brief relationship with auto mechanic Lorrie Melton, Johnny fell for Frankie Raye, a woman desperately afraid of his flames. Frankie eventually discovered that her pyrophobia stemmed from being hypnotized by her late stepfather, Phineas Horton (creator of the android Human Torch), into forgetting that he had accidentally given her flame powers of her own. Johnny helped Frankie adjust to her rediscovered powers as their relationship blossomed, but when Galactus returned to Earth, Frankie agreed to follow him into space as his new herald, Nova. Distraught, Johnny was comforted by Frankie's former roommate, Julie Angel, and began to have feelings for her. Confusing matters further, Julie's friend, Sharon Selleck, had a crush on Johnny. Julie eventually moved to California to continue her acting career and nothing came of Sharon's crush. Johnny was briefly abducted by agents of the Messiah (Alden Maas) in his mad plot to expand the Earth by super-heating its core. Brought to Battleworld by the Beyonder and forced to battle various super-villains, Johnny met and was healed by Zsaji, a native of the planet. Physically but not emotionally attracted to Zsaji, Johnny found an unlikely rival in Colossus (Peter Rasputin), who fell in love with the healer. Although Zsaji returned Johnny's affection at first, she eventually chose Colossus over the Torch, but then sacrificed her own life to rescue several dying heroes. Johnny returned to Earth, where he found himself drawn to Alicia Masters, longtime girlfriend of Johnny's then-absent FF teammate, the Thing. Johnny and Alicia's romance helped estrange the Thing from the FF for a lengthy period. Johnny hit his lowest point when Tommy Hanson, a young fan of his, set himself on fire in an attempt to be more like his hero. Hearing of the boy's death, Johnny 171

considered retiring as the Human Torch, but the Beyonder managed to talk him out of it. Eventually Johnny married Alicia, but a jealous Thing offered a spot in the Fantastic Four to Crystal, who was separated from Quicksilver at the time. Johnny's old feelings for Crystal slowly returned, but his love for Alicia enabled him to resist temptation, and Crystal eventually left the team. Despite their long and intimate relationship, Johnny was horrified to discover that the Alicia he loved and married was not the true Alicia Masters, but a Skrull imposter named Lyja. Originally sent to infiltrate and destroy the Fantastic Four, Lyja truly fell in love with Johnny, and joined the Fantastic Four in confronting Paibok, the Skrull who had kidnapped the real Alicia. Lyja seemingly sacrificed her life to protect Johnny, but her former lover Paibok nursed her back to health. Trying to move on from yet another failed relationship, Johnny enrolled at Empire State University; but Devos, Paibok and even Lyja attacked Johnny at ESU, forcing him to go nova, burning down a large section of the campus. Johnny briefly became a fugitive, chased after by Silver Sable's Wild Pack, until Reed agreed to sell some of his patents to pay for the damages. Lyja returned to Johnny's life again, tricking him into believing she was carrying his baby. When this proved a lie as well, Johnny left her again. Johnny briefly joined his nephew Franklin's Fantastic Force team, where he battled his virtually omnipotent extra-dimensional counterpart Vangaard (formerly Gaard), convincing him to abandon his mission of eliminating redundant realities by showing him the hero he could become. Lyja posed as student Laura Green and dated Johnny to stay close to him; Johnny recognized her when they kissed though he didn't share this until later, but the two never had the chance to explore their true feelings. After Franklin Richards created his Counter-Earth and rescued the Fantastic Four, Avengers, and several other heroes from death at the hands of Onslaught (entity), Roma deemed Franklin too powerful to ignore, and sent the Technet and the (Captain Britain) Corps to retrieve him. The Human Torch convinced Roma that Franklin's family, the Fantastic Four, would be able to nurture him so that he would not grow up to be a danger to the Omniverse. While the rest of the Fantastic Four battled the Gideon Trust and Annihilus in the Negative Zone, Johnny was forced to recruit a temporary FF team consisting of Ant-Man (Scott Lang), Johnny's on-and-off girlfriend Namorita (Namor's cousin), and the She-Hulk, who battled the Gideon Trust on Earth. When the cosmic entity Abraxas came to Earth-616, Johnny teamed with an extra-dimensional version of the now-deceased Frankie Raye to retrieve the Ultimate Nullifier, a weapon powerful enough to destroy Abraxas. This Nova betrayed Johnny and gave the Nullifier to her master, Abraxas, but even that couldn't save Abraxas after Galactus joined the fight. Following the battle, Susan found herself pregnant again, and, with Reed off battling the Hidden Ones, Johnny was forced to seek help from Dr. Doom when problems with the pregnancy threatened Sue's life. Doom saved both Sue and her daughter, Valeria. Seeking an acting career, Johnny was cast as the Rawhide Kid in a summer blockbuster; but it was eventually decided he wasn't ready for the role, which was given to Lon Zelig (actually the Super-Skrull). Johnny also spent some time as a firefighter at the behest of his former classmate, Mike Snow; but when Snow moved away after his wife turned out to be a psychotic arsonist and seemingly died, Johnny left the job (though he later returned to the profession during a period when the FF was short on cash). Sick of her brother's directionless life, Sue forced him to take a job as the Chief Financial Officer for Fantastic Four, Inc. Although initially in over his head, Johnny was able to stop a manufacturer from stealing the secret of Reed's Unstable Molecule suits, and began to warm up to both the job and his co-worker, Jian Fetta. Unfortunately, after a major battle with Doom, Reed attempted to claim Latveria for the Fantastic Four, an act that turned the United States government against them. To escape trial, the group was forced to sell many of their patents and holdings to the government, which left Johnny's wallet much emptier than usual and sent his popularity plummeting. Seeking help from the least popular person he could think of, Johnny contacted Spider-Man, who tried to cheer Johnny up by bringing him to a water park, where they were attacked by HydroMan. Easily defeating the villain and rescuing the park's popular mascot, Johnny found his popularity rising once more. Johnny also began to converse with a new girl over the internet, and hit it off when he finally met her. This girl, Cole, turned out to be the daughter of one of Johnny's oldest enemies, the Wizard; but although she was sent to trick the FF, Cole actually helped lead them to the Wizard's hideout, where they battled him and his new Frightful Four. The Wizard escaped and took Cole with him, but Johnny remained hopeful about meeting her again. Recently, an alien named Zius came to Earth, the location of the one being in the universe who could nullify his Galactus-proof planet-cloaking invisibility shield, Susan Richards. Zius threatened to destroy the planet if Sue did not sacrifice herself, but Reed used his power gun to switch her powers with Johnny's and tricked Zius into leaving the planet. As he left orbit, Galactus destroyed Zius' spaceship and claimed Johnny as his new Herald. Unwilling to lead Galactus to populated worlds, Johnny used his new powers to analyze Galactus and, with the help of the FF and Quasar, managed to transform Galactus back into humanoid form. Johnny's power cosmic faded, but during Reed's subsequent efforts to reverse Sue and Johnny's power switch, a remnant of the power caused a flare-up that temporarily sent the FF's powers into four random New Yorkers. In the wake of the tragedy at Stanford, Connecticut, Johnny found himself a victim of the declining public view of super heroes when an angry mob attacked him outside of a New York nightclub. Storm was hospitalized in a coma for a time. After regaining consciousness, Johnny left the Fantastic Four along with his sister. They worked alongside the underground against the forces of the Registration Act until a battle in 172

downtown New York that forced Captain America to stand down and turn himself in. With the official resistance over, Johnny and Sue returned to the team to attempt to rebuild. Johnny can cover his body in fire, fly at supersonic speeds, project fireballs or other fire objects, manipulate existing flame, and absorb heat with some mental strain. He can generate a nova-level burst of flame, one million degrees Fahrenheit, although this usually exhausts his powers for some time. Under normal usage, he is able to maintain his flame form for up to 17 hours. Johnny briefly gained the powers of the Invisible Woman, which included the ability to turn himself and others invisible, and generate powerful force fields. Cosmically enhanced by Galactus, these powers were greatly amplified, and he could traverse space as well as analyze and manipulate all forms of matter. An expert mechanic since his teens, Johnny was able to totally overhaul a car's transmission by the age of 15. Johnny also has experience as a professional race car driver. Johnny wears clothing made of unstable molecules which will not burn when he activates his flame powers. Real Name: Jonathan Lowell Spencer "Johnny" Storm; Aliases: Matchstick Johnny, Doug Brown; Identity: Publicly known; Occupation: Adventurer, firefighter, Chief Financial Officer - Fantastic Four, Inc.; former actor, mechanic, race car driver, circus performer; Citizenship: U.S.A.; Place of Birth: Glenville, Long Island, New York; Known Relatives: Mary Storm (mother, deceased), Franklin Storm (father, deceased), Susan Storm Richards (Invisible Woman, sister), Reed Richards (Mister Fantastic, brother-in-law), Franklin Richards (nephew), Valeria Richards (niece), Marygay Jewel Dinkins (aunt), "Bones" (cousin), Lyja (estranged wife); Group Affiliation: Fantastic Four; formerly Secret Avengers; Education: Glenville High graduate; former student at Empire State University and Metro University; Height: 5'10"; Weight : 170 lbs.; Eyes: Blue; Hair: Blond Quantum 5; Quantum Pool 50 (Regenerate every 15 minutes); Willpower 4; Taint 1; Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Manipulation 3, Charisma 2, Appearance 3, Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 2; Abilities: Academics 1, Athletics 1, Awareness 2, Biz 1, Brawl 2, Computer 1, Drive 2, Endurance 3, Engineering 3, Etiquette 1, Investigation 1, Melee 2, Perform 1, Pilot 1, Rapport 3, Resistance 3, Streetwise 2, Style 3, Survival 1; Backgrounds: Allies 3, Attunement 1, Backing 4, Contacts 5, Dormancy 1, Eufiber 2, Influence 2, Node 2, Resources 3, Sanctum 3; Quantum Powers: Absorption (Energy) 5, Bodymorph (Fire, Immolate 2, Invulnerability 3) 5, Elemental Anima (Alter Temperature, Enhance/Diminish, Movement, Shaping, Wall) 5, Elemental Mastery (Imprison, Nova Flame, Propel, Sphere, Shield, Storm) 6, Holo (Duplicates) 4, Quantum Bolt (Flame, Lethal) 5; Soak: Bashing 3 dice, Lethal 1 dice (Heals rates are two times normal, Lifespan 150+ years). Sullivan, Chloe Chloe Sullivan "Miss Sullivan, your creative passion will always be for the bizarre and the inexplicable." - Lionel Luthor Chloe Anne Sullivan is a former Daily Planet reporter, as well as being Clark Kent's closest friend and superhero sidekick. She was arrested by the Department of Domestic Security for illegal hacking into government mainframes and is currently in custody. Chloe's parents are Gabe and Moira Sullivan, who have been divorced since Chloe was five. Moira is a metahuman with the power to control other metahumans telepathically, so she had herself committed when Chloe was eight and has been in a mental institution since Chloe was 12. Chloe has no siblings but has two cousins- Lucy and Lois Lane. Chloe is very close to her older cousin and the two look after each other. Chloe was born in Metropolis. She moved to Smallville and befriended Clark Kent and Pete Ross in eighth grade. After four years at Smallville High School, Chloe moved back to Metropolis after graduating in 2005 and currently attends Metropolis University as a journalism major. She was also an intern at the Daily Planet. She began writing obituaries and classifieds and answering the 24-hour news hotline, followed by small general-interest and current event articles. She was recently, along with many other staff members, fired from the Daily Planet by the paper's new owner, Lex Luthor. Despite their mutual affection for Clark, Chloe has cultivated a strong friendship with Lana Lang. Initially a rival for Clark's affection, Lana sees Chloe as her closest friend. Although Chloe disapproved of Lana's intense relationship with Lex Luthor, she tried to be supportive and was the Maid of Honor at their wedding. Since beginning an on-again, off-again relationship with Jimmy Olsen in 2006, Chloe has seemingly shed her crush on Clark and the two have maintained their close friendship after high school. She is part of a select group that knows Clark's true origins. Clark is honest and open to Chloe, often asking her advice or support in his personal problems. Chloe was arrested in the spring of 2008 for illegal hacking into government mainframes and is currently in custody. Chloe's lifelong dream is to be a world-renowned journalist and her personality reflects her ambitions. She is independent, resourceful, and clever. Chloe has a small immediate family; as a result, she greatly values her friendships with Lana Lang, Clark Kent, and Pete Ross. She is fiercely loyal to her friends and eager to help them solve their problems, observe objectively, or offer straightforward, honest advice. She is caring and forgiving and never stays mad at anyone for long. Chloe has an insatiable curiosity and believes "the public has a right to know." As a result, she often oversteps legal and ethical privacy boundaries, hacking into personal files or records without remorse. In high school, Chloe was often conflicted between her need to expose the truth and the ethical consequences of doing so. She enjoyed reporting on the town's strange goings-on and individuals with powers, but often realized too late that her disclosure could potentially have deadly consequences. Because of her "journalistic tendencies" to 173

reveal the truth, a younger Chloe might have been considered untrustworthy. This is probably the main reason Clark Kent never actually told her about his true origins until he realized she had already discovered them. Early in their friendship, Lana Lang admitted that she didn't trust her. She has had arguments with most of her closest friends about breaches of privacy, lack of discretion, and excessive snooping. This has abated somewhat as she has gotten older. Chloe has become a confidante for all of her friends, Clark most of all. Despite her longstanding crush on him, she is willing to help him solve his ongoing relationship problems with Lana. Chloe sometimes wears her emotions close to the surface and has in the past lashed out with tears and accusations, but later apologizes profusely.[5] Lionel Luthor in particular has used this against her to manipulate her. Usually quite perceptive, she was completely oblivious to the fact that Pete had fallen in love with her. Despite her tendency to disclose others' secrets, she herself is private about her own personal matters. She rarely mentions the anxiety she feels over her ailing mother. Chloe believes Moira has an unspecified, hereditary psychiatric illness and has expressed fear that she will inherit it. For a while, Clark was the only person aware of her meteor rock infection and mysterious resurrection; even then she refused to talk about it with him. Later, Chloe confessed to Jimmy Olsen that it was the reason she pulled away from their relationship. She admitted to Jimmy that she is still coming to terms with this aspect of herself and asked him to keep it a secret. Besides journalism, Chloe enjoys writing, studying paranormal events, and is addicted to coffee. She is a skilled computer hacker and does not particularly like outdoor activities. [7] Sometime before actually moving to Smallville, Chloe and Moira were exposed to meteor rock radiation and Chloe suffered a mutation that remained latent until it manifested as mysterious healing tears when Chloe was twenty years old. So far, this was shown at least four times - two of which she underwent herself. Chloe used her powers for the first time in May 2007 at Reeves Dam, when she healed her cousin Lois. Lois was bleeding severely from a deep stab wound and after Chloe started crying, a tear fell on Lois and she was healed. However, Chloe herself was rendered unconscious, to such a degree that the staff at Smallville Medical Center pronounced her dead. Her powers further manifested by reviving her back to life three hours later in full health. Dr. Curtis Knox later performed testing on her meteor rock infection and informed her that she has a high concentration of the mineral in her heart. The next time she used her powers, she had apparently gained some control over them. She used her healing powers, this time without tears, to heal a cut in Jimmy Olsen's finger as a demonstration of her newlyprofessed status as a meteor freak. As she healed him, she explained that the side effects were harsh while visibly wincing and clutching her own finger. Presumably, she took on the pain of Jimmy's cut, suggesting that Chloe's power has an empathic component. This would explain why she seemingly died after healing Lois earlier. Chloe's abilities are capable of activating without her explicit will, as seen when her body eventually resurrected itself back to life. Her healing factor has yet to exhibit being able to accelerate Chloe's self-recuperation outside of resurrection, suggesting that her powers are still developing. She later healed Lex Luthor after he was shot. Clark observed that she had no heartbeat for 18 hours, much longer than her previous recovery period from healing Lois. This suggests that the empathic component to her powers may weaken over time, or that perhaps Lex's injury was just that much more severe than Lois'. In any case, it caused her and Clark to discuss how often she should use her powers. Chloe's healing factor had a remarkable impact on Brainiac. The machine's power reserves were severely depleted after attacking Chloe at the Talon, as her ability to heal countered Brainiac's attempts to infect and render her comatose like he had done to Lana. Over the years, Chloe has developed the research and computer skills to get just about any piece of information she needs. She can search fingerprints databases, run license plates, download satellite images, hack cellular phone records (although she admitted doing this illegally) and access old newspaper archives. She carries a wide assortment of spy gear in the trunk of her car, and is well-versed in their operation. She is highly skilled in using the Internet, and other online databases of information. She has contacts in various strategic places, including the Smallville morgue [citation needed], emergency services [citation needed] and police station [citation needed]. Chloe can not only search online databases; she can also create and forge information records. When Kara Kent came to Smallville, Chloe generated a detailed back story for her based on growing up in Minnesota for 19 years until Kara tracked down her blood relative, Clark Kent. To support the back story, Chloe was able to produce records in order to make Kara's background more credible. Chloe was the reporter and editor for her pride and joy- the Smallville Torch, the newspaper at Smallville High School, which she attended with Clark and Pete Ross. At the Torch office, she maintained a "Wall of Weird," a large mural where she posted articles concerning the often bizarre and eerie events that take place in Smallville, many of which are related to the mutagenic effects of the kryptonite from the meteor shower. Chloe seemingly had 24-hour access to the Torch office and a computer set aside for her personal use. With contacts at the police station, public records, and even local hospitals and morgues, Chloe became Clark's source of information when it came to stopping metahumans determined to achieve their goals at the expense of hurting people. Many of these metahumans were students at Smallville; as a result, the victims were often fellow classmates. Chloe was no exception, and had several dangerous encounters her freshman year. When Chloe helped Clark investigate Coach Walt Arnold, he retaliated by attempting to burn down the Torch office. Sean Kelvin, a popular football player, managed to get through Chloe's cool exterior and get her 174

phone number. When he was transformed into a metahuman who could suck a person's body heat from them, Chloe became his target, but Clark saved her just in time. Chloe and Clark met Kyle Tippet, a reclusive former salesman who could force his will on others with a handshake. Chloe insisted on a demonstration, and when Tippet told Chloe to do something she's always wanted to do, she gave a surprised Clark a passionate kiss, but did not remember doing it seconds later. Not wanting to embarrass her, Clark did not tell Chloe what happened, though Chloe quickly figured it out. While interviewing Lex Luthor at his mansion, Clark and Chloe encountered thieves who used kryptonite tattoos to enable them to walk through walls. They threw Chloe out of the window, but Clark was unable to save her. She suffered a broken arm, concussion, bruises, and an extended hospital stay. Beginning with an assignment to write a biography about a classmate, Chloe attempted to uncover information about Clark's adoption. She shared with Clark what she learned- that Clark's was in fact the only adoption handled by a company called Metropolis United Charities. He was horrified by her investigations and she promised to stop. However, she broke her promise and continued her investigation, a decision that came back to haunt Clark and Lex the following year. When Chloe met Ryan James, he read her mind and told Clark that Chloe wanted him to ask her to the Spring Formal. Clark ran for Class President his freshman year; he was disappointed when Chloe and the Torch backed his opponent for the job, but understood that Chloe's journalistic integrity would sometimes take precedence over their friendship. Chloe was briefly fired from her post as Editor of the Torch by Principal Kwan because he did not think she was adequately covering school events, and instead focusing too hard on the strange but unsubstantiated goings-on of Smallville. Chloe was devastated, and even lashed out at Lana's honest attempts to help her get the paper back. She later apologized to Lana for the outburst and vowed to improve her skills as a school reporter. Chloe began a relationship with Justin Gaines, and believing Clark to be jealous, was not willing to explore the possibility that Justin was a murderer until it was almost too late. At the end of her freshman year, Chloe traveled to Metropolis to interview for an internship at the Daily Planet. However, before she left, she was kidnapped and buried alive in a glass coffin by a serial killer, a local police officer. Fortunately, Lana had just developed the ability to see through Chloe's would-be killer's eyes and thus, she and Clark were able to save Chloe in time. Chloe missed her interview, but won the internship after all with a composition about her experience. Clark did indeed ask Chloe to the Spring Formal, but Chloe's perfect evening was interrupted by a series of tornadoes. Much to Chloe's dismay, Clark disappeared from the dance to go save Lana. She spent the summer between freshman and sophomore years interning at the Daily Planet, where she had a summer romance with a fellow student intern, a photographer named Jimmy Olsen. Years later, she revealed to Lana that she lost her virginity to Jimmy, and eventually met up with Jimmy again. Knowing that Clark left her at the Spring Formal to rescue Lana, Chloe offered to go back to being just friends and Clark agreed. She discovered that the class rings they all received that year contained red meteor rock instead of rubies, but she did not connect the ring to Clark's uncharacteristic behavior. When Rachel Dunleavy came to town claiming to be Clark's biological mother, Clark learned that Chloe did not stop investigating his adoption. They had an intense argument over this breach of privacy that ended with tears on Chloe's part and almost ended their friendship. However, Lana acted as peace-maker between the two friends and they apologized to each other eventually. However, when he suspected that Ian Randall was dating both Chloe and Lana simultaneously and tried to warn them, Chloe believed Clark was only jealous, and dismissed him. The event caused Clark, Lana, and Chloe to come to an agreement to attempt to resolve the awkwardness between the three. Around this time, Lana's aunt moved to Metropolis. Chloe convinced her father to let Lana live with them so that she could remain in Smallville. They cultivated a sister-like friendship, despite their issues with Clark. While exploring the Kawatche Caves, Pete and Chloe got infected with a parasite that caused them to do impulsive things. Pete slipped red kryptonite to Clark so he would join in, and Clark revealed his powers to Chloe. On Chloe's suggestion, an affected Chloe and Clark made out at The Talon, prompting Lana to become disgusted with both of them. However, when Clark snapped out of it, Chloe got upset and declared that she was tired of being second fiddle to Lana, and she and Pete left without Clark to go find more thrills. Clark had to save the two from driving their car off a cliff. When they were cured of the parasite, they did not remember anything that happened. However, the damage was already done to Lana's and Clark's budding relationship. When Clark became infected with kryptonite spores, Chloe (in her new red Volkswagen Beetle convertible) went to visit him at home. While he was unconscious, she read him an emotional, heartfelt letter detailing her feelings for him. However, Clark muttered Lana's name in his sleep, and Chloe left heartbroken. Lana later discovered the letter, but she did not bring up the subject. Lana and Chloe got in a fight when she caught Lana viewing her personal files on her computerphotographs of her and Clark's Spring Formal night. Lana profusely apologized, but Chloe accused Lana of snooping and feeling sorry for her. However, she accepted Lana's apology, and when asked to make a family tree for school, Chloe chose to include Lana as her "sister," stating that her family tree should contain people who love her, not people who aren't there. Chloe was directly responsible for connecting Virgil Swann with Clark by publishing a photograph of the Kryptonian symbol that Clark inadvertently burned into the side of the Kent 175

barn. Dr. Swann contacted Clark by spamming Chloe's email box with repeated messages for Clark. At first, Clark was upset with Chloe for inviting investigation into his life again, but he softened when he learned that Dr. Swann might possess information about his origins. Towards the end of sophomore year, an estrangement developed between Clark and Chloe. Clark forgot to write an article for the Torch because he was doing a favor for Lana. Chloe accused him of never being there when she needed him, and he accused her of acting as if he was cheating on her whenever he was around Lana. She denied this and the bitter argument that ensued caused both of them to take a break from their friendship. Later on, the Torch office was severely vandalized, leaving Chloe devastated. She was approached by Lionel Luthor, who was becoming increasingly obsessed with the mysterious circumstances surrounding Clark Kent. Lionel offered to restore the Torch office and also offered Chloe a job at the Daily Planet - her own column, entitled "Sullivan's Travels." Although he kept his promise and repaired the office damage, Chloe turned him down when she realized he also wanted her to investigate Clark. At this time, she and Clark were mending their broken friendship. However, at this same time, Clark and Lana began a romantic relationship. Both were hesitant to reveal their new status to her and when Chloe found eventually out on her own, she was furious and heartbroken. Rather than warn Clark against Lionel as she initially planned, Chloe accepted Lionel's deal, agreeing to investigate Clark in exchange for the job at the Daily Planet. The summer before their junior year, Clark ran away to Metropolis and took the name "Kal." Working in Metropolis at the Daily Planet, Chloe accidentally ran into him at a dance club but promised not to reveal where he was, mostly because he threatened her. She approached him again and pleaded with him to come home, but Kal reacted violently and dangerously. She told Lana where Clark was, and Lana got upset with her for keeping it a secret. Chloe's deal with Lionel was discovered by both Clark and Lex. Lex enlisted Chloe's help to try and bring down his father, and (using his newly-acquired super-hearing,) Clark accidentally overheard a telephone conversation between Chloe and Lionel. She assured Clark that she didn't tell Lionel anything he didn't already know and pleaded for forgiveness, but he did not accept her apology and their friendship was tenuous for a time. However, she kept her promise and stopped investigating him. Lionel continued to wheedle her for information, and when she didn't comply, he canceled her Daily Planet column and fired her father from his job. Molly Griggs, working at the Summerholt Institute, attempted to prevent Chloe from writing a planned expose about Lawrence Garner by sending out hypnotic emails to her friends. Clark and Lana each attempted to kill Chloe, and she took refuge in Lex's mansion. Later, Chloe confessed to Clark that maybe she deserved it, and Clark decided that if Chloe forgave him for trying to kill her, he could forgive her for investigating his past. He gave her a second chance because she gave him one when he once made a bad choice at a moment of weakness. He told her that he knows things won't make sense or add up about him; she told Clark that she realizes he'll tell her when he's ready. Chloe was the first person to see Adam Knight injecting something, and told Lana to be careful around him. Chloe was exposed to a kryptonite-based truth agent at LuthorCorp that was designed to make anyone the ultimate interrogator - she gained the ability to make anyone tell her the truth, except for Clark. Chloe tore through Smallville making Lex, Martha, Lana, and others tell her their private thoughts. She exposed a dark, decades-old secret of one of Smallville High's teachers, and set off an avalanche of unfortunate events. Clark attempted to keep Chloe away from Pete to prevent Pete from telling Clark's secret, but Chloe cornered them in an elevator. Pete kissed her, then confessed that he'd had a crush on her for a long time. Pete's hurt and embarrassment made Chloe realize that she was abusing her ability, and she agreed to go to the hospital for treatment. When Lionel showed up at the hospital to question her, she asked him what he wanted Lex to forget. She used her mobile phone to record Lionel confessing to killing his parents. She tried to blackmail him into hiring her father back; Lionel threatened her right back, and made her go to the Kent's to ask Martha and Jonathan to reveal Clark's secret. Chloe went to do so, but the drug was slowly killing her; she almost drove her car off of a bridge before Clark saved her. He obtained the antidote and administered it to her. The next day, she admitted that she was going to ask "all the questions he would never answer." She tearfully confessed that she was worried Clark wouldn't forgive her for this latest breach of privacy, and that maybe the truth serum brought out her real personality, but Clark told her that she wasn't herself and forgave her. Later that night, she discovered that her voice-mail had been hacked into and Lionel's confession was deleted. Fortunately, the data was still retrievable and a transcript was used later in her second partnership with Lex Luthor, to put his father in prison for the murder of his parents. Chloe and her father entered a witnessprotection safe house. However, moments after stepping in the door, the house was blown up by an explosion, and Chloe was presumed dead. Chloe's cousin Lois Lane arrived in Smallville to find out the truth about her death. She and Clark began investigating her apparent murder, but discovered that she was actually alive. Lex told Clark how he saved her and her father from the blast, and faked their deaths to prevent Lionel from finding them. Lionel's assassin, Trent MacGowen, found her but failed to kill her due to the combined efforts of Clark and Lois. Her testimony and voice-mail confession helped convict Lionel of the murder of his parents, landing him in prison. When she drank a sports drink laced with a kryptonite-enhanced love potion, Chloe was transformed into an overactive devotee to Clark Kent. She joined the cheerleading squad and professed her love for him, 176

showing up in his loft wearing just his football jersey. When her sensibility was restored, Clark reluctantly told her that he does not have romantic feelings for her, but the two were able to remain friends. On her eighteenth birthday, Chloe was possessed by a 17th Century witch, Madelyn Hibbins. With Lana and Lois, possessed by witches themselves, they joined a wild party and stripped Clark of his powers. When he recovered his powers, all three girls were restored to normal. Around this time, Chloe began to seriously suspect that something was different about Clark. However, instead of meddling or investigating, as a younger Chloe might have done, she simply stepped back and hoped Clark would come clean. Chloe confided in Clark, revealing that she found her mother three months ago in a mental hospital, being treated for a hereditary mental illness, which Chloe feared she could one day inherit. She emphasized that she felt much better having shared her secret with someone. Shortly after, Chloe truly learned of Clark's powers from a "demonstration" arranged by Alicia Baker, in which she saw Clark catch a car, then super-speed away unknowingly revealing his super-strength and superspeed. She believed Clark to be a meteor freak from the meteor shower, like Alicia. Upon the advice of Lois, Chloe didn't tell Clark she knew his secret, and continued to be the same good friend she always was. However, she frequently dropped subtle hints seemingly urging Clark to tell her. Chloe was nominated a reluctant candidate for Prom Queen their senior year. Her main competition was Dawn Stiles, the most popular girl in school. However, the night of the Prom, Dawn was seriously injured in a car accident, and her spirit remained behind, jumping from body to body. Chloe went to the prom alone, but was delighted to see that Clark had decided to attend. When Chloe won, Dawn possessed Chloe and attempted to burn down the school. When Clark tried to stop her, Dawn jumped into him. Jonathan had to use green K to subdue her spirit and free Clark. They thought Chloe was unconscious, but she secretly watched, learning Clark's only weakness. Later, Chloe confessed to Lois that she still had hurt feelings over Clark's disappearing act during the Freshman Spring Formal, and sadly watched Clark dance with Lana. When Clark encountered Kevin Grady and was struck with total amnesia, Chloe "Clark-sat" because his parents were out of town. She found herself teaching Clark about his own powers, and learning the ones she was not yet aware of. She told him that she believed he was a metahuman, and that she knew about his secret before he told her. She trusted that he would confide in her on his own time. However, while trying to discover the identity of Kevin Grady, she was captured by his father, who had been attempting to erase his son's memory. He used the procedure on Chloe, but Clark and Kevin got there in time to stop him. When Clark regained his memory, he asked what he did in his condition. Chloe simply told him he did one thing differentlyhe trusted her. She again left it open for Clark to tell her himself. Chloe's graduation ceremony was interrupted when the military announced a meteor shower on its way to Smallville. She later discovered a kryptonite-weakened Clark in Lex Luthor's walk-in safe and pulled him to safety. When Lex found her in his office, he dragged her forcibly to the Kawatche Caves and demanded she give him answers. There, Chloe knocked him down, and saw Clark enter a chamber that mysteriously opened in the far wall. Chloe and Clark were transported to the Fortress of Solitude in the Arctic. Unable to withstand the subzero temperatures, she called out to Clark, who begged to interrupt his training to save her life. Jor-El relented but under one condition: Clark had to return to the Fortress of Solitude before sunset that day. Clark agreed, and took Chloe to a hospital in the Yukon. Chloe finally told Clark that she knew his secret, and Clark told her that he is not a meteor freak, but an alien. She became his confidante, promising to never be the "iceberg to his Titanic." Lex located her and took her back to Smallville. Clark chose not to return to the Fortress by sunset, in order to take Lana to the hospital; Jor-El stripped him of his powers and Clark became Mortal. When Clark's family was held hostage by deranged metahumans, the now mortal Clark turned to Chloe's resourcefulness and cleverness. Together, they retrieved a kryptonite serum from Level Three at LuthorCorp plant without his abilities. Gabriel Duncan, an admirer of Chloe, attempted to blow up Smallville with a nuclear missile and begged her to leave town so that she could survive and tell his story. Against Jonathan Kent's instructions, she and Clark confronted Gabriel. Gabriel shot and killed Clark and took Chloe to his bunker for safety. They struggled over his gun and Gabriel was shot. She was unable to stop the missile from launching. However, Jor-El brought Clark back to life and restored his powers and he stopped the missile from landing. Clark's death and resurrection was not without a price and would later on lead to Jonathan Kent's death. Clark returned to his former life of keeping secrets. Chloe urged him to tell Lana the truth, but he did not take her advice. Chloe moved into the Metropolis University dorms and scared her first roommate away with a mini version of the Wall of Weird. Lana became her new roommate after applying for late acceptance. Chloe became one step closer to her dream job of editor of the Daily Planet when she wrote a paper detailing her experiences with a vampire sorority. Shortly after, Lionel Luthor approached her again, and fed her inside information on the true identity of Milton Fine, and Lex's campaign for the Kansas State Senate. Lois then enlisted Chloe's help in digging up information on Lex to defeat him in the election. She broke into Warehouse 15 and witnessed Professor Fine form himself from the ship. She realized that Fine was duping Clark and followed them to the Fortress of Solitude. Fine overpowered Clark with green K and opened the portal to welcome General Zod back to Earth. Chloe removed the Green K and Clark was able to defeat Fine and prevent Zod's return. 177

Chloe revealed to Martha and Jonathan Kent that she knew of Clark's abilities. After Jonathan passed away, Martha told Chloe that she was glad she was not the only person carrying such a burden, saying that Clark was lucky to have Chloe as a friend. Chloe helped Clark work through his grief over the death of his father by helping him search for the Angel of Vengeance in Metropolis. Chloe was seemingly driven to suicide and was treated by a psychiatrist, Dr. Sydell. She insisted that she did not try to kill herself, but no one believed her except Clark. When she began to hallucinate a vision of murdered girl, Gretchen Winters, Lana asked Lex to transfer her to Belle Reve for better care. However, Clark rescued her and took her to Lois' apartment, where the murdered girl possessed her to extract revenge on her murderer. Back to normal, Chloe had to face her anxiety over her mother's mental illness and with Clark's encouragement, went to visit her for the first time. Chloe and Lois discovered that Clark's new girlfriend Simone had the ability to hypnotize people with an exotic amulet. At Simone's request, Clark almost killed Lex, but Chloe was able to stop him. After they broke up, Clark frequently asked Chloe about Lana's well-being until Chloe told him that she would rather not be in the middle. However, Chloe was forced to tell Clark that Lana had become addicted to a mysterious drug. She helped him track Lana down and he was able to save her. She also gave Clark Fine's recent whereabouts, information given to her by Lionel Luthor. Chloe and Lana had a fight when she questioned Lana's growing relationship with Lex. Both Lana and Lex responded to her questions with indignation, telling her to mind her own business. Chloe did just that, but when Clark discovered the relationship, he became angry at her too, saying she betrayed him. Chloe stood up for herself, telling Clark that Lana can date whomever she chooses and suggesting he finally get over Lana. He later apologized when he realized that she was just being a good friend for keeping Lana's confidence. Chloe, Lois, and Martha gave Clark a surprise birthday party the same night he saw the spirit of his dead father, who instructed him to kill Lionel Luthor. Chloe found evidence that Jonathan and Lionel met on the night of his death. After the warning turned out to be a trick caused by Brainiac, Lionel revealed that he had been posing as Jor-El's oracle and had been producing pages and pages of scribbled Kryptonian characters. Chloe used her computer skills to decipher the characters into a readable sentence. Clark was then able to read it and translated it as "Zod is coming." Lana told Chloe about Lex being taken in by the vessel, and Chloe told Clark. When Fine downloaded a powerful virus into the electrical systems of the world, Clark went to help Chloe, but she told him that he had to leave her behind, because he couldn't save everyone. But before he left, Chloe gave him a passionate kiss, in case they "may never see each other again." Chloe watched riots breaking out in the streets of Metropolis but escaped into Lionel Luthor's limousine. Unfortunately, the limo was attacked by an angry mob as she and Lionel were grabbed out of it. Lionel rescued Chloe and they made their way to the LuthorCorp Plaza building. Chloe hoped to find a way to stop the virus and Lionel gave her a gun for protection. Once the power was returned and the virus was neutralized, Clark returned to her and offered to talk about the kiss they shared, but Chloe claimed it did not change their friendship. She reunited with Jimmy Olsen, with whom she interned at the Daily Planet in high school. They decided to rekindle their romance, but take it a little slower this time. When Clark caught a cold in the Phantom Zone, Chloe helped him find a kidnapped Lex and diverted Lois from investigating his super-sneezes. She also convinced Clark to hone his sneezes into a useful new ability. Chloe asked Clark to help investigate when she and Jimmy found a dead woman in a tree. Jimmy and then Clark also fell victim to the alien vegetation- Jimmy was buried and Clark was strung up and impaled. Chloe realized that electricity killed the alien vegetation, freed Clark, and shocked Jimmy's heart to cure him. Chloe also helped Clark and Lois try to learn the identity of the Green Arrow. She realized that Clark knew who he was and stopped investigating when he asked her to. She began to study strange craters all over the world, identical to the ones Clark made when he escaped the Phantom Zone. Using Oliver Queen's satellite images, she and Clark tracked the movement of various escaped prisoners. When Jimmy decided to investigate Lex Luthor, he uncovered Kryptonian symbols and showed them to Chloe; she reluctantly had to lie about what they were. Jimmy was fired for his efforts, but was rehired at entry level, in the basement with Chloe. On Thanksgiving Day, Lana confessed to Chloe that she was pregnant. Chloe attended the Kent Thanksgiving dinner, but did not disclose Lana's confession to Clark. Shortly after, Lana enlisted Chloe and Jimmy to help her release Lex from an alternate frequency. Chloe hacked into Lex's computer and obtained schematics and floor plans for Level Three. However, once they rescued Lex, Chloe found all of her files deleted, with Lionel Luthor warning her to stop snooping. Lana did not believe Chloe when she told her about the Luthors' suspicious behavior. Chloe missed a date with Jimmy to help Clark watch over Javier Ramirez while they figured out the mystery behind the deaths at McNally Farm. She was momentarily distracted and felt extremely guilty for letting Javier run away, but she and Jimmy successfully located Javier's mother. Chloe wrote an article about McNally and earned another byline in the Daily Planet. Lana told Chloe that Lex proposed to her and admitted that she still has feelings for Clark. Clark found out Lana was pregnant and was angry at Chloe for not telling him, but Chloe got upset with him, stating that she has to keep other people's confidence as well as his, and they quickly made up. When Lana's admission was printed in the newspaper, Chloe confronted Linda Lake and learned she had the ability to turn into water. Lana later asked Chloe to tell her the truth about Clark, but Chloe refused. 178

Chloe tried to interview Dr. Caselli about Project 33.1, but he attempted to shoot her. Luckily, Bart Allen showed up and saved her. Chloe learned that Bart was back in town because he had joined Oliver's group of heroes that intend to take down Lex's Projects. She helped the team rescue Bart (and Clark). Lana asked Chloe to be her Maid of Honor, but a red kryptonite-infected Clark crashed the engagement party and said rude things to Chloe. Jimmy later confronted Chloe about how she always defends Clark and would rather be with him. Chloe assured him that there was more than he knows, but Jimmy broke up with her anyway. However, Clark assured Jimmy that they weren't in love and advised him to get take her back. Lana stayed with Chloe when she was being stalked and showed her a photograph of the chisel that bent when Lex tried to stab Clark. Chloe warned Clark that Lana was very close to finding out his secret. Chloe was the only attendant at Lana's bachelorette party at a bowling alley. Chloe noticed Daniel Kim's impressive bowling and followed him outside where she witnessed him get abducted by men in a black SUV. They tried to run Chloe down but she was able to escape. The next day, she and Clark investigated Daniel's capture, but he showed up fine, with no recollection of the abduction. Chloe showed Clark photographs from the night that also had an old classmate, Tobias Rice, in them. They asked Tobias about Daniel, but he claimed to not know anything about it. Shortly after, Chloe herself disappeared for a day, in which she was subjected to invasive experimentation. However, she returned the next day seemingly fine with no memory of the event. When Daniel turned up dead, Chloe insisted Clark X-ray her and they discovered that she was being tracked with a GPS chip under her collarbone. At Chloe's insistence, he burned a hole in her shoulder with his heat vision and picked it out. She realized that she was targeted because someone identified her as a meteor freak and told Clark that she was afraid that she might have powers that will manifest, making her a danger to herself or others. Clark promised he will be there to help her control her powers, if she ever developed any. On her wedding day, Lana locked Chloe in the wine cellar of the Luthor Mansion, knowing she'd call Clark for help. She watched as Chloe told Clark that he needed to tell Lana the truth and save her from a loveless marriage. Nevertheless, she still supported Lana and performed all of her Maid of Honor duties. Chloe helped Clark locate the underground krypto-mutant fight club that used inmates from Belle Reve. She also discovered that the Zoner that was dominating the club was not an inmate, allowing Clark to infiltrate the facility. Lex obtained a drug that brought Chloe's mother, Moira Sullivan out of her catatonic state and used her to control other metahumans. Moira controlled Chloe first to notify her of her location, then to try and get her to escape harm from Lex, but Chloe was captured and sent to the 33.1 facility. She and her mother were saved by Clark. However, the drug wore off and Moira slipped back into catatonia. With the help of Oliver Queen, Clark and Chloe transferred her to a safer facility. Chloe started writing an article about LuthorCorp's projects until Lex came by and threatened her if she published the story. Chloe and Jimmy investigated the shooting of Lana Luthor at the Daily Planet, and while recovering, Lana admitted to Chloe that she married Lex to protect Clark. Clark got angry when Chloe refused to tell him what Lana had disclosed. Jimmy was sent on an assignment in Milwaukee by the Planet, which meant leaving Chloe. However, they didn't break up, but parted on optimistic terms. Clark later admitted to Chloe that he told Lana his secret and she seemed happy for him. Chloe asked Lois not to dig into the death of Wes Keenan and Project Ares, but Lois investigated anyway and was stabbed in the stomach at Reeves Dam. She called Chloe, who arrived to find Lois was bleeding to death. As Chloe cried over her body, Lois was instantly healed but Chloe fell unconscious. Chloe, still unconscious, was dragged out of the water by Lois. She was admitted to the hospital but she was unable to be revived and declared dead. However, she inexplicably awakened in the morgue, where Clark came to her rescue and she saw both her and Lana's certificate of death. While grieving for Lana, she tried to help Clark fight Bizarro. Later, she burned her death certificate. After their encounter with a mysterious woman, Clark took Lois home where she announced she had found a spaceship and intended to investigate. Out of Lois' earshot, Clark explained that the ship belonged to a Kryptonian girl and Chloe offered to divert Lois and take her to get checked out while Clark searched for the girl. Chloe then met Lex at the receiving area of the Daily Planet building, where he pressed her to tell him if she knew anything about Lana's death. Chloe's first meeting with the new editor, Grant Gabriel, proved disastrous when he proclaimed her a washout. When Lois showed Grant her story about the ship, he gave her a job with a desk right next to her shocked cousin. Clark later brought the girl to the Daily Planet to meet Chloe and explained that she was his Kryptonian cousin Kara. When Jimmy Olsen returned to town, he was eager to spend time with Chloe, but she was preoccupied with anxiety over her meteor-rock infection and pressure from Grant Gabriel. Simultaneously, Jimmy developed a connection with Kara. When she found out that a doctor, Curtis Knox, performed a procedure to cure meteorrock infection, she was willing to risk six years of memory loss to have it done. She cancelled a date with Jimmy and argued with Clark before meeting Dr. Knox. However, she realized that Dr. Knox actually murders his patients, but was unable to escape. Clark saved her and she reunited with Jimmy. Wanting to start over, Jimmy asked if their relationship could only be "normal", but when Chloe couldn't promise him this or tell him her concerns, he broke up with her. When Lana absorbed Clark's powers, her behavior disturbed Clark enough for him to ask Chloe about the Isis Foundation. Chloe took him to the headquarters and they were shocked that Lana had been surveilling Lex. She confronted Lana on her actions and calmly informed her that even if Lana believed she was protecting Clark with her misdeeds, Chloe was not going to let Lana hurt him. 179

Chloe accidentally walked in on Grant and Lois making out and angrily informed Lois that their relationship could destroy Lois' job. Lois claimed to take her advice but continued the affair. At the same time, Clark had an encounter with his Kryptonian uncle Zor-El, who tricked him into putting on a ring containing blue kryptonite and stripping him of his powers. Clark asked Chloe to give him a ride so he could confront Zor-El. The two were stunned when Zor-El caused an eclipse in an attempt to wipe out humanity. Christmas of 2007, Adrian Cross used Chloe as leverage to make Lois expose Lex's illegal cloning project. He planted a bomb on Chloe and trapped her in an elevator with Jimmy. Convinced she was going to die, she confessed her meteor infection to him. However, Bizarro, posing as Clark, saved the two because he needed her to decipher a Kryptonian message. Chloe later displayed her power to Jimmy, showing that she had gained control over them. When "Clark" started to forget things and act strangely, Chloe asked Lana if she'd noticed. Lana thought Clark had just changed his priorities and they announced they were leaving Smallville forever. Chloe was extremely upset, but was able to steal the Kryptonian shield from the farm. When Clark returned, Chloe made him prove he was himself before she gave it to him. Clark avoided his issues with Lana by visiting Chloe at work. He realized that Chloe had been helping Oliver Queen with missions and had been attacked. He was extremely angry at Oliver for putting her in danger. Together, Clark and Chloe identified and named her attacker, vigilante heroine Black Canary. They also teamed up to find their cousins when Lex located Kara, but was shot and went into a coma. Chloe offered to heal him, but Clark wouldn't let her. Instead, he used a risky interrogation process to enter Lex's subconscious and find their location. However, Lex began to flatline with Clark still linked to him. Chloe used her healing power to cure Lex and allow Clark to regain consciousness, but killed herself for eighteen hours. Clark watched over her until she awoke and asked her not to use her powers again, but Chloe was confident in her decision, but wondered why she had been given such an amazing gift out of all the meteor abilities so far seen. But they both wondered if she'd ever "die" permanently. In town for a visit, Pete Ross shocked Chloe by proudly displaying his new abilities. Chloe was livid when she discovered that Lex was monitoring her computer, so Pete tried to hack Lex's computer for her, but Lex blackmailed him into working for him by threatening to reveal Chloe as a meteor freak. Before leaving, Pete visited Chloe again and promised to keep in touch. Jimmy admitted that he felt like he and Kara were over and asked Chloe for a cup of coffee, to which she agreed. When Clark was kidnapped, Lana and Chloe suspected Lionel after discovering a kryptonite taser dart, but he tried to convince them that Lex was responsible. Chloe saw through Lionel's lies and found Clark's location. She took Kara to the Fortress and pleaded with Jor-El to restore Kara's memories, giving a heartfelt and impassioned speech to sway him. Jor-El, although silent, did as she asked, and Clark was rescued. Chloe helped Clark track Brainiac's return by tracking energy surges, but she was devastated to learn that they were too late to save Lana from Brainiac's attack. Chloe attempted to help Clark locate Brainiac by hacking into high-security satellite grids. Lionel approached Chloe and asked her to plead with Clark to listen to him and accept his Veritas key. Chloe dismissed him. Shortly after, they learned that Lionel had seemingly committed suicide by jumping out of his office window. Chloe returned to her Daily Planet desk to find that Lionel had left the key. Lex discovered it and fired Chloe for lying to him. Chloe received a message from Jimmy indicating that he had evidence that Lionel was murdered. She went to meet him at the Isis Foundation, but the photo evidence was destroyed. As Chloe and Jimmy rekindled their relationship, Jimmy continued to display the same insecurities and was upset that Chloe seemingly blew him off. Chloe tried to explain that she was helping manage the Isis Foundation. However, as she was trying to help Clark locate Brainiac, he knew she was working on something top-secret. When Chloe devised a plan to hack into the Metropolis Satellite Center, Jimmy was approached by Vanessa Webber, an agent of the Department of Domestic Security. She convinced Jimmy that Chloe was part of a terrorist sleeper cell. Vanessa forced him to spy on Chloe, but he double-crossed her and saved her. Unbeknownst to Chloe, it was actually Lex that prevented her from being arrested, and Lex continued to blackmail Jimmy with Chloe's freedom. Chloe was able to obtain a satellite image of Kara and Brainiac in outer space, and suggested to Clark that they had gone back in time to Krypton. Clark became so depressed that wondered if the world would be better off if he'd never came to earth. She watched as Clark was transported to such an alternate reality, in which Chloe was happy and engaged. When Clark returned, Chloe tried to assure him that the world needed him, and he was able to go back to Krypton, stop Brainiac, and bring Kara home. Jimmy continued to research the Kawatche caves, despite Chloe's attempts to throw him off the story. However, when Lex had a Kryptonian symbol carved into his chest, Chloe was forced to realize that Lex was dangerously close to Clark's secret. She told Clark and helped him track down the last living member of Veritas, Edward Teague. They followed him to Montreal where he overpowered Clark in order to sacrifice the Traveler, but Chloe arrived just in time to save him. Clark and Chloe were shocked to realize that Kara was responsible for Edward Teague's death. They hatched a plan to confront Kara, but Chloe insisted on meeting her alone. She realized that "Kara" was actually Brainiac, just before he attacked her. However, Chloe's meteor power protected her from being completely controlled and significantly weakened Brainiac. Chloe was rushed to the hospital and kept in intensive care until Clark was able to defeat Brainaic for good.

180

Chloe recovered fully and Jimmy took her home. Jimmy asked Chloe to marry him, because he realized that he never wanted to lose her, but before Chloe could answer, she was suddenly arrested for terrorism by the DDS. Four weeks later, Chloe was captured and in the custody of who she thought was an agent of the Department of Domestic Security. He was actually a Luthorcorp employee using her to capture meteor freaks. Chloe had developed a super brain because of the attack from Brainiac. He tricked her into helping him capture Arthur Curry and Dinah Lance. Chloe discovered his plan and tried to run but they captured her again. Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Oliver Queen (as Green Arrow) soon went to save Chloe. The Luthorcorp employee injected her with a formula that they extracted from her mother, and made her help him track down Oliver Queen and inject him with the same serum. Clark Kent and Lois Lane arrived to save her but he tasered lois. Clark punched him and untied Chloe. As Clark and Chloe ran ownstairs Oliver shot him with 2 arrows under the influence of the serum. Clark died in Chloe's hands but the Martian Manhunter suddenly appeared and flew Clark into outer-space to heal him. Lois, Chloe, and Oliver presumbaly escaped safely. Later at the Talon, Chloe answered yes to Jimmy's proposal and they became engaged. Chloe has appeared in every episode of the series except for Insurgence, Legacy, Memoria, and Sacred. She is only seen in Crusade in a video message. Chloe's gravestone in Crusade lists her birth year as 1987. However, she turns 18 in Spell, indicating that either the gravestone is a production error, or Spell actually takes place several months after its November 2004 airdate, in early 2005. Chloe is 5'4", roughly the same height as Martha Kent and Lana Lang.Chloe's favorite flower is the tulip. Chloe's daily coffee order is almond mocha with extra whip. Chloe drove an orange-red Volkswagen Beetle with a black convertible top until Dark Thursday, then a blue Toyota Yaris, and now drives a slate-grey model. In the first grade, Chloe's role model was Betsy Ross until she learned that she didn't actually design the U.S. flag. Her journalism idol is Nellie Bly, a turn-of-the-century journalist and writer. She also once highly admired Perry White. Chloe was voted "Most likely to succeed" and Prom Queen by her 2005 senior class.[1] Chloe interned at the Daily Planet twice in the summers of 2002 and 2003. In 2003, she had her own column called "Sullivan's Travels", given to her by Lionel Luthor in exchange for investigating Clark. However, Lionel had the column canceled by the end of the year when Chloe refused to comply with his increasing demands. Her email address was chloe_sullivan@dailyplanetmail.com. In addition to journalism, Chloe has taken botany and biochemistry at Met U. Chloe has a birthmark on her left buttock as described by Clark when he was exposed to red meteor rock. Chloe is an "honorary" member of the Justice League. Her codename is Watchtower. She works in an "Oracle" capacity for the team, which she continues to do into Justice League online spin-off series Justice & Doom. Chloe earned her first by-line in the Smallville Ledger with her "Superboy" story about Eric Summers in ninth grade. As a freshman in college, she earned her first Daily Planet by-line (on page 73) with her story on Mr. Lyon, and her first front page byline with her Graham Garrett story. She also published stories in the Daily Planet about the Weather Girls and Jed McNally's farm. Chloe contributed another editorial to her alma mater, Smallville High School's Smallville Torch newspaper her sophomore year of college, which can be read here. Chloe is licensed to carry a stun gun.Chloe is the only female main character who has never worked at the Talon coffee shop or lived at the Kent Farm. There were plans to include Chloe in the Superman comic books, but after much difficulty, the plans were abandoned. [2] With the death of Lionel Luthor, Chloe is now the only current main character who has not appeared in the comics. (Others were Jason Teague and Whitney Fordman.) Chloe is an expert hacker which can be seen in many episodes. Chloe had temporary kryptonite powers in Truth which caused people to tell her the truth, and seemingly lowered her morality, as she made people tell them her private thoughts. Quantum 4; Quantum Pool 30 (Regenerate every 30 minutes); Willpower 6; Taint 1; Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3 (1, Durability), Manipulation 3, Charisma 4, Appearance 3, Perception 5, Intelligence 4 (3, Enhanced Memory, Investigative Prodigy, Mathematical Savant), Wits 4; Abilities: Academics 4, Arts (Writing) 2, Athletics 1, Awareness 4, Biz 2, Brawl 4, Bureaucracy 3, Computer 5, Drive 2, Endurance 3, Engineering 4, Etiquette 3, Firearms 2, Interrogation 3, Intrusion 4, Investigation 5, Legerdemain 2, Linguistics 3, Medicine 1, Melee 3, Might 2, Rapport 4, Resistance 3, Science 3, Stealth 4, Streetwise 4, Subterfuge 4; Backgrounds: Allies 5, Backing 3, Contacts 5, Dormancy 3, Influence 1, Node 3, Resources 2; Quantum Powers: Cyberkinesis 2 (Alter Data, Reprogram), Healing 5; Soak: Bashing 4 dice, Lethal 2 dice (Heals rates are two times normal, ignore one point of damage penalty, Lifespan 150+ years). Thurman, Neena Neena was one of many children born to the U.S. governments Project: Armageddon, designed to genetically engineer the perfect weapon using a precognitive mutant named Beatrice. One of only two survivors from numerous attempts, Neena was stolen away by Beatrices cult, the Armajesuits, and delivered to a Chicago priest, remaining in his care until her own mutant powers manifested. Neena forged a distinguished career in many fields of covert activity, both as an agent of various organizations and governments, and as a freelance mercenary. Early on Domino was assigned to bodyguard Milo Thurman - a prodigy in predicting world events. She and Thurman fell in love and eventually married, and he coined her nickname Domino. Their relationship was short-lived, however, as a raid by A.I.M. forced Thurman 181

into even deeper government cover, and his superiors told him that Domino had been killed. Domino joined the mercenary Six Pack, meeting Cable and forging a lasting and often intimate friendship. Domino was once captured by the arms dealer Tolliver, secretly Cables estranged son Tyler, who had one of his agents impersonate Domino in Cables new strike-team X-Force. Cable ultimately freed her and she came to aid him in his role as X-Forces leader. Later, Milo was captured by Donald Pierce and his cyborg Reavers. Pierce intended to siphon away Thurmans prophetic abilities, and managed to gain some of it before Domino arrived to rescue Thurman. Domino defeated the Reavers but was unable to save Thurman in time from the fatal effects of Pierces information transfer process. Domino eventually sought to find out more about her past, and discovered Project: Armageddon was still active. Infiltrating the base, Domino was shocked to discover that she had a younger brother, Lazarus. Soon after, the Armajesuits arrived to kill Lazarus to prevent his mutant ability of controlling emotions from being used to destroy civilization. Domino defeated the Armajesuits and took Lazarus to the same priest that had cared for her as a child. After aiding Cable in an underground resistance that opposed the Neverland mutant death camp, Domino helped re-form X-Force. Although her activities as member of the new Six Pack team, Domino recently joined Shatterstar and Caliban again, to free the 198 from the grounds, in the X-Mansion. Later, the Six Pack disbanded, after that the majority of the members had been captured and deported. Domino is a mutant with the ability to subliminally and psionically initiate random telekinetic acts that affect probability in her favor by making improbable (but not impossible) things to occur within her line of sight, thus causing her to have "good luck" and her opponents to have "bad luck." This phenomenon can be anything from an enemy's equipment failure to hitting just the right switch with a stray shot to shut down an overloading nuclear reactor. This unconsciously controlled talent is triggered when she is in a stressful situation (such as fighting or escaping). This effect constantly emanates from her body at all times and is completely subconscious. However, it is also largely participatory - in order for the luck to take effect, Domino herself must engage in an action whose chance she can affect. For example, if debris falling from the sky was about to hit her in the head, she would still be hurt if she stood still. However, if she tried to avoid them, she would move perfectly to avoid each and every piece about to hit her. In addition if Domino were to stand before a hail of bullets she would be a bullet-ridden corpse. Instead, she must take action, attempting to avoid the gunfire and will miraculously bob and weave just perfectly to avoid every single shot. As a byproduct of her probability abilities, Domino's cerebral cortex emits a current of bio-electric pulses down her spine to instinctively guide her movements during such situations, which has the added effect of augmenting her natural reflexes and agility to near-superhuman levels. Although Domino cannot consciously control her ability, she can activate it by putting herself in a position in which she could be harmed. The full extent of her powers is still unknown. Domino is extensively trained in various armed and unarmed combat techniques, as well as in covert operations. She is a superb markswoman, athlete, and swimmer, and is adept in the use of explosives. Real Name: Neena Thurman; Aliases: Beatrice, Tamara Winter, Samantha Wu, Elena Vladescu, Jessica Marie Costello, Luisa Mendoza, Christina Elizabeth Aliosa, others; Identity: Secret; Occupation: Adventurer, mercenary; Citizenship: U.S.A.; Place of Birth: Project: Armageddon base, Florida; Known Relatives: Beatrice (mother), Lazarus (brother), Milo Thurman (husband, deceased); Group Affiliation: Formerly X-Force, Underground, X-Corporation, Six Pack; Education: Unrevealed; Height: 5'8"; Weight: 120 lbs.; Eyes: Blue; Hair: Black Quantum 1; Quantum Pool 30 (Regenerate every hour); Willpower 7; Taint 4 (Appearance); Strength 4, Dexterity 5, Stamina 5, Manipulation 4, Charisma 4, Appearance 4, Perception 4, Intelligence 3, Wits 5; Abilities: Athletics 4, Awareness 5, Brawl 4, Bureaucracy 3, Computer 1, Drive 4, Endurance 3, Engineering (Demolitions) 3, Firearms 5, Interrogation 2, Intimidation 1, Intrusion 3, Investigation 3, Legerdemain 2, Linguistics 3, Martial Arts 3, Melee 4, Might 1, Perform 2, Pilot 3, Rapport 2, Resistance 3, Science 1, Stealth 3, Streetwise 2, Subterfuge 1, Survival 3; Backgrounds: Allies 3, Backing 3, Cipher 4, Contacts 3, Dormancy 3, Node 2, Resources 2; Quantum Powers: Luck 6; Soak: Bashing 5 dice, Lethal 2 dice (Heals rates are doubled times normal, Lifespan 150+ years). Vincent Vincent's true nature is difficult to explain. Physically, he is a person of extremely large and powerful build; however, he differs from human norms in that he possesses the facial characteristics of a lion, complete with blonde "mane" and fangs. His fingers are tipped with claws that can leave deep wounds when he attacks. In contrast to this intimidating form, his voice, while gravelly, is quite soft. When roused, Vincent has been known to emit loud roars, also similar to a lion's. Normally dressed in a welter of various patched garments and homespun, he often wears a large cloak about his shoulders, especially when walking the city streets so as to conceal his appearance from others Above. Only during Halloween night does he feel safe enough to venture outside openly. He has also been seen to wear (at more festive or formal occasions) a costume somewhat similar to an 18th Century gentleman's formal dress, with a ruffed stock tie at his throat. His parentage is unknown; he was found abandoned as a baby in the garbage behind Saint Vincent's Hospital and brought to Father, who drew his name from the location. Nursed to health by Father and the early 182

Tunnel community, he was raised with the other children of the Tunnels, and given an education heavily grounded in the humanities and European literary tradition. (This may have been an effort by Father to compensate for his lack of opportunity to play in the daylight.) The results of this education are found in Vincent's speech, which is both pithy and expressive, and contains many literary allusions. He serves as the English and literature teacher to the new generation of Tunnel children. He is also a member of the Tunnels' representative Council, where the habits of thought and examination encouraged by study of the liberal arts aid him and lend weight to his voice. He has twice suffered from attacks of madness or some other mental aggravation, which resulted in his withdrawing into his more animal nature: once as an adolescent, and the second some two to 2-1/2 years after meeting Catherine. It is unknown if this will happen again in the future. Vincent's devotion to those he loves is profound, but is not unquestioning. He is unafraid to argue with Father when he believes Father is wrong about something, and ignored the man's advice to break off all relations with Catherine (Season 1). He is commonly a champion of the underdog, and will often support the petition of newcomers to join the Tunnels. He is also the last line of defense against intruders, though he does so with the greatest of reluctance ("China Moon," "The Hollow Men," "Snow"). At such times, Vincent has exhibited a strong grasp of tactics; combined with the power of his attack, Vincent is a formidable adversary. His devotion to Catherine was complete (as was hers to him), leading him into many dangerous situations (most episodes of Season 1 and 3). Since her death, he has grieved powerfully for her; however, he finds solace in Jacob, their son, and a hope for the future; as well, his friendship with Diana Bennett (see below) has given him a new direction in his life. Quantum 3; Quantum Pool 26 (Regenerate every hour); Willpower 6; Taint 7 (Leonine Appearance, Hormonal Imbalance (Rage); Strength 5 (1, Crush), Dexterity 4, Stamina 4 (2, Resiliency), Charisma 3, Manipulation 1, Appearance 4, Perception 3 (1, Bloodhound), Intelligence 3, Wits 4 (1, Natural Empath); Abilities: Academics (Literature) 4, Athletics (Dodge) 2, Awareness 2, Brawl 4, Command 3, Endurance 3, Engineering 1, Etiquette 4, Intimidation 4, Investigation 3, Linguistics 2, Medicine 1, Melee 2, Might 4, Rapport 3, Resistance 3, Science 1, Stealth 2, Streetwise 3, Subterfuge 3, Survival 3; Merits: Soul Bond, True Love; Backgrounds: Allies 5, Backing (Undercity) 4, Cipher 4, Contacts 5, Followers 5, Influence 2, Mentor 5, Node 4, Resources 2; Quantum Powers: Claws 3, Intuition 4, Telepathy 1; Soak: Bashing 8 dice, Lethal 4 dice (Heals rates are four times normal, ignore two points of damage penalty, one extra Bruised health level, Lifespan 150+ years). Wayne, Bruce Batman is the alter-ego of Bruce Wayne, a billionaire industrialist and philanthropist who was driven to fight crime after his parents, the physician Dr. Thomas Wayne and his wife Martha Wayne, were murdered before his eyes at the age of eight by Joe Chill. The killer was later arrested . Fortunately, medical doctor and social worker Leslie Thompkins was there to give loving comfort to the traumatized Bruce. He was then raised on the Wayne Manor estate by uncle Philip Wayne and wise and loyal butler Alfred Pennyworth. Bruce Wayne swore an oath to rid the city of the evil that had taken his parents' lives. He spent his youth traveling the world, training himself to intellectual and physical perfection and learning a variety of crimefighting skills, including chemistry, criminology, forensics, martial arts, gymnastics, and disguise. At age 14, Bruce Wayne began his global sojourn, attending courses at Cambridge, the Sorbonne, and other European universities. Beyond academia, Wayne acquired more "practical" skills. While abroad, Wayne learned all 127 major styles of combat, from Aikido to Yaw-Yan. Frenchman Henri Ducard made him an apprentice in manhunting. The ninja Kirigi schooled Wayne in stealth and the ways of the shadow warrior. African Bushmen taught hunting techniques, while Nepalese monks revealed healing arts. He even studied ventriloquism from practitioners of the art. And so it went for seven years as Wayne matured into manhood. His knowledge of so many varied disciplines has made Wayne an unconventional and unpredictable opponent. After returning to Gotham City in his early to mid-twenties, Wayne made several harrowing and nearfatal forays into the world of crime-fighting before donning his now familiar costume that was in part inspired by another tragic accident of his life that would have a profound impact on who he would become at the age of six, he fell down a cavern, located beneath Wayne Manor (later to become the Batcave), that was swarming with bats, nocturnal creatures, wherein he was forever haunted by the event despite the timely arrival of his father. After a particularly near-fatal brush with the criminals of Gotham (his last encounter before donning the cape and cowl) he sat in his father's study questioning his mission and seeking direction. A bat crashed through the window, and he took it as a sign that he should take on the appearance of a bat to strike fear into the criminal element, whom he thought to be "a superstitious, cowardly lot." The Dark Knight is an imposing figure of darkness that prowls on criminals fulfilling his own strong sense of justice. Whenever Bruce Wayne dons his bat suit, he is transformed into the dark vigilante, the nightmare of Gotham's villains. The Dark Knight is a brilliant tactician and peerless martial-artist, possessed with a stoic personality. Batman has an obsessive, humorless personality. He generally does not kill, but will use lethal force to defend himself or others if necessary. In keeping with the "dark" nature of bats, Batman usually operates primarily at night. Batman was considered an urban legend and not believed by the denizens of Gotham City to actually exist; however, Batman 183

was recently "outed" in the War Games incident, when his live image was broadcast over the news as he made a brief daytime appearance in front of a violence-overtaken high school in Gotham. Whenever he is needed, the Gotham City police activate a "Bat-Signal" (a searchlight with a bat-shaped insignia over the lens) that shines into the night sky. The Bruce Wayne/playboy aspect of his character is a facade, while the masked and particularly dark, grim vigilante is marked as the "true" man. Usually, Batman is further separated from Bruce Wayne by the raspy and stony bass voice he usually assumes while costumed. Another identity Batman has used in the past is Matches Malone. Matches Malone was a small time thug who acted as Batman's snitch. When Matches was killed, Batman assumed his identity. As the Matches Malone identity, he was able to access areas of the criminal arena neither Bruce Wayne nor Batman could enter. Wayne guards his secret identity well, as only a handful of individuals know of his superhero alter-ego, including Superman, Wonder Woman (Diana), The Flash (Wally West), Green Lanterns John Stewart, Kyle Rayner, and Alan Scott, Plastic Man (Patrick "Eel" O'Brien), Aquaman (Orin/Arthur Curry), Green Arrow (Oliver "Ollie" Queen), Nightwing (Dick Grayson), Jason Todd, (aka Robin II, aka The Red Hood), Robin (Tim Drake), Oracle (Barbara Gordon), Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz), and his butler Alfred. The kindly Doctor Leslie Thompkins also is aware of Bruce's secret identity. Several villains have discovered his true identity over the years, most notably eco-terrorist Ra's al Ghul, Hugo Strange, the Riddler, Catwoman (Selina Kyle), Scarecrow, and Bane. Of recent, the villain Hush has attempted to take revenge on both sides of the Batman/Bruce Wayne persona, and is noted throughout his run as a villain who has personal ties to Bruce Wayne and/or Batman; Hush is later revealed to be Thomas Elliot, a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne. Fortunately, most of Batman's enemies have dismissed the notion of Bruce Wayne as Batman because of Wayne's apparent dim-wittedness and self-absorption while the ones who do know prefer to keep the information to themselves for their own reasons. The Joker has had opportunities to learn himself, but refused them since it would personally rob the mystique of his enemy. Batman is a normal human being who does not possess any superhuman abilities. However, he has elevated himself to near-superhuman status through years of rigorous training - eventually he became an exceptional escape artist, master of hand-to-hand combat/martial arts, acrobatics, bodybuilding, science, technology, disguises, criminology and detective skills. Being only human, Batman doesn't have any unusual personal physical strengths or weaknesses, like Superman's weakness to kryptonite, but has character flaws that can be exploited by enemies. In recent years, Batman is shown as being vastly paranoid by nature and tending to not trust other heroes beyond those he has known for years, like Superman or Robin. He has also keeps a wary eye on metahumans, similar to Lex Luthor, and is especially suspicious of Supergirl (Kara Zor-El) and Hal Jordan (Green Lantern). He does so because he always has contingency plans, and, assuming something goes wrong, he wants to be ready for a metahuman threat.(This stems from events revealed in the Identity Crisis storyline where his memory was erased by other members of the Justice League to cover up their roles in the punishement of Doctor Light (Arthur Light), who had raped Ralph Dibny's (Elongated Man's) wife. This has caused conflicts among his peers, who wonder what measures Batman has taken against them (e.g. the recently discovered OMAC project). Some enemies have used this to isolate Batman and play games with him. Batman has recently been arrogant, treating many of his allies with various degrees of disrespect. He imposes his exacting standards on others as he does himself. He also sometimes overestimates his own abilities and allows foes to take advantage of that. During the event known as Infinite Crisis, Batman nearly broke his most sacred law. When it appeared that Alexander Luthor may have killed longtime ally Dick Grayson, Batman knocked down Luthor and then took a gun, prepared to take Alexander Luthor's life. Fortunately, Dick was still alive, and Batman avoided making what would have been the worst decision of his life. Regardless, the incident shook Batman's reserve, and he realized that he had crossed the line. It was time to re-evaluate his identity and retrace the steps that forged him into the man he is today. To this end, he departed Gotham City on a quest to "kill the bat". Along with Robin and Nightwing, he traveled to the Middle East where he re-honed his martial prowess under the tutelage of a desert cult known as the Cult of the Ten-Eyed Men. Batman returned to Gotham City with a stronger sense of self, and a clear optimistic view of the future. This optimism was challenged however when he found himself united with Damian - his alleged son with villainess Talia al Ghul. Batman attempted to become a father figure to Damian, but quickly realized that the young boy's mind was already diseased by a violent upbringing. Their time together was short, and Damian eventually returned to his mother. In a graphic novel entitled Batman: Son of the Demon (1987), Batman sires an illegitimate child with Talia al Ghul named Ibn al Xu'ffasch. According to editor Denny O'Neil, the graphic novel is considered noncanon, and does not fit into the continuity of the mainstream DC Universe. Recently however, writer Grant Morrison began scripting a storyline bringing the character of Ibn al Xu'ffasch (called Damian in this story) back into continuity. The canonical Ibn's relationship to Bruce Wayne, if any, has yet to be clarified. He also abstains entirely from drinking alcohol, though he presents Bruce Wayne, his alter ego, as a borderline alcoholic (he 184

creates this illusion by drinking ginger ale and pretending it is champagne). Batman's refusal to drink is directly linked to keeping his body in its absolute best physical condition. In the original Pre-Crisis continuity, a crime boss named Lew Moxon hired Joe Chill to assassinate Thomas and Martha Wayne. The Zero Hour event retconned the history establishing that the Waynes murderer has never been identified. Recently, it has been suggested that Metallo may have been involved in their murder, but this theory has yet to be confirmed. Toward the end of Infinite Crisis #6 the crisis changed continuity, reestablishing that Chill murdered Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne and adding that he had been arrested for their murder. Allies: Nightwing (Dick Grayson), Robin (Tim Drake), Batgirl (Cassandra Cain), Justice League of America, Justice Society of America Batman has no known superhuman powers, but he does have an extreme, almost superhuman "Force of Will". Superman considers Batman "the most dangerous man on Earth ". Through intense training, specialized diet, and biopathic feedback treatments, The Batman represents the pinnacle of human physical prowess. His strength, stamina, speed and agility exceed that of any Olympic level athlete that has ever competed. He is widely considered as the World's Greatest Detective. Batman has been highly trained, and become proficient in, all of the world's martial arts. Proficient black belt of various master degrees in Karate, Judo, Jujitsu, Aikido, Savate, and Kung-Fu. Batman is a brilliant, virtually peerless, detective, criminal scientist, tactician, and commander; he is widely regarded as one of the keenest analytical minds on the planet and possesses an eidetic memory. Given his lack of superpowers, he often uses cunning and planning to outwit his foes, rather than "outfighting" them. He has studied chemistry, criminal psychology, forensics, biology, escapology, criminal science, forensics, computer science, chemistry, engineering and disguise. Trained and became proficient with all small arms and basic vehicles operations. Studied commando style operations with small mercenary units. Proficient at knife throwing, escrima, melee weapons mastery, body control, diverse environmental training, combat driving, security systems, illusion/sleight of hand, blind fighting. Advanced New Development in forensic and medical sciences, expanded computer and engineering sciences, expanded disguise and weapon/device sciences, expand device pool, improve vehicle designs, use of personal powered armor and systems. Database creation on underworld crime bosses, rogue's gallery foes and other supers. Expanded melee weapon techniques, improved material sciences for body armor and micro-machinery. He has been described as second only to Mister Miracle as an escape artist. Batman engages in an intensive daily exercise regimen. In "Batman Begins" we observe him perform a one arm Pec Fly of approximately 180lbs (the weight of an athletic adult male) he's also bent steel bars, and in one occasion was shown max bench pressing a weight of 1200 lbs. He's also been shown to carry 3 people on his body, without breaking a sweat, even holding Hal Jordan (195 lbs) with one arm. Also lift/press over twice his body weight above his head. His Leg Press capacity is well over 1500 lbs (as evidenced by his ability to execute such considerable jumps and leaps). Equipment: Batman keeps most of his personal field equipment in a signature piece of apparel, a yellow utility belt. Over the years it has contained items such as plastic explosives, nerve toxins, batarangs, smoke bombs, a fingerprint kit, a cutting tool, a grappling hook gun, and a "re-breather" breathing device. Recently, Superman had entrusted Batman with a ring made of kryptonite, to be used should the Man of Steel ever need to be reined in (due to being mind-controlled by a villain, etc.). Transportation: Batmobile, Batwing, Batboat, Batcycle. Utility Belt: Batman's utility belt is the most characteristic portion of Batman's costume, much like Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth, or Green Lantern's power ring. The exact contents of the belt are not known, as Batman changes them to suit his needs; his uncanny ability to carry the appropriate tools for a mission is legendary. Batman's enemies are especially interested in the belt as they believe it will give them an advantage over him, but the belt's pockets are locked and only Batman knows how to open them. Occasionally, the belt is depicted as having defense mechanisms such as electric shock or stun gas or even an explosive device in order to prevent tampering. Similar belts are used by the various Robins, Batgirls and other members of the Batman family. Up until 1989, most artists drew the utility belt as a simple yellow belt with a buckle and cylinders around it. In 1986, Frank Miller drew Batman's utility belt with military-style pouches in the Batman: The Dark Knight Returns limited series. This rendition was utilized again in Batman: Year One and used by almost every artist in the Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight comics series. In 2000, the pouches became a standard feature in the depiction of the utility belt. One feature added to the utility belt in the two Tim Burton directed Batman films, Batman (1989 film) and Batman Returns, was a small motor which would move items from the back of the belt around to the front allowing Batman easier access to his weaponry and tools. The feature was seen briefly when Batman and Vicki Vale were escaping the Joker's henchmen in the alley and when he rescued Selina Kyle from the Penguin's clown henchmen at the beginning of Batman Returns. A common gag amongst comic fans is Batman's apparent ability to carry a tool for almost every eventuality on his belt, all prefixed with the word 'bat', such as bat-cookies and bat-milk. Oftentimes, especially in the Adam West series, Batman could carry everything needed for a particular scenario, from typical batarangs to a miniature batphone which remotely linked to the one in the batmobile. This also extended to the bizarre, 185

such as Shark Repellent Bat Spray (when Batman was in a surfing contest with the Joker and was threatened by a shark), adding to the comic depiction of the BatBelt Although seemingly unremarkable in appearance, the utility belt is one of Batman's most important tools in fighting crime. Composed of a kevlar strap and metal buckle, the utility belt houses ten cylinder cartridges, which vertically clip onto the outside of the belt. The buckle itself contains a miniature camera and two-way radio. A secondary compartment behind the length of the belt houses Batman's supply of collapsible batarangs. Each of the ten cylinders contains various tools integral to Batman's war on crime, and are interchangeable with other cylinders depending on Batman's needs for the mission. Through the years, Batman has modified the contents of his belt to accommodate various needs. During the events of No Man's Land, Batman made use of a more simple worksman's belt with larger pockets due to the necessity of carrying more equipment. Elements of the utility belt at times include, but are not limited to, the following: Batarangs: Batman's version of the Shuriken. They have often been more closely identified with boomerangs. A large array of different types and sizes for different effects (ie blunt impact, edged, slashing, etc. and other uses.) Bat-bolas: Thrown around the feet of Batman's enemies to tie them with a composite-nylon cord. Often causes an escaping opponent to trip. With the push of a button in Batman's glove it can deliver an electric shock. Bat-cuffs: Bat shaped handcuffs, resembling the kind used by Special Forces units. These restraints are made of a lightweight diamond-impregnated nylon overlaying a banded steel core. Using a one-piece design, they slide closed and have to be cut off. Batman has given a special tool with a diamond-edged cutting implement to the Gotham PD for removal. Bat-Tracer: Used to track enemies Batman can't follow closely. Communications device: Often an earbug, but sometimes handheld. Goo gun: A handheld foam projector that fires an adhesive-like substance to incapacitate opponents. Grappling hook: Used to attach a line in order to scale sheer surfaces and/or swing across gaps. Night vision goggles: Using Starlite infrared lenses to see thermal output in low light or non-lit situations. Currently built-in to Batman's cowl. Kryptonite ring: Stored in a lead box, it is reserved for emergency use against a rogue Superman and/or other Kryptonians. Laser torch: A strong miniaturized laser use as a cutting tool. Line gun: (Grapnel Gun) Similar to a grappling hook, the line gun uses a strong clamp attached to a line for scaling surfaces and/or traversing gaps. It can be recovered by releasing the clamp and rewinding the cable. It was based from one that is designed as compact climbing gear for commando units. Lock picks Marble: Rolled down stairs to imitate footsteps Micro camera Miniature smoke grenades Miniaturized toolkit Rebreather: Allows Batman to breathe underwater or in vacuum. Depending on the writer and/or artist, it may also be incorporated with the gas mask. Smoke pellets: Often used to quickly provide cover for Batman's stealthly exits and entries. Gas pellets are used as well for non-lethally incapacitating opponents. Lachrymatory and regurgitant agents are deployed by throwing or breaking open the small hardened-gelatin spheroid capsules. Stun (Flash-Bang) grenades: Emits bright light and loud sound to blind and stun enemies. Thermite grenades: An incendiary used to burn through obstacles. In Batman: Year One, the thermite charge ignited accidentally and destroyed the utility belt. Although they are identified as Thermite, it is safe to assume that Thermate is used instead. Bat Call: A device that acts as if it had the Animal Mastery 5 power in relation to bats, calling them to the location of Bruce when activated. The device has a power life of two hours. A cache of Cash The Batcave is the secret headquarters of Batman consisting of a series of subterranean caves beneath his residence, Wayne Manor. Discovered and used long before by Wayne's ancestors as a storehouse as well as a means of transporting escaped slaves during the Civil War era, Wayne himself rediscovered them when he fell through a dilapidated well on his estate. Much like Superman's Fortress of Solitude, the Batcave serves as a place of privacy and tranquility where Batman can be himself. Upon his initial foray into crime-fighting, Wayne used the caves as a sanctum and to store his thenminimal equipment. As time went on, Wayne found the place ideal to create a stronghold for his war against crime, and has incorporated a plethora of equipment as well as expanding the cave for specific uses. Often, Bruce Wayne is depicted as having discovered the cave as a child, falling into it during youthful exploration of the grounds. This was shown in the movies Batman Forever and Batman Begins, as a young Bruce Wayne fell through wood that was covering an abandoned water well.

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The cave is accessible in several ways. It can be reached through a secret door in Wayne Manor itself, which is almost always depicted as in the main study, often behind a grandfather clock which unlocks the secret door when the hands are set to the time that Bruce Wayne's parents were murdered, 10:47. Alternately, the study entrance has been shown to be behind a bookcase which slides to the side when a secret button is pushed, revealing the "Bat-Poles", which allow Bruce Wayne and his ward to change into their Batman and Robin costumes en route as they slide down to the cave. There is also an entrance under Bruce Wayne's chair in his office in Wayne Enterprises, as shown in Batman Forever. In Batman Begins the cave is accessible through a secret door disguised as part of a large display case and unlocked by pressing a sequence of keys on the nearby piano. Another secret entrance, covered by a hologram, waterfall or a camouflaged door, allows access to a service road for the Batmobile. Another alternate entrance is a dry well, highlighted especially during the Knightfall storyline. At one point, Tim Drake and Dick Grayson use the dry well to get into the cave, which they had been locked out of by Jean Paul Valley during his time as Batman, and Batman used it to infiltrate the cave and confront the insane Jean Paul in the final battle between the two men for the title of the Batman. The location of the cave is known not only to Batman, but to several of his allies. In addition to the socalled "Batman Family", members of the Justice League and the original Outsiders are aware of the cave's location. Essentially, anyone who is aware of Batman's secret identity also knows the location of the Batcave; these, unfortunately, include such villains as Ra's al Ghul, who makes occasional visits to the Batcave to confront his long-time nemesis, and David Cain, who infiltrated the cave during the Bruce Wayne: Fugitive storyline when he framed Bruce Wayne for murder. The Batcave serves as Batman's command center, where he monitors all crisis points in Gotham and the world. The cave's centerpiece is a supercomputer whose specs are on par with any of those used by leading national security agencies; it permits global surveillance and also connects to a massive information network as well as storing vast amounts of information, both on Batman's foes and his allies. A series of satellite link-ups allows easy access to Batman's information network anywhere in the globe. The systems are protected against unauthorized access, and any attempt to breach this security immediately sends an alert to Batman or Oracle. Despite the power of Batman's computers, the Justice League Watchtower is known to have more powerful computers (composed of Kryptonian, Thanagarian and Martian technology), and Batman does occasionally use them if he feels his computers are not up to the task; on occasion he also consults Oracle for assistance. The Bat Computer as presented in Batman and Robin is powerful beyond the realm of realistic computer systems, as Alfred is able to program a replication (his "brain algorithms") of himself that can be conversed with. Additionally, the cave contains state of the art facilities such as: crime lab, various specialized laboratories, mechanized workshops, personal gymnasium, a vast library, parking, docking and hangar space (as appropriate) for his various vehicles as well as separate exits for the various types, trophies of past cases, a large bat colony, and a Justice League teleporter. It also has medical facilities as well as various areas used in training exercises for Batman and his allies. The cave houses Batman's vast array of specialized vehicles, foremost being the famous Batmobile in all its incarnations (mostly for nostalgia as well as for contingencies, as all are serviceable and in excellent working condition). The 1990s animated series gave rise to the idea that Batman keeps a fleet of regular cars of various models and utility vehicles such as an ambulance as well when the Batmobile would be too conspicuous for a mission. Other vehicles within the complex include various motorcycles, and various air and watercraft such as The Bat-Wing, a single occupant supersonic jet. Another vehicle found in the Batcave is the subway rocket, debuted in Detective Comics #667, during the time when Jean Paul Valley was substituting for Bruce Wayne after Bane broke his back. It let Batman get into Gotham very fast, and could electronically clear a path via Gotham Rail. The cave is sometimes powered by a nuclear reactor, but most often by a hydro-electric generator made possible by an underground river. Later comics, specifically the Cataclysm storyline, suggest that Batman has incorporated safeguards against earthquakes and even a potential nuclear catastrophe, outfitting the cave as a virtual bomb shelter or an enhanced panic room. The city's earthquake redesigned the caverns of the Batcave, with eight new levels now making up Batman's secret refuge of high-tech laboratory, library, training areas, storages, and vehicle accesses. It also includes an "island" computer platform (built on the spot where the Batmobiles' hydraulic turntable once were) with seven linked Cray T932 mainframes and a state-of-the-arthologram projector. With the cave's amid limestone stalactites and stalagmites, Batman built retractable multiwalkway bridges, stairs, and elevators to access its facilities. What is allegedly the world's last Lazarus Pit was constructed inside the cave, although this has been contradicted by events in the pages of Batgirl. Three memorabilia items often seen in the cave are a defunct full-size mechanical Tyrannosaurus Rex, an equally large U.S. penny and a Joker playing card. The origins of these trophies are explained in Batman #256: the T. Rex comes from an adventure on "Dinosaur Island"; the penny was originally a trophy from Batman's encounter with a penny-obsessed villain named the Penny Plunderer (in World's Finest Comics #30, 1947). Other "keepsakes" in the cave include Two-Face's original coin, Deathstroke's sword, the shroud of the Vampiric Monk, and over-sized ten-pins. There is also a glass case display of Jason Todd's Robin costume as a memorial to him, with the epitaph "A Good Soldier". Barbara Gordon's Batgirl costume also remains on display. In the Comico two part crossover, Grendel/Batman II, The skull of Hunter Rose is also put on display in the memorobilia room. 187

When he lived in the penthouse of the Wayne Foundation building, Batman had a secret basement there equipped as a Batcave as well. After Bane's attack during the Knightfall story arc, Bruce Wayne swore that he'd never be caught unprepared to defend Gotham City ever again. When Dick Grayson assumed the Mantle of the Bat during the Prodigal storyline, Bruce establishes satellite Batcaves (most of which were not caves in the literal sense that the original one was) throughout the city on areas either owned by him, his company, or unknown or abandoned by the city in the event that he needs a place to hide and/or resupply, which were pivotal during the No Man's Land storyline. One such Batcave was given to Batgirl, below a house owned by Bruce Wayne himself, during a point where her identity was compromised and she could not walk around without a mask. Another one featured on the Fugitive story arc, in the form of an abandoned submarine. Central Batcave: Located fifty feet below the bottom of Robinson Park Reservoir, it is accessible through a secret entrance at the foot of one of the Twelve Caesars statues at the north of the park. This safe house was put out of commission by Poison Ivy, her "Feraks", and Clayface. Batcave South: A broiler room of a derelict shipping yard on the docks across from Paris Island. This safe house is accessible through a number of false manholes planted throughout Old Gotham streets. Batcave South-Central: Located in the Old Gotham prototype subway station, a four-block stretch of track sealed in 1896 and forgotten. Northwest Batcave: This safe house is located in the subbasement of Arkham Asylum. Batman secretly stocked it with emergency rations, all-terrain vehicles, and battery-powered communication equipment. Batcave East: An abandoned oil refinery owned by Wayne Enterprises. It fell out of use during a gasoline crisis when the company moved all its holdings offshore decades ago. Wayne Enterprises: Wayne Enterprises (formerly WayneCorp) is a company in the fictional DC Universe. Wayne Enterprises is owned by Batman, in his secret identity of billionaire Bruce Wayne, and run by his business manager Lucius Fox. A real life organization named Wayne Enterprises exists and is run by John Wayne's children and grandchildren and licenses his name, image, and likeness. Based in Gotham City, Wayne Corp was founded in the seventeenth century as a merchant house, eventually becoming a large multinational conglomerate. The company opened new subsidiaries, such as Wayne Shipping, Wayne Chemicals and Wayne Manufacturing, while shutting down others, such as Wayne Manufacturing. Wayne Technologies: Wayne Technologies, also known as WayneTech, is the biggest division of Wayne Enterprises. It is involved in the retrieval and research of alien technology. Its main rival is LexCorp. The subsidiary is sometimes used by Batman as a means to acquire new technologies or to use the medical facilities. Other subsidiaries of WayneTech include: Holt Holdings Inc., (the company formerly owned by Michael Holt (Mister Terrific)), Wayne Biotech, Wayne Pharmaceuticals, and Wayne Healthcare, which runs Gotham City's healthcare system. Wayne Biotech: Wayne Biotech is the company mostly responsible for the Gotham healthcare system. The company itself is a facility for researching and developing new medical procedures and systems. It also trains and teaches a huge amount of people annually. Wayne Chemicals and Wayne Pharmaceuticals work closely with Wayne Biotech to develop medicines for different diseases. The current research at Wayne Biotech is focused on finding the cure for cancer. Since the human genome has already been unlocked, Wayne Biotech is studying cloning to produce organs for future transplants. The company is involved in research into brain surgery methods, the fight against AIDS and HIV, and reconstructive plastic surgery. Batman uses Wayne Biotech as a research tool for finding medical information, patient histories and information on illnesses. Wayne Foods: Wayne Foods is a little known subsidiary of WayneTech mostly based in Gotham City. It runs farms and cattle ranches in the Midwest United States, and imports beef from Argentina and other countries. Wayne Foods produces specialized products like ecological foods and natural lines with no additives and controlled growing. Batman uses Wayne Foods as a means to keep tabs on the food produce market. Wayne Shipping: Wayne Shipping owns dozens of freighters and handles three and a half billion tons of freight each month and is used by Batman to gain an inside view on smuggling and drug trafficking. Wayne Steel: Wayne Steel is one of the oldest steel mills and metal refineries in Gotham and supplies steel for shipbuilding. It also studies and replicates alien technology. This has also led to Batman getting priority on technology and alloys for him to study. Wayne Steel's alliance with the US Navy and the government has produced numerous contacts for Wayne Enterprises. Wayne Shipbuilding: WayneYards is responsible for the building of a large number of naval warships, commercial, and private ships and is currently building a Nimitz class aircraft carrier in Gotham. WayneSteel and WayneYards facilities repair a large number of cruisers and destroyer and also have contacts within the upper pylons of the Navy and the global maritime business. Wayne Aerospace: Wayne Aerospace builds luxurious and exclusive corporate and private jets and airliners. Its experimental aviation branch produces experimental and research planes built for the United States government and NASA. The military aviation branch designs and manufactures jet fighters and helicopters for the US military. The most notable models of these are the W-4 Wraith fighter and the Kestrel attack helicopter. Wayne Aerospace maintains competition with other aerospace corporations like Ferris Air and LexAir. Wayne Chemicals: Wayne Chemicals controls Wayne Oil, Wayne Pharmaceuticals and Wayne Botanical. Wayne Chemicals also has a small percentage of ownership in Tyler Chemicals, based in New York City. Wayne Chemicals is primarily a research and development firm. Wayne Oil researches petrochemicals and alternative 188

fuel sources. Wayne Chemicals is the first company to have created a power generator using algae. Wayne Pharmaceuticals is another one of Wayne Chemicals' research and development branches. Wayne Industries: Wayne Industries is a research and development company used for industrial purposes. The company studies, researches and develops cleaner, mechanical fission and fusion power plants and also owns many factories and normal labor units, from manufacturing cars to making cloth and so on. Wayne Mining is also a part of Wayne Industries, along with the few power stations the company owns. Wayne Mining mostly produces gold and some precious stones in Africa. Wayne Medical: Wayne Medical is Wayne Biotechs sister company but both have different fields of study and work. Wayne Medical handles most of the healthcare system in Gotham and also studies cancer and AIDS with Wayne Biotech. Wayne Medical is focused more on treating illnesses than researching them and maintains and runs many hospitals in Gotham City and helps the Foundation with the orphanages. Wayne Electronics: Wayne Electronics is a large consortium that manufactures portable radios, stereo and Hi-Fi systems, movie cameras, cameras and electronics, measuring devices, scanners, surveillance equipment, computers and other electronics devices. Its other branches of business include information technology, wired networks, wireless networks and space exploration systems and satellites. It also has contracts with the aerospace, nautical and military industries. Wayne Entertainment: Wayne Entertainment owns many arenas and stadiums in Gotham and has leased out the Sommerset Stadium to the Metropolis Monarchs. Furthermore, Wayne Entertainment has working partnerships with several modeling agencies and multimedia houses and provides a large number of contacts and information. The Daily Planet newspaper, where Superman and his wife, Lois Lane, work, is operated by Wayne Entertainment. Wayne Entertainment is in direct competition with WGBS (run by Galaxy Communications) and LexCom (run by LexCorp). Those companies, along with other television and movie companies provide the same services as Wayne Entertainment. Through Wayne Entertainment, Batman has contacts in the media and entertainment industries. Wayne Foundation: The Wayne Foundation is the holding company for the Thomas Wayne Foundation and the Martha Wayne Foundation. The Wayne Foundation funds scientific research and helps people with research by providing facilities and training. The foundation has its own building called the Wayne Foundation Building which includes a penthouse where Batman lived for a period of time. It also has a secret elevator which leads to a matching Batcave in a secret sub-basement under the building. Through the Wayne Foundation and the organizations underneath, Batman has a very large network of connections in the world of charities. He finds out about the newest trends and newest arts, but at the same time he has connections to the streets through the soup kitchens and social services groups. Thomas Wayne Foundation: The Thomas Wayne Foundation is a foundation for medicine and medical help. This foundation gives annual awards for medical breakthroughs and lifelong commitment, similar to the Nobel Foundation. The Thomas Wayne Foundation is also responsible for funding the Thomas Wayne Memorial Clinic in Park Row, Gotham's infamous Crime Alley. The foundation funds and runs dozens of other free clinics all over the city and in other trouble cities like the Bldhaven. Bruce Wayne's surrogate mother, Dr. Leslie Thompkins, ran the Memorial Clinic in Crime Alley and governed the other clinics until she left Gotham. Martha Wayne Foundation: The Martha Wayne Foundation is a patron and supporter of arts, families, education and tolerance. The foundation supports and helps to run a number of orphanages and free schools, and provides teachers for those who have learning difficulties. Artists can apply for grants from the foundation to help support them in furthering the arts. The foundation sponsors companies like Family Finders Inc. in Gotham. Family Finders is an organization directed at finding lost people and uniting families. The foundation sponsors and runs dozens of soup kitchens within the city. Other media: DC Animated Universe In Batman: the Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures, Wayne Enterprises was run both by Bruce Wayne and Lucius Fox. Attempts of taking over the company was made from rival companies, including Roland Daggett of Dagget Industries. It once partnered with LexCorp for the development of cybernetic drones, the Waynelexes, before Bruce terminated his company's contract with LexCorp after its CEO Lex Luthor violated its agreements and his scandal with the Joker's rampage on Metropolis. Wayne Enterprises also hired Arnold Wesker after being released of Arkham Asylum. In Batman Beyond, the elder Bruce Wayne allows his company to be taken over by shrewd industrialist Derek Powers of Powers Technology. The two companies were eventually merged, becoming Wayne-Powers Enterprises. After Derek Powers' criminal identity as Blight was revealed, his son Paxton took over as CEO. Paxton was soon arrested after attempting to murder Wayne. Following the company's multiple change in hands, Wayne reclaimed control of the company under its original name: Wayne Enterprises. Batman Begins: In the 2005 film Batman Begins, a man named Mr. Earle runs Wayne Enterprises after the death of Bruce Wayne's parents. He says to Wayne at a young age that the company is his to claim when he is old enough. However, between Wayne's global quest to avenge his parents and his having been declared legally dead at Earle's request, Earle never willingly steps down. When Wayne finally returns to Gotham, he does not show obvious interest in reclaiming the family business. Instead, he chooses to work in the Applied Sciences division, using it and his coworker Lucius Fox to provide him with high-tech equipment. He takes gear originally made for the U.S. military, including body armor and a prototype armored vehicle, and uses them to create the equipment needs for his war on crime. Finally, at the film's end, Wayne manages to covertly reclaim ownership of Wayne Enterprises and hires Fox to take Earle's job. 189

Real Name: Bruce Wayne; Aliases: Matches Malone, Thomas Quigley, Ragman, Detective Hawke, Sir Hemingford Grey, Frank Dixon, Gordon Selkirk; Identity: Secret; Affiliation: Justice League of America; Formerly Outsiders; Relatives: Thomas Wayne (father, deceased), Martha Wayne (mother, deceased), Ibn al Xu'ffasch (possible son; See notes), Philip Wayne (uncle); Harriet Wayne (aunt); Patrick Wayne (grandfather, deceased); Charles Wayne (great-grandfather, deceased); Alan Wayne (great great-grandfather, deceased); Joshua Wayne (ancestor, deceased); Solomon Wayne (ancestor, deceased); Darius Wayne (ancestor, deceased), Dick Grayson (adoptive son); Tim Drake (adoptive son), Alfred Pennyworth (former legal guardian); Universe: New Earth (Post-Crisis); Base Of Operations: Wayne Manor and the Batcave, Gotham City; Formerly JLA Watchtower; Gender: Male; Height: 6'2" (1.88 m); Weight: 225 lbs (95 kg); Eyes: Blue; Hair: Black; Citizenship: American; Marital Status: Single; Occupation: Adventurer, Owner and Chairman of Wayne Enterprises, Billionaire playboy, Industrialist and philanthropist; Education: College Graduate, Has Degrees in criminal science, forensics, computer science, chemistry and engineering, Trained in various martial arts throughout the world. Quantum 1; Quantum Pool 22 (Regenerate every hour); Willpower 10; Strength 5, Dexterity 5, Stamina 5, Appearance 3, Manipulation 4, Charisma 4, Perception 4, Intelligence 5 (1, Enhanced Memory), Wits 4; Skills: Academics 3, Awareness 5, Arts 3, Athletics 5, Biz 3, Bureaucracy 4, Command 2, Computer 3, Drive 4, Endurance 3, Engineering 2, Etiquette 3, Firearms 3, Interrogation 3, Intimidation 4, Intrusion 4, Investigation 5, Legerdemain 4, Linguistics 3, Martial Arts 5, Medicine 1, Melee 4, Might 4, Perform 3, Pilot 4, Rapport 4, Resistance 3, Science 2, Stealth 5, Streetwise 3, Style 5, Subterfuge 4, Survival 3; Backgrounds: Allies 2, Backing 5, Cipher 3 (as Batman), Contacts 5, Dormancy 2, Followers 4, Influence 4, Resources 6, Sanctum 3; Merits: Concentration, Devotion, High Pain Tolerance; Flaws: Enemy (Rogues Gallery), Intolerance (Criminals), Secret Identity (5); Soak: Bashing 5, Lethal 2 (Healing rates are doubled, lifespan 150+ years) Wayne, Logan (AU Crusader) Dark Claw is a combination of Wolverine and Batman who exists only in the temporary Amalgam Universe created when the DC and Marvel Universes combine. At the age of 5, after witnessing his parents' murder at the hands of an armed robber, Logan Wayne was sent to live with his uncle in Alberta, Canada. His uncle was a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and was ambushed and murdered by poachers a short time after his arrival in Canada. After the death of his uncle, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police sent Logan to live in a home run by nuns and as soon as he was old enough, he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force, landing in the same outfit as Creed H. Quinn.Both Logan and Creed were submitted to the Weapon X project, the Canadian Super-Soldier program. It was here that Logan had adamantium bonded to his bones and he learned of his metamutant nature. Throughout the course of the project, the other subject, Quinn, became increasingly insane and would later become Dark Claws most dangerous foe, the Hyena. The Weapon X project was terminated due to its dual failure: Logan was ineffective as a weapon because he possessed a conscience, and Creed was criminally insane. The files were deleted and the existence of the program was utterly expunged with the exception of a few fragments of notes by a Professor Carter Nichols later uncovered by the Huntress. After the collapse of the Weapon X program, Logan decided to fight crime to avenge his parents death. He spent years traveling the world, training himself to intellectual and physical perfection and learning a variety of crime-fighting skills, including criminology, forensics, martial arts, gymnastics, and disguise. Beyond academia, Logan acquired more "practical" skills. While abroad, Logan learned all 127 major styles of combat, from Aikido to Yaw-Yan. Frenchman Henri Ducard made him an apprentice in man hunting. The Ninja Clan Yoshinda schooled Logan in stealth and the ways of the shadow warrior. African Bushmen taught hunting techniques, while Nepalese monks revealed healing arts. He even studied ventriloquism from practitioners of the art. To the world at large, Logan is an irresponsible, superficial playboy artist who lives off his family's personal fortune and the profits off the sales of his paintings. Logan guards his secret identity well, as only his sidekick Sparrow (a combination of DC's Robin and Marvel's Jubilee) and the Huntress know of his superhero alter-ego. However, his arch-nemesis, the Hyena (A combination of the Joker and Sabretooth), also knows his secret as he was also a part of the Weapon X program which gave Dark Claw his adamantium skeleton and awakened his latent metamutant powers. Dark Claw also uses the name "Patch Malone" when going undercover; a combination of Wolverine's occasional disguise as the eye patched "Patch", and Batman's undercover identity of "Matches Malone". Dark Claw's base of operations, while solo, is New Gotham City, a fictional city modeled primarily after the Marvel Universes New York City and the DC Universes Gotham City. New Gotham City is specifically altered to emphasize the "dark side" of an urban environment. Dark Claw is a metamutant with a number of both natural and artificial enhancements to his physiology. Dark Claw possesses a "healing factor" which allows his cells to regenerate damage within minutes or even seconds. This ability extends to his nervous system as well as his smaller bodily organs, like his eyes. This ability also gives him immunity to most diseases, poisons, and drugs, as well as a limited immunity to fatigue. Like Wolverine, the healing factor presumably slows down his aging. Dark Claw also possesses superhumanly acute senses, enabling him to see and hear distant objects more clearly than a normal human, and identify and track someone by scent. Dark Claws physical appearance displays number of animal-like mutations, including a set of fang-like canines among his teeth, and more 190

famously, six slightly curved retractable claws housed within his forearms, which he can release from beneath his knuckles. Dark Claws skeleton, including his claws, have been laced with the indestructible metal adamantium, rendering his bones unbreakable. Due to the adamantium, the limiting factor on what his claws can cut through is his own strength, rather than the resiliency of the claws. The adamantium interferes with his bones' ability to produce red blood cells, but is compensated by his healing factor. Dark Claw has extraordinary hand to hand combat ability, and, alongside Super-Soldier is considered one of the finest combatants on Earth. He can use most weapons, long or close-range, and is an accomplished pilot. Dark Claw is extremely well trained in espionage and covert operations due to the training he received in the Weapon X program. He is also a brilliant tactician and master of all 127 major martial arts. Dark Claw is considered to be the Sherlock Holmes of the Amalgam universe and has Batman's genius-level IQ alongside Wolverines animal instincts. Dark Claw's major mode of transportation is his stealth-like helicopter the "ClawCopter" which is mostly piloted by his sidekick, Sparrow. Dark Claw's costume is a mixture of Wolverines yellow and blue and Batmans traditional dark scallop hemmed cape version. The cowl on this costume takes its shape from Wolverine, but incorporates the fangs and bone structure of a bat's face along with its wings going up the cowl. The latter part of the mask was taken, in part, from a design for an alternate Batman costume seen in the one shot book Batman: KnightGallery. Assume that Logan has any equipment listed under Bruce Wayne in this entry, though he may not have access to all of it after his dimensional jaunt. Alter ego: Logan Wayne; Team Affiliations: Judgment League Avengers; Notable Aliases: The Taloned Avenger, The Clawed Crusader, Patch Malone; Quantum 5; Quantum Pool 75 (Regenerate every 15 minutes); Willpower 10; Taint 4; Strength 5, Dexterity 5, Stamina 5 (5, Durability, Hardbody, Regeneration), Perception 5 (1, Bloodhound, Hyper Enhanced Hearing), Intelligence 5 (1, Enhanced Memory), Wits 5 (1, Quickness), Charisma 4, Manipulation 4, Appearance 3; Skills: Academics 3, Awareness 5, Arts 3, Athletics 5, Biz 3, Brawl 5, Bureaucracy 4, Command 4, Computer 3, Drive 4, Endurance 5, Engineering 3, Etiquette 3, Firearms 4, Interrogation 3, Intimidation 5, Intrusion 4, Investigation 5, Legerdemain 4, Linguistics 5, Martial Arts 5, Medicine 3, Melee 5, Might 4, Perform 3, Pilot 4, Rapport 4, Resistance 5, Science 2, Stealth 5, Streetwise 3, Style 5, Subterfuge 4, Survival 5; Backgrounds: Allies 5, Backing 5, Cipher 4, Contacts 5, Dormancy 2, Followers 4, Influence 4, Node 3, Resources 6; Merits: Concentration, Devotion, High Pain Tolerance, Quantum Recovery 3, Taint Resistant; Flaws: Enemy (Rogues Gallery), Intolerance (Criminals), Secret Identity (5), Vengeful; Quantum Powers: Armor 5 (Primium Skeleton), Claws 5 (Strength +7 Damage aggravated due to Primium coating), Innate Countermagick (Primium Skeleton) 2 dice, Quantum Regeneration 5; Soak: Bashing 25, Lethal 20, (Healing rates are seven times better than any normal humans. Lifespan 250+ years. Dice pool penalties reduced by five. Three Extra Bruised Health.)

OFFICE

OF

SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE

This Chronology page is a representation of the chronological sequence of bionic-related events (past and future). 1870: A group of alien scientists sets up a colony within the San Andreas mountain region. 1927: May 3 - James Sommers (Jaime's biological father, future OSI agent) born. 1930: Aug 08 - Oscar Goldman born. Oct 26 - Ann Sommers (Jaime's biological mother, future OSI agent) born. 1941: Feb 5 - Steve Austin is born (The production designer on the episode "Ghostly Teletype" made an error on the date of Steve's birth on his driver's license giving the date of death in 1942.) Dec 7 - Sam Goldman, the older brother of Oscar Goldman, is killed while stationed in Hawaii during the attack on Pearl Harbor. 1942: Carl Austin, the father of Steve Austin, is killed when his plane was attacked by Japanese fighters during on a top-secret courier mission over the Himalayas. 1945: Jaime Sommers is born. 1948: Carl Franklin, son of Dr. Franklin is born. 1951: Trish Hollander born. 1958: Dec 31 - Steve and Jaime kiss for the first time at Steve's senior class New Year's party. 1959: Steve Austin graduates high school. Steve goes to college. In college, Steve Austin rooms with John Perry for at least two years, writes a song. Oscar Goldman joins OSI. 1960: Dr. Franklin begins his employment at the OSI. 1961: Apr 16 - OSI undercover agents James and Ann Sommers, Jaime's parents, were killed (presumably murdered) in a car accident. (The production designer on the episode "Jaime's Mother" made an error on the dates on James' and Ann's headstones, giving their dates of death as 1966.) Jim Elgin and Helen Elgin become the legal guardians of Jaime Sommers. 1962: Oscar Goldman serves as Executive First Officer under the command of Admiral Richter during The Cuban Missile Crisis. They spend four days and nights on duty during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Apr 14 - Jaime's Senior Prom (Aladin's Lamp) at Ojai High School; as seen in Jaime's scrapbook in Mirror Image (Another usual blunder from the production designer by screwing up the dates). Jaime Sommers graduates high school; goes to Carnegie Tech majoring in education while playing tennis. 1963: Steve Austin joins the Army out of college; spends several months flying choppers during the Vietnam War until his chopper was shot down. 1964: Karen divorces Steve Austin (doesn't tell Steve she's pregnant). Steve Austin transfers to Air Force and becomes a test pilot for the SR-71 and other aircrafts at Lackland for OTS. During his career in the Air Force, Steve also befriends Fred Sloan. 1965: Steve Austin joins NASA. At NASA, Steve Austin catches Julian Richmond stealing components. Richmond's arrest leads him in Florida State Pen for 12 years. Michael Austin, son of Steve Austin, is born. Jul

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26 - Kate Mason is born. 1970: Dr. Franklin's employment at the OSI is terminated after too many continuing conflicts with his superior, Oscar Goldman. 1971: Karen Austin, Steve's ex-wife, Michael's mother, dies. Steve and Jaime meet up for last time until they are reunited four years later. 1972: Dec 07, 12:53AM - Steve Austin blasts off for the moon; walks on it four days later. Dec 11 - Apollo 17 lands on the moon. Dec 17, 2:24PM - Apollo 17 returns to Earth Bob Crandall embezzles money from his uncle, Horton Budge, to pay for wife Nora's medical bills. Budge finds out and makes Crandall be his chauffeur and sacrifice Christmas bonuses to pay him back. Oliver Spencer proposes the Project Cyborg to the OSI Board of Directors. 1973: While Steve Austin is test piloting an experimental aircraft, a malfunction causes a crash. Austin's injuries are so severe, he loses both legs and his right arm. He is also blinded in one eye. One of Austin's closest friends, Dr. Rudy Wells, a doctor and scientist, is a specialist in the newly emerging field of bionics. Oliver Spencer, who had recently proposed the Cyborg Project to the OSI's board of directors as a means of reducing agent casualties, is able to authorize the funding to take a severely injured Austin and rebuild him with bionics. Rudy Wells is ordered to perform the procedure on Austin. Steve Austin goes on his first mission for the OSI . Oscar Goldman is appointed director of the OSI, succeeding Oliver Spencer. May 01 - Barney Hiller crashes race car, loses both arms and legs. (18 months prior to "Seven Million Dollar Man" episode). Sep 12 - "Wine, Women and War" - August thru Sept. 12th. Nov 17 - "The Solid Gold Kidnapping" 1974: Jan 18 - "Population: Zero". Jan 25 - "Survival of the Fittest". Feb 02 - "Operation Firefly". Feb 08 - "Day of the Robot". Feb 22 - "Little Orphan Airplane". Mar 01 - "Doomsday, and Counting". Kelly Woods becomes the first American woman in space. Date of the telegram Jaime sends to Rona confirming her appearance at his tournament. Mar 08 - "Eyewitness to Murder". Mar 15 - "The Rescue of Athena One". Mar 29 "Dr. Wells is Missing". Apr 05 - "The Last of the Fourth of Julys". Apr 12 - "Burning Bright". Apr 19 - "The Coward". Apr 26 - "Run, Steve, Run". Sep 13 - "Nuclear Alert". Sep 20 - "The Pioneers". Sep 27 - "Pilot Error". Oct 04 - "The Pal-Mir Escort". Nov 01 - "The Seven Million Dollar Man" - Steve Austin meets Barney Hiller, the world's second bionic man. Nov 08 - "Straight On 'Til Morning". Nov 15 - "The Midas Touch". Nov 22 - "The Deadly Replay". Dec 06 - "Act of Piracy". Dec 13 - "Stranger in Broken Fork". Dec 20 - "The Peeping Blonde" 1975: Jan 10 - "The Cross-Country Kidnap". Jan 17 - "Lost Love". Jan 19 - "The Last Kamikaze". Jan 26 "Return of the Robot Maker" - Dr. Dolenz resurfaces one last time with a new robot duplicate of Oscar Goldman in tow. Goldman is kidnapped and replace with the robot impostor. The robot successfully steals several OSI top secret files until Steve solves the case and defeats the robot. Dolenz is finally taken into custody by the authorities. Steve Austin relocates back to Ojai and buys a ranch. Steve and Jaime are reunited after four years of no contact. After a near fatal skydiving accident, Jaime Sommers receives bionic enhancements as authorized by Oscar Goldman and administered by Dr. Rudy Wells. Peggy Callahan is hired by the OSI as Oscar Goldman's secretary. Sep 14 - Jaime revives but suffers amnesia - goes to Rudy's Colorado Springs complex. Barney Hiller's bionics are temporarily reactivated. 1976: Jan 11 - Jaime returns to Ojai, teaches at Ventura AFB in between OSI jobs. Jaime Sommers officially becomes a part-time OSI agent. Steve Austin encounters Bigfoot and the colony of alien scientists in the San Andreas mountain region. However his memories of their existence has been erased. Dr. Franklin makes plans to build fembots, infiltrate the OSI and then steal the OSI Weather Device. He meets and strikes a deal with Russian finance minister Baron Constantine. With the money Constantine's board of directors funded Franklin, he was able to build his first fembot, which he named Katy. Jun 01 - The Liberty Bell kidnapped by Robert Meyer - Steve saves it with help of Neils Lindstrom - federal prisoner. Sep 01 - Philly bomb squad captain Doug Witherspoon retires 3 months after helping save the Liberty Bell. By orders of Dr. Franklin, Peggy Callahan and Lynda Wilson are put under surveillance by Katy and Rawlins. Sep 19 - "The Return of Bigfoot" - Gillian, an alien colonists from San Andreas mountain, makes contact with Steve Austin. She revives his memories of his previous encounter and asks for his help against their struggle against a group of renegade colonists and Bigfoot. Oct 27 - "Kill Oscar" - Franklin begins phase 1 of his scheme to obtain the weather control device. Lynda Wilson and Peggy Callahan are abducted and replace by fembot duplicates. With his fembot spies in place, they easilly aranged Oscar Goldman to be an open target an soon enough Goldman was kidnapped and held hostage along with Wilson and Callahan in Franklin's complex. Franklin and Oscar stood face to face for the first time in seven years as Franklin reveals his fembots and his plan to steal the weather control device. Dec 24 - Steve Austin meets greedy, penny-pinching industrialist Budge. 1977: Steve Austin encounters the first Russian Space Probe. August - While in prison awaiting trial, Dr.Franklin becomes ill. Before he has the chance to stand trial for his crimes, Franklin succumbs to his illnesses and dies in prison. Sep 01 - Julian Richmond is released from prison. Tammy Cross is abducted and replace by a fembot. Julian Richmond hires a contract to kill Steve Austin and stop a rocket launch. Sep 10 - "The Bionic Dog". Oct - "Dark Side of the Moon". "Fembots in Las Vegas". "Fembots in Las Vegas (Part II)". "Dark Side of the Moon (Part II)". 1978: Feb 06 - Steve Austin captured, made to believe it's 1984. May 13 - "On the Run" (final episode of The Bionic Woman airs). Jaime Sommers goes into semi-retirement from the OSI. Steve Austin captures Lyle Stenning (Fortress leader). Stenning is soon sentenced life to in prison. 1979: Steve Austin retires from the OSI. 1985: Max, the bionic dog, dies. Chris Williams is killed in the line of duty, on a mission with Jaime Sommers. 1988: Fortress stages the ninth raid for weapons. Oscar Goldman decides to call on Steve Austin. Mike Austin crashes during his graduation solo flight. Rudy Wells rebuilds him with advanced bionics. 1990: Steve and Jaime at World Unity Games. Kate Mason becomes bionic. 1994: Nov - Steve Austin and Jaime Sommers are finally married. 192

Austin, Steve Steve Austin was born February 5, 1942. His father, Carl, was a captain in the US Army Air Force, commanding a DC-3 nicknamed My Little Girl. While on a top-secret courier mission over the Himalayas, his plane was attacked by Japanese fighters. It was reported that Carl Austin bailed out of the plane and left the crew to die (Steve eventually learned it was his co-pilot, Christopher Bell, who fled the plane.) Steves mother, Helen, later married Jim Elgin, who brought the family to a ranch in Ojai, California and formally adopted Steve as his son. Steve excelled at athletics, but also possessed a strong scientific streak. Fascinated by airplanes and flying, he cajoled his parents into letting him get a pilot's license before he could drive a car. He joined Army ROTC in high school to earn money for college and fell in love with local girl Jaime Sommers, but their relationship ended when Steve left for college. While at college, he roomed with future recording star John Perry, and even wrote some songs he claimed would make John famous if he recorded them. In college he was outstanding in football, but turned down offers to join the pros in favor of graduate school. Steve earned masters degrees in aeronautical engineering, geology and history, and occupied what little spare time was left him with programs in wrestling, judo, aikido, gymnastics, and fencing. After college, Steve spent a year in Vietnam flying a helicopter gunship, but was shot down (breaking three of his ribs) and sent back to the U.S. to recuperate. He took the opportunity to transfer to the Air Force to fly jets. He commanded a wing of F-111 fighter-bombers, then was assigned to Edwards Air Force Base in California, where he became one of their top test pilots. He also met Doctor Rudy Wells, who quickly became one of Steve's closest friends. The reputation Steve earned at Edwards made him very attractive to NASA, who recruited him for the astronaut program. Even among the competitors of the astronaut corps, Steve stood out as the youngest astronaut, along with a combination of sheer genius, athletic ability and ladies'-man magnetism. It was at this time that he became seriously involved with Barbara Marsh; he and Barbara were engaged for a time, but his commitment to NASA ended the relationship. Steve was selected as backup mission commander on Apollo 17, the final lunar landing. When the primary mission commander broke his arm in a car accident two weeks before the launch, Steve was promoted to commander of the prime crew. At 12:53 a.m. on December 7, 1972, Apollo 17 launched from Cape Kennedy, Florida. Four days later, Steve landed his lunar module on the Moon; he carried out a series of successful experiments and even set the record for longest single moonwalk at seven hours, thirty-seven minutes. When Apollo 17 returned from the Moon on December 17, 1972, Steve Austin was a celebrity. After making the obligatory rounds of talk shows and special appearances, Steve returned to Edwards AFB. He was anxious to return to space, but the next round of missions aboard the Skylab space station were already spoken for. NASA wanted him for a rotation aboard Skylab II, but Steve set his sights on the Space Shuttle, and quickly became chief design officer and chief test pilot of the M3F5, a lifting body prototype designed to test a spacecraft's ability to reenter atmosphere and land like an airplane. The test flight began well. The M3F5 detached from its carrier B-52, ignited its engines and brought Steve Austin to the edge of space. He piloted the ship back into the atmosphere and to the runway back at Edwards, but a crucial component of the M3F5's steering system blew out, and the ship crashed to the desert floor. Steve Austin survived, but barely. His right arm was torn off by the twisting forces of the crash, which also crushed his legs. A fragment of metal penetrated the front of his flight helmet, shattered his jaw and destroyed his left eye. His ribs were crushed, a heart valve was damaged, and his skull was fractured. Rudy Wells, who was present at the test, had Steve rushed to the base medical center and supervised hours of surgery. Steve was kept in electrosleep to allow his body to recuperate and to spare his mind the horror of his injuries. While Steve slept, Rudy Wells was approached by Oliver Spencer of the Office of Scientific Intelligence. OSI's director, Oscar Goldman, had long sought to create a cyborg, a melding of man and machine through the new science of bionics. Working with the Bionics Research Laboratory in Colorado Springs, he had the technology; now all he needed was the right man. Steve Austin was the perfect candidate. Spencer convinced Rudy Wells that bionics were Steve's best hope, and offered to pay six million dollars to make it happen. The next several months were difficult. When Steve was revived from electrosleep and learned of his condition, he attempted suicide. Rudy Wells knew that while Steve's physical condition had stabilized, his emotional state was delicate. He spent hours explaining bionics to Steve, using the astronaut's scientific curiosity and engineering genius to draw him out of his shell. After months of discussion and education, Steve agreed to the surgery. Steve's skull was reinforced with cesium, enabling him to withstand ten times the impact of his original injury. His shattered ribs were replaced with vitallium, making them unbreakable and also an excellent radio antenna. Cosmetic surgery erased his scars, and extensive dental surgery repaired his broken jaw and missing teeth. Then came the real miracles: two bionic legs, one bionic arm and a bionic eye, all indistinguishable from the originals. Once activated, they gave Steve incredible abilities. His legs enabled him to run at nearly seventy miles an hour and swim at forty miles an hour, to leap thirty feet into the air, and to kick down virtually any door. His arm could crush a brick in its grasp, lift up a car, or punch through a brick wall. (For a time, the middle finger of his bionic hand contained a tiny CO2-powered dart gun, but it was later removed.) His eye could see in 193

the dark, into the infrared, microscopically or telescopically. All his bionics were powered by tiny atomic generators, giving Steve limitless endurance. The recuperation process was long and difficult. The months it took for Steve to use his new limbs easily and safely took a heavy toll on his self-esteem. After a long period of testing and refining, Steve learned that OSI planned to use him as a special agent on missions too dangerous for normal agents and too specialized for regular military. His first mission was to rescue an Israeli sympathizer from Arab insurgents; Steve was captured and learned that his objective had been shot trying to escape months before. Steve was able to escape after destroying the insurgent base. Returning to the United States, Steve came under the direct supervision of Oscar Goldman. Their relationship was strained at first; Steve chafed at being obligated to OSI, and Oscar treated Steve as a machine. It took many months before the two began to thaw towards one another, aided in part by a mission where Steve protected Oscar from assassins. Eventually, the two became close friends. Steve Austin retained his rank and pay in the Air Force, officially listed as an advisor to OSI. In reality, he was their top agent, traveling the world and using his unique skills on behalf of the American government. After ten years of little contact, Oscar Goldman seeks out a retired Steve Austin. He hopes to persuade him back into service for an OSI mission. A terrorist group calling itself Fortress has been on the move lately. This group feels that the American way of life is under siege. They want to stamp out those who they feel threaten their country, under the guise of patriotism. In reality, they are simply a paramilitary criminal organization looking to make their mark. But Austin doesn't want to get back into that kind of life, worrying about who's going to shoot him in the back next. Besides, he has something else on his mind these days: his son. Austin has a son named Michael Austin whom he abandoned, along with his mother, Karen a long time ago. Michael's mother died when he was six, and he went to live with Austin's sister-in-law. Later, Michael joined the Air Force: and will soon graduate from the Academy. Austin has decided he wants to become a part of Michael's life again, if he will have him. Austin tells Goldman about how he's decided to meet Michael at a restaurant on the pier, where his boat is docked. Austin now owns a boat named Summer Maiden a reference to his former sweetheart Jaime Sommers which he uses to do chartered trips and earn a living. Goldman then decides to play matchmaker with Austin and Sommers. He knows Austin still loves her, even though he won't admit it. Goldman makes sure Sommers is in the restaurant that night. When Austin arrives at the restaurant, Sommers is upset to see him. It turns out she received a concussion on her last mission for the OSI. When she woke up, Sommers remembered everything she had forgotten since the incident when she rejected her bionics the day she almost died. So she remembers being in love with Austin, and can't handle the emotions right now. Not to mention she blames Austin for the death of Chris Williams a fellow agent, and lover on that last mission. Sommers ends up throwing Austin through the restaurant's front window, in anger. Just then Michael shows up, cracking a joke about "using the front door next time" at seeing his father lying amongst the broken glass shards. Just when Austin thinks things can't get any worse that night: he ends up upsetting Michael at the end of their conversation. Michael wants Austin to be there on his graduation day, when he does a solo flight in a fighter jet to prove his skill: but Austin isn't sure if he wants to come. Austin ends up kicking himself, figuratively, for totally screwing up the evening. Goldman talks to Sommers the next day, asking her to stop blaming Austin for Chris Williams' death, and to give him a chance. Goldman tells Sommers that Austin still loves her, and he is guilty enough for the both of them, for not helping Sommers and Williams in their time of need. Sommers decides to get to know Austin all over again, now. Meanwhile, Fortress has decided that one of their goals is to capture either Austin or Sommers in order to learn about bionics. They try to capture both of them, but fail. Austin ends up rescuing Sommers from being kidnapped, and they come to talk about their feelings. The two make up, and want to start a new relationship. Sommers finds out about Michael Austin, and decides to be at his graduation. When that day comes, Michael does his flight: as Austin, Sommers, and Goldman watch. Unfortunately, something goes horribly wrong with Michael's plane. It could be sabotage Fortress seeking retribution against Austin. The leader of Fortress, Lyle Stenning, has a personal grudge against Steve Austin. It was Austin who put him behind bars ten years ago. But now that he has escaped from prison, Austin is enemy number one on his list. Michael Austin ejects from the crippled jet, but it's too late. He is severely wounded in the crash. Now Steve Austin is really upset and angry. He decides to make a deal with Goldman. If Goldman will do bionic surgery on Michael to save his life, Austin will deliver Fortress on a silver platter. Goldman agrees to Austin's request, and Dr. Rudy Wells is called in to operate. The surgery is successful, but Michael is certainly not ecstatic when he wakes up and finds out what they did to him. He tells Austin that "no matter what happens now, your son died in that plane crash". Sommers steps in, to help Michael deal with his recovery. She nurtures his mental stability back to normal, and eventually Michael comes to feel that the bionics are actually pretty "cool". This whole situation is great news to Fortress, once they find out. Now they want to grab the newest "bionic chip off the block". They can get their hands on the latest in bionic technology, and get back at Austin once again. Fortress proceeds to kidnap Michael, along with Rudy Wells. 194

Once Austin finds out where Fortress' hideout is, he and Sommers beat a path to their door. With some help from Michael, who manages to escape, they clean up the entire operation. Goldman is proud of his new bionic creation, and wonders if Michael Austin would like to become an OSI agent. Steve Austin is not pleased to hear this, and tells Goldman to keep his hands off Michael. Later, a traitor within the OSI is leaking vital security information, that threatens the upcoming World Unity Games. That someone is also discovered to be bionic. Steve Austin and Jaime Sommers, who have been helping with preparations for the games, are now suspects. Can Austin and Sommers clear their names and prove that neither of them is the traitor? The World Unity Games a sports competition not unlike the Olympics, in the name of world peace is being held in Toronto, Canada. Oscar Goldman is asking Steve Austin to come out of retirement again, to become Chief of Security to the games. Austin reluctantly agrees. Later, someone manages to steal some information possibly vital to security of the games. It turns out that "someone" is bionic, because the thief tossed everyone about, including Goldman, like rag dolls. Meanwhile, Jaime Sommers is giving a helping hand in preparing the OSI's newest bionic agent, Kate Mason, for her new life. She has been paralyzed since age six, and bionics will now allow her to walk for the first time in years. Mason's bionics are of a totally new design, which are based more on augmenting her present biological systems unlike her predecessors' cybernetic replacements. It proves to give her superior abilities over Austin and Sommers, while comparing favorably with Austin's son Michael Austin, who received the latest in advanced cybernetic replacements two years earlier. As the story progresses, the enemy forces who planted the bionic thief at the OSI, want to eliminate Steve Austin so he doesn't pose any kind of obstacle for their eventual plans. At the same time, U.S. Army General John McAllister has now been temporarily placed in charge of the OSI, due to the serious nature of the information theft. McAllister's job is to re-evaluate the organization's current effectiveness, and make changes if necessary. He holds all the OSI's bionic agents suspect for the theft. Since Kate hadn't been "activated" at the time, and Michael Austin wasn't anywhere near the games: McAllister begins with securing Steve Austin and Jaime Sommers for questioning. However, McAllister is barking up the wrong tree, because the enemy has their own advanced bionic agent, like Kate! Later when Austin and Sommers are free, the enemy bionic agent plants a bomb on Austin's boat in order to kill him. Instead of this happening, Oscar Goldman's nephew Jim Goldman is caught in the blast. Now Oscar schemes up a plan to flush out who's behind all this. Jim pretends to be severely injured by the bomb, and Goldman asks McAllister for permission to allow Jim to undergo bionic surgery. Goldman knows that McAllister would refuse, so he kicks up a big fuss and fakes his resignation, declaring he "would be better off with the enemy". The enemy forces take his words at face value and capture him. So now Goldman discovers who is behind everything, including the identity of the enemy bionic thief. Since Kate Mason is coming along nicely with using her bionics, the enemy forces feel that she is a threat as well, and want to eliminate her. However, they fail in their attempt. Later, it turns out the whole thing is an inside job: with Deputy CIA Director Charles Esterman leaking bionic (and other) secrets to a Russian General Dzerinsky, and OSI agent Alan Devlin is the bionic thief. Mason manages to kill Devlin, and Esterman and his accomplice Dzerinsky end up in prison. Bionic Ever After?, the final reunion film, saw Austin's bionics malfunctioning due to a computer virus, but in the end he is rescued by Jaime and the two finally marry as the film ends. Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4, Charisma 3, Manipulation 2, Appearance 3, Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 4; Abilities: Academics 3 (History), Athletics 4, Awareness 4, Biz 2, Brawl 4, Bureaucracy 3 (Covert), Command 4, Computer 1, Disguise 3, Drive 4 (Boating), Endurance 2, Engineering 2, Etiquette 3, Firearms 3, Interrogation 3, Intimidation 3, Intrusion 4, Investigation 4, Linguistics 3, Medicine 1, Melee 4, Might 4, Perform 2, Pilot 5, Resistance 2, Science 3 (Nova Lore), Stealth 3, Streetwise 4, Subterfuge 3, Survival 3; Backgrounds: Allies 5, Backing 4, Contacts 5, Influence 2, Resources 4,; Virtues: Willpower 7 Bionics: Steves bionics allow him certain advantages. His bionic legs allow him to run at an enhanced speed. He modifies his normal running speeds by 3 times when using his bionics. His jogging speed is 45 yards per turn (30 miles per hour) and his all out speed is 87 yards per turn or 60 miles per hour. The results of jump checks gain five automatic successes and the total is doubled. His bionic arm, combined with his legs and other enhancements, allow him to lift a great deal. He dead lifts 1000 kg (one ton) and gains 5 automatic successes to Strength rolls and close combat damage dice pools. His bionic sight allows him to add two dice to any visually based Perception test. Additionally, this enhancement provides a number of benefits: Steve can see in the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum, allowing him to see clearly and without penalty whenever UV illumination (such as from the sun, moon or stars) is present. Like a cat, he is able to see in conditions of very little light. Steve can see as well in darkness as in daylight, provided that there is at least some light (even faint starlight is enough). If he is in total blackness (such as an unlit underground room), he cannot see. Steve is also able to see in the infrared (IR) spectrum. Not only can he see anything illuminated by an IR light, he can see the heat given off by living things and hot objects. Hot things appear bright, cool things dark. Steve can also magnify objects in his line of sight, as though he were a high powered telescopic scope. He can magnify distant or tiny images by a factor of 100. Use of this enhancement negates range penalties. 195

Mason, Kate The World Unity Games a sports competition not unlike the Olympics, in the name of world peace is being held in Toronto, Canada. Oscar Goldman is asking Steve Austin to come out of retirement again, to become Chief of Security to the games. Austin reluctantly agrees. Later, someone manages to steal some information possibly vital to security of the games. It turns out that "someone" is bionic, because the thief tossed everyone about, including Goldman, like rag dolls. Meanwhile, Jaime Sommers is giving a helping hand in preparing the OSI's newest bionic agent, Kate Mason, for her new life. She has been paralyzed since she was a small child, and bionics will now allow her to walk for the first time in years. Mason's bionics are of a totally new design, which is based more on augmenting her present biological systems unlike her predecessors' cybernetic replacements. It proves to give her superior abilities over Austin and Sommers, while comparing favorably with Austin's son Michael Austin, who received the latest in advanced cybernetic replacements a year earlier. The enemy forces who planted the bionic thief at the OSI want to eliminate Steve Austin so he doesn't pose any kind of obstacle for their eventual plans. At the same time, U.S. Army General John McAllister has now been temporarily placed in charge of the OSI, due to the serious nature of the information theft. McAllister's job is to re-evaluate the organization's current effectiveness, and make changes if necessary. He holds all the OSI's bionic agents suspect for the theft. Since Kate hadn't been "activated" at the time, and Michael Austin wasn't anywhere near the games: McAllister begins with securing Steve Austin and Jaime Sommers for questioning. However, McAllister is barking up the wrong tree, because the enemy has their own advanced bionic agent! Later when Austin and Sommers are free, the enemy bionic agent plants a bomb on Austin's boat in order to kill him. Instead of this happening, Oscar Goldman's nephew Jim Goldman is caught in the blast. Now Oscar schemes up a plan to flush out who's behind all this. Jim pretends to be severely injured by the bomb, and Goldman asks McAllister to give him permission, to allow Jim to have bionic surgery. Goldman knew that McAllister would refuse, so he kicks up a big fuss and fakes his resignation, declaring he "would be better off with the enemy". The enemy forces take his words at face value and capture him. So now Goldman discovers who is behind everything, including the identity of the enemy bionic thief. Since Kate Mason is coming along nicely with using her bionics, the enemy forces feel that she is a threat as well, and want to eliminate her. However, they fail in their attempt. Later, it turns out the whole thing is an inside job: with Deputy CIA Director Charles Esterman leaking bionic (and other) secrets to a Russian General Dzerinsky, and OSI agent Alan Devlin is the bionic thief. Mason manages to kill Devlin, and Esterman and his accomplice Dzerinsky end up in prison. Quantum (Reserve Energy in Bionics) 4, Quantum Pool 30 (Regenerates every 30 minutes), Willpower 7; Strength 1 (2, Lifter, Quantum Leap), Dexterity 5 (3, Accuracy, Enhanced Movement, Fast Tasks), Stamina 2 (3, Regeneration, Resiliency), Charisma 3, Manipulation 2, Appearance 4, Perception 3 (2, Electromagnetic Vision, High End Electromagnetic Scan, Hyperenhanced Hearing), Intelligence 3 (1, Analyze Weakness, Eidetic Memory), Wits 2; Abilities: Animal Training 1, Athletics (Dodge) 3, Awareness 3, Brawl 3, Bureaucracy 1 (Covert), Computer 2, Drive 2, Endurance 3, Engineering 2, Firearms 1, Intrusion 2, Investigation 3, Melee 3, Might 2, Occult 1, Rapport 2, Resistance 3, Science 1, Stealth 2, Streetwise 2, Subterfuge 3, Survival 1; Backgrounds: Allies 4, Backing 3, Cipher 3, Contacts 5, Influence 2, Resources 3; Quantum Powers: Armor 2, Hyperrunning 1; Soak: Bashing 14, Lethal 11 (Dice pool penalties reduced by 3, one extra Bruised health level) Bionics: Kates bionic systems are not like the previous generation. They are a completely new direction for the engineers at OSI. They are designed to work with her natural biological systems to make her stronger and faster. They effectively give her access to abilities previously reserved for Novas. Kate was born with a degenerative muscle condition that paralyzed her from the waist down and made even normal life difficult. The bionics in her body basically replaces her damaged musculature, along with metallic implants designed to strengthen her bones and other biological organs. This, combined with a sophisticated control computer in her brain, allows her to perform feats of strength and dexterity unparalleled by any other agent of Office of Scientific Intelligence. Kates bionics also provide her with a wide range of sensory abilities, from enhanced hearing and sight, to night vision, to medical diagnostic scanners. Project Emerald Ralph Hinkley was a schoolteacher for 'special students', and was determined to get through to them. Coming back from a field trip late one night, the school bus broke down, forcing Ralph to walk back through the desert to get help. He encountered a swerving car driven by Special FBI Agent Bill Maxwell (Culp). Maxwell slightly drunk and despondent after the death of his FBI partner - claimed that his car also was acting up. The car started up and they drove on until they are stopped and locked into the car as bright lights above them shine down and almost blind them. They were surprised to find that the lights are coming from an alien spacecraft. The aliens tell Ralph and Bill (by way of the car radio) that they are to work together to save the world and Ralph will be given the power to change it. They are given a black case. Later Ralph opened it up to reveal that they have given him a special bright red suit which endows him with superhuman abilities. Maxwell runs off from fear but later contacts Hinkley and hilarity ensues. The novelty of the show was based on Hinkley's inability to properly learn to use the suit, and even learn of its various capabilities, other than by trial and error, because he lost the instruction manual in the desert. A 196

revolving gag involved Ralph clumsily trying to strip off his outer clothes to reveal the suit before his enemies can get away. In practice, Hinkley's superhero was more akin to a Buster Keaton-style clown. For example, sequences where he flies through the air under his own power usually showed him flailing his arms and legs, instead of adopting the Superman-like "arms extended, legs together" pose. In fact, his first flight resulted in a terrifying experience of him hurtling out of control until he rammed head first into a building wall. The basic powers outside of flying included super strength, resistance to injury, invisibility, precognition, telekinesis, remote viewing, super speed, X-ray vision and psychometry. He also showed signs of being able to control minds when he was exposed to high doses of plutonium radiation. Maxwell partnered up with Hinkley on most adventures to help the schoolteacher use the suit (which he called the "red jammies") to fight crime. Pam Davidson was an attorney who often joined Ralph and Bill on adventures. She was a corporate attorney who later became Ralph's wife. Also co-starring on the show were Michael Par and Faye Grant as two of Ralph's students. The series was created by producer Stephen J. Cannell and the show is typical of his style of character-driven quirky drama where the plot is secondary to the relationships between the characters. In 1986, the original cast reunited for a pilot film for a new NBC series that was to have been called The Greatest American Heroine. The pilot reveals that several years after the final episode, Hinkley's secret identity was finally revealed to the public. This upsets the aliens who gave him the suit, and they charge Hinkley with finding a new hero to wear the costume and use its powers for fighting evil. Hinkley finds a young woman (Mary Ellen Stuart) who spends her time looking for lost kittens and teaching young children, and most of the episode deals with her learning how to use the suit under Bill Maxwell's guidance. The hero persona never receives a "superhero name," either, although Scarbury sings the Elton John song "Rocket Man" in the pilot. The episode "The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" was shot in St. Croix U.S. Virgin Islands. The powers of the red suit were somewhat broad, but still were 'similar' enough to the abilities of Superman that Warner Bros., the owners of DC Comics, filed a lawsuit against ABC which was, ultimately, dismissed as the premise's core concept of a human receiving an alien costume/weapon to fight evil was closer to that of the Silver Age Green Lantern. The symbol on Hinkley's uniform resembles the Chinese character "center" (). As the symbol is red in color, Hong Kong television station TVB called the Cantonese-dubbed version of the show "Sky Flying Red Centre Hero" (). Real Name: Ralph Hinkley; Identity/Class: Human technology user (the technology is of extra-terrestrial origins); Occupation: High school special-ed teacher; Affiliations: Bill Maxwell (FBI liaison), Pam Hinkley (wife), Whitney High School (his employers); Enemies: Nelson Cory (megalomaniac billionaire), Johnny "the Dancer" Damanti (mobster), Gordon McCready (arms dealer), the government of the USSR, Tracy Winslow (corrupt cop), Robert Moody (corrupt US bureaucrat), Clarence Carter II (corrupt lawyer), the 4th-dimensional beast, Kelly Kim (Vietnamese communist plant in US), the electric squid from outer space, Carlini (magician); Known Relatives: Paula Hinkley (mother), Pam Hinkley (wife); Aliases: The Red Stallion (in South America); various other ways of referring to him were used through the series to hide his identity (such as calling him "the messenger") though these really don't count as proper aliases; Base of Operations: His house and Bill's house, Palmdale, California; Ralph Hinkley was a high school teacher who took his class on a field trip to the desert. When their van broke down, Ralph went for help and encountered Bill Maxwell (an FBI agent). The two were then both approached by a UFO. Communicating over the radio and via Bill's dead (but reanimated) partner, the aliens, whom Bill calls 'the greenguys', asked Ralph to accept a supersuit providing "unearthly powers". The suit was to be used to help save Earth from eventual destruction by man. Ralph agreed to use the suit, and he, his lawyer girlfriend Pam, and Maxwell, teamed up to solve cases and right various wrongs in the USA and around the world. The big catch - Ralph lost the instruction book, leaving him unsure of how to operate it, or what it's full powers are! The red jammies in the White Wolf universe are related to the phenomenon of the Nova, or mutant. They are, in fact, an alien device designed to mimic many of the powers of a Nova by tapping into the potential of the user. They are actually a symbiotic form of life, related to Eufiber, that give their wearer extreme powers at a cost. The cost? Well, the first time the wearer puts on the suit, it prematurely activates their MR node, flooding it with Quantum energies and stripping it of its own potential to produce Quantum. The node is conditioned to be a conduit between the user and the uniform. This does mean, however, that only a preawakened Nova could use the suit. The suit has its own node rating and supply of Quantum that the user can have free access to while active. The suit has the following statistics, regardless of who activates it. Note that many more powers remain hidden, since Ralph lost the guidebook describing the suits functions. Attributes (All 0 except as noted): Perception 1, Intelligence 1, Wits 1; Skills (Granted to Wearer): Awareness 3, Endurance 3, Intuition 3, Might 5 and Resistance 3; Quantum 6 (Recovery once per 10 minutes), Quantum Pool 65, Taint 3 (Use is mildly addictive); Backgrounds: Eufiber 5, Node 5 (20 Quantum/Turn), Dormancy 5 (to Ralph); Mega-Attributes (Granted to Wearer): Perception 1 (Fourth Dimensional Scan*, High End EM Scan, Quantum Attunement), Stamina 1 (Durability, healing rates are tripled, lifespan 150+ years, dice pool penalties due to injuries and pain are reduced by one.), Strength 2 (Lifter); Powers: Armor 4, Domination 5 (only with exposure to radiation, duration special), Elemental Mastery 3 (Fire / Pyrokinesis, Lethal Blast), ESP 5 197

(Distant Scan, All Senses, Limitation: Must touch something relating to area to be scanned), Flight 1, Hyper Running 1, Invisibility 3, Magnetic Manipulation 3 (EMP, Magnetic Field, Magnetize, only useable after receiving a large electrical charge, then all are always on for a number of days equal to dice of electrical damage - 15), Pretercognition 3, Sizemorph (Shrink) 4, Telekinesis 2; Soak Bashing: +14; Lethal: +14 Ralph Hinkley (Abilities in parenthesis exist only when suit is worn): Quantum 1 (6, recovery every 10 minutes), Quantum Pool (Special: 65 when wearing suit, 0 when not), Willpower 6, Taint 1 (3, suit use is mildly addictive); Strength 2 (2, Lifter), Dexterity 3, Stamina 2 (1, Durability healing rates are tripled, lifespan 150+ years, dice pool penalties due to injuries and pain are reduced by one), Charisma 3, Manipulation 3, Appearance 3, Perception 3 (1, Fourth Dimensional Scan*, High End EM Scan, Quantum Attunement), Intelligence 4, Wits 3; Abilities: Academics 4, Athletics (Dodge) 1, Awareness 2 (3), Brawl 3, Bureaucracy 2 (Covert), Command 1, Computer 2, Drive 2, (Endurance 3), Engineering 2, Etiquette 3, Firearms 1, (Intuition 3), Investigation 3, Linguistics 2, Medicine 1, (Might 5), Occult 1, Perform 2, Rapport 2, (Resistance 3), Science 3, Stealth 1, Streetwise 2, Subterfuge 3; Backgrounds: Allies 2, Backing 2, Contacts 3, Dormancy 5 (when suit not worn), (Eufiber 5), Node 0 (Ralph has a node, but it has been stripped by the suit, considered 5 while in suit with 20 quantum / turn), Resources 2; Soak: Bashing 2 (16), Lethal 1 (15) (Powers: Armor 4, Domination 5 (only with exposure to radiation, duration special), Elemental Mastery 3 (Fire / Pyrokinesis, Lethal Blast), ESP 5 (Distant Scan, All Senses, Limitation: Must touch something relating to area to be scanned), Flight 1, Hyper Running 1, Invisibility 3, Magnetic Manipulation 3 (EMP, Magnetic Field, Magnetize, only useable after receiving a large electrical charge, then all are always on for a number of days equal to dice of electrical damage - 15), Pretercognition 3, Sizemorph (Shrink) 4, Telekinesis 2) *Fourth Dimensional Scan is equivalent to the Spirit Sphere 1 power Spirit Sense / Sight, attuned to the Shadowlands. Bill Maxwell: Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4, Charisma 2, Manipulation 3, Appearance 2, Perception 4, Intelligence 4, Wits 4; Abilities: Academics 3 (History), Athletics 3, Awareness 4, Biz 2, Brawl 4, Bureaucracy 3 (Covert Culture), Command 3, Computer 1, Diplomacy 2, Drive 3, Etiquette 2, Firearms 4 (Akimbo), Interrogation 4, Intimidation 3, Intrusion 4, Investigation 5, Legerdemain 3, Linguistics 2, Medicine 1, Melee 3, Science 1, Stealth 2, Streetwise 4, Style 1, Subterfuge 3, Survival 3; Merits: Ambidexterity; Backgrounds: Allies 5, Backing 3, Contacts 4, Resources 3; Virtues: Willpower 7 Anthony Villicana: Tony was born October 9th, 1964. Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Charisma 2, Manipulation 3, Appearance 3, Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 4; Abilities: Academics 2 (History), Athletics (Dodge) 2, Awareness 3, Biz 2, Brawl 3, Bureaucracy 2 (Covert), Command 12, Computer 1, Drive 3, Engineering 2, Firearms 3, Interrogation 2, Intrusion 3, Investigation 4, Legerdemain 3, Melee 3, Occult 1, Perform 1, Science 1, Stealth 2, Streetwise 3, Subterfuge 2, Survival 1; Backgrounds: Allies 2, Backing 3, Contacts 4, Influence 1, Resources 3; Willpower 7 Sommers, Jaime Jaime Sommers' life has been filled with tragedy and success. Born in 1949, Jaime is the daughter of James and Ann Sommers. Jaime had an adventurous childhood in Ojai, California, and showed high potential in the sport of tennis. Her parents were political science college professors, but unbeknownst to Jaime, they also worked undercover for the United States government. Sadly, James and Ann were killed (presumably murdered) in a car accident on April 16, 1966. Longtime family friends Jim and Helen Elgin became 16 year old Jaime's legal guardians. She and Helen's son Steve Austin became high school sweethearts for a brief time, but he left Ojai to go to college and later to join the Air Force and space program. Jaime graduated from high school and went on to study at Carnegie Tech. She majored in education with plans to become a school teacher, but the tennis circuit was also calling her. After receiving her teaching degree, Jaime became a professional tennis player. By 1975 she had won many major tournaments and was ranked among the top five lady pros. On a visit home to Ojai, Jaime was reunited with Steve Austin (now a colonel and former astronaut). With some matchmaking from Steve's Mom, Jaime and Steve's relationship quickly blossomed. But their happiness was replaced by tragedy one day when the couple went skydiving. Jaime's parachute ripped and she plummeted to the earth. Her injuries were critical with both legs and her right arm crushed beyond repair. Severe head trauma had also caused damage to her right ear. Steve, who was deeply in love with Jaime, contacted his boss Oscar Goldman at the Office of Scientific Intelligence (OSI) and pleaded with him until he authorized a top secret procedure--Bionic replacement. Steve knew that it was the only way to save Jaime, because the government had performed the same experimental operation on him two years earlier. Under the skilled hands of Dr. Rudy Wells, Jaime's surgery was a success. Her badly damaged arm, legs, and inner ear were replaced with state of the art electronic prostheses. Upon learning of the radical surgery performed on her, Jaime was fearful of being a freak. She soon learned to accept her new limbs after Steve revealed that he is Bionic too. It seemed that Jaime and Steve were truly made for each other. The world's first Bionic man and woman were in the midst of planning their wedding when tragedy struck again. Jaime's body rejected her Bionics. Emergency surgery was performed to save her, but it was fruitless. With Steve by her side, Jaime died on the operating table. Miraculously, Jaime's life did not end here. Dr. Michael Marchetti used an experimental cryogenic procedure to cool her body and prevent cellular damage. This gave the doctors time to repair the massive 198

cerebral clot which had ended her life. Her heart was restarted, and she was rescued from death. However, the radical operation was not a complete success. Jaime had suffered brain damage, and the memories of her past life were gone. Another surgery restored many of her memories, but the feelings of love that she had felt for Steve seemed unrecoverable. Jaime's extraordinary strength ruled out a return to the tennis circuit, so she decided to return to Ojai to put down some roots. She moved into a coach house apartment situated on Jim and Helen Elgin's ranch. She also got a job teaching school at the Ventura Air Force Base. Jaime felt very indebted to Oscar and the government for saving her life, and she insisted that Oscar contact her if the OSI should need an agent with her special abilities. Oscar did call on Jaime, and from 1976 through 1978 she was sent on numerous covert missions. Jaime became involved with fellow OSI agent Chris Williams, and yearned for a life of her own away from the government and the constant peril of undercover work. Feeling that she had repaid her debt to the government, Jaime resigned from the OSI. However, the powers that be were not prepared to let her go. Jaime realized that her Bionics had become a permanent part of her life, but they did not have to rule her or the life she wanted to live. She returned to the OSI and agreed to take occasional missions on the condition that she would be free to pursue her life. Jaime and Chris continued their relationship and became very happy together. After years away from the OSI, Jaime decided to accept a mission. She traveled to Budapest with Chris, but the two of them were separated and Jaime was caught in an explosion. Fortunately, she was rescued and hospitalized back in the US. When she recovered from the concussion, she started to remember her past life and feelings for Steve. She also learned the shocking news that Chris had been held captive and killed. With the tragedy of Chris' death in the back of her mind, Jaime continued her life working as a therapist at the Los Angeles Rehabilitation Center. In 1987, after nearly ten years with no contact, Jaime is once again reunited with Steve Austin. Steve had left the OSI and had been enjoying life away from the government by running a charter boat. The couple came to terms with their years of separation and decided to see if they could rebuild their relationship. Jaime and Steve occasionally returned to the OSI in times of international crisis. Their time together proved that the love they once felt for each other had never died, and in 1989 the couple officially became engaged to be married. During the five years that followed, Jaime became a doctor. She moved to Washington, DC and established a family counseling practice. Her experience with the government and top-secret clearance also opened the door for her to help government agents. For nearly twenty years, many obstacles had stood in the way of Jaime and Steve's happiness, but their love had brought them back together. On September 4, 1994, Dr. Jaime Sommers and Col. Steve Austin became husband and wife. Strength 3, Dexterity 5, Stamina 4, Charisma 4, Manipulation 3, Appearance 4, Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 3; Abilities: Academics 3, Athletics 5, Awareness 4, Brawl 3, Bureaucracy 1 (Covert Culture), Command 3, Computer 2, Drive 2, Endurance 2, Engineering 1, Firearms 1, Intrusion 3, Investigation 3, Linguistics 2, Medicine 1, Melee 2, Might 3, Perform 2, Resistance 2, Science 2, Stealth 3, Streetwise 3, Subterfuge 3, Survival 2; Backgrounds: Allies 5, Backing 4, Contacts 5, Influence 2, Resources 4; Virtues: Conscience 5, Self-Control 3, Courage 4, Humanity 6, Willpower 6 Bionics: Jaimes bionics allow her certain advantages. Her bionic legs allow her to run at an enhanced speed. She modifies her normal running speeds by 4 times when using her bionics. Her jogging speed is 68 yards per turn (46 miles per hour) and her all out speed is 140 yards per turn or 95 miles per hour. The results of jump checks gain five automatic successes and the total is doubled. Her bionic arm, combined with her legs and other enhancements, allow her to lift a great deal. She dead lifts 1000 kg (one ton) and gains 5 automatic successes to Strength rolls and close combat damage dice pools. Her bionic hearing allows her to add two dice to any sonic based Perception test. She can also hear frequencies outside of the normal range of human hearing (infrasonic and ultrasonic).

OTHER SPECIES

AND

ALIEN RACES

Graboid The Graboid is the first stage of the life cycle of their species, followed by the Shrieker and ass-blaster. In Tremors 4: The Legend Begins, which is a prequel taking place in 1889, thus before they got their current name, they are referred to as "dirt dragons". The name "Graboid" was invented by shop owner character in the first film, Tremors, Walter Chang (Victor Wong); he was subsequently eaten by one. Promotional material written by the Sci Fi Channel gives them a scientific name: Caederus americana. As a result of the name of the series, "Tremors", many fans colloquially (and incorrectly) refer to the Graboid beasts as "tremors". The result of this was that on-screen in Tremors 3, a tourist erroneously refers to one as a "tremor", only to be corrected by the character "Desert Jack" who replies, "They're called Graboids!" Physiology: Graboids are depicted as subterranean animals, superficially resembling gigantic worms or grubs, with long, serpentine bodies. When fully grown, a mature Graboid will measure up to 30 feet long, and 6 feet across at their widest point, and weigh 10-20 tons. Graboids completely lack eyes; they don't need them, due to living underground. Their heads consist of a massive, black, armored beak, which is used to push aside 199

the dirt whilst digging. The beak opens up like a grotesque flower; it consists of a wide upper jaw, a thinner lower jaw, and a pair of hooked mandibles on either side. Whether they possess a skeleton or not is unknown, though a faux scientific document written by the SciFi channel hypotheses they have a semi-rigid internal structure, similar to the internal cuttlebones of certain cephalopods, such as cuttlefish. Graboids have a trio of long, powerful, serpent-like tentacles, which are prehensile and have a reach of at least ten feet. Normally kept retracted in the Graboids throat, these tentacles were initially mistaken for the actual creatures, causing the characters in the first Tremors film to underestimate their underground opponents. The Graboids common name is derived from these prehensile tentacles, which "grab" prey and suck it back down the Graboids hungry gullet. At times, these tentacles appear to have minds of their own, hissing and writhing like snakes. Food is typically swallowed whole, though early in the original Tremors film, they are shown to dismember and decapitate their prey. A Graboids hide is thick and leathery, with a rough, pebbly texture, giving them a reptilian appearance, (though they are not reptiles). This makes them very hard to kill with anything short of saturation bombing. Graboids possess immense physical strength, able to topple over mobile homes, tow along an object heavy as a pickup truck without slowing down, smash through brick walls and pull an entire station wagon underground. Encircling their bodies are short spikes, which all move in unison to push the Graboid through the dirt, similar to the setae on an earthworm. They are able to burrow faster than a human can run; a Graboid in Tremors 3: Back to Perfection was able to keep pace with Jack's truck. With armored head and mobile spikes working together in unison, a Graboid can "swim" through the loose soil at high speed like a shark in the water, though they are incapable of tunneling through solid rock. Graboids (and their imago forms, the Shrieker and ass-blaster) have distinctive orange blood. Graboids also have a powerful stench, which is made evident on several occasions throughout the first film. Though underplayed in the 2nd and 3rd films, the Graboid's stench becomes a critical plot point in Tremors 4; Juan is able to identify the Graboids as being the unseen killers in the silver mines later in the film due to them sharing the same vile odor. Graboids are shown to be ravenous carnivores, always on the hunt for food. Indiscriminate eaters, their diet includes but is not limited to sheep, cattle, horses, donkeys, coyotes, and even humans. They are known to be cannibalistic when the opportunity presents itself; El Blanco consumed an ass-blaster in Tremors 3. Lacking eyes or a nose, they're shown to hunt by sensing seismic vibrations which are produced by sounds and movements (such as walking). Because they are unable to tell the difference between edible and inedible vibration sources they adopt a policy of "eat first, ask questions later," simply swallowing whatever sets off their vibration sensors and regurgitating anything that does not taste good. Inedible objects can be spat out with amazing force, being propelled high into the air. Due to the sensitive hearing they use for underground navigation, Graboids are so sensitive to sound they must retreat from loud explosions, which cause them great pain due to sensory overload. Graboids are ambush predators, preferring to sneak up on their quarry, though they are shown to chase it down with great determination. They erupt from the ground and use their tentacles to ensnare prey, pulling them into their mouth (sometimes only the tentacles break the surface). The tentacles wrap around the prey, biting into its flesh like pit bulls or hooking the prey with their horn-like spikes. When the prey attempts to flee by climbing (for instance onto the roof of a house or car), Graboids will simply dig away the earth under the hiding place, undermining it until it collapses or sinks low enough to allow the Graboid to pluck off the hiding prey. When they are unable to break down the prey's hiding spot, the undaunted Graboids will continue circling it like sharks until it ceases making vibrations. Usually they wait so long the prey dies of dehydration or starvation, i.e. several days. Graboids are highly intelligent, possessing memory and the ability to learn. For instance, in the first Tremors movie the characters successfully killed a Graboid by having it swallow homemade dynamite. The second Graboid (nicknamed "Stumpy" by Val) had apparently noticed this trap and simply regurgitated the dynamite. There are plenty of other examples, for instance when the characters escaped on a bulldozer which was too big to be toppled (weighing 30 tons) or undermined (it could drive away before the Graboids had a chance to dig away enough of the dirt under it), the creatures simply dug a trap in its path. El Blanco: In Tremors 3 and the following TV series, an albino Graboid named El Blanco was featured. El Blanco was believed to be sterile; he was unable to produce Shriekers. The lifespan of El Blanco (and other sterile Graboids) is unknown, but the time between Tremors 3 (2001) and the TV series (2003) indicates at least two years. While El Blanco was initially believed to have a soft spot for Graboid hunter Burt Gummer, it was later discovered that this was only because of Burt's new watch (which utilized high pitched frequencies). El Blanco has been sighted numerous times outside Burt's compound in Perfection without bothering to attack, and Gummer has also been known to tease the Graboid with a remote control truck with watches strapped to it. El Blanco actually saved Burt's life by eating an ass-blaster that was carrying his watch. In the movie, El Blanco never managed to eat any humans, though he did corner real estate agent Melvin Plug on a boulder at the end of the film. In the TV series, any villains that appeared ended up being either consumed or arrested. It also proved that even when restrained, his tentacles were long enough to capture prey at certain distances. El Blanco is also notably one of the few Graboids that has ever survived a meeting with Burt Gummer. This is because that with El Blanco tunneling around, the Endangered Species Act protects the valley from development by Melvin Plug, who attempted to kill him but failed. El Blanco seems to be Perfection's mascot as 200

he attracts many tourist; in addition, the population doesn't seem to mind the creature lurking their ground often as they treat it as a daily routine. Graboid: Strength 6, Dexterity 4, Stamina 4, Charisma 3, Manipulation 0, Appearance 0, Perception 3, Intelligence 1, Wits 3; Abilities: Alertness 3, Brawl 3, Dodge 1, Stealth 1, Subterfuge 2, Survival 3; Willpower 4; Attacks: Body Strike (7, 5 Dice Damage), Swallow Whole (2 Tentacles or Surprise Attack, 8 Dice damage + 2 dice of acid damage per round), Tentacle Bite (6, 4 Dice Damage); Health Levels: OK x3, -1 x3, -2 x2, -5; Movement: Land 1 / 3 / 6, Burrow 12 / 27 / 54 Adaptive Learning: Every three encounters the creature has with a more intelligent target, its Intelligence increases by one point. This learning curve caps out at an Intelligence of 3, putting them WELL above animal intelligence. Metamorphosis: After living for several weeks, a Graboid will transform into three smaller Shriekers. The conditions that cause this to occur are unknown. Shriekers: The Shrieker (Caederus mexicana) is a fictional species in the "Tremors" series of films. It appeared in Tremors 2: Aftershocks, Tremors 3 and several episodes of the Tremors TV series. It is the second life cycle stage of the creatures featured in the series; the Graboid being the first and the ass-blaster being the next and final. The Shrieker could be seen as a kind of nymph. The name "Shrieker" was given to the creatures by the special effects crew of Tremors 2 and later introduced to the audience in Tremors 3. Unlike their previous incarnations, the huge, subterranean and limbless Graboids, Shriekers live on the surface. Much smaller than Graboids, Shriekers are about 5 feet (1.50 m) long and 4 feet (1.20 m) tall. While Graboids are worm-like in shape, Shriekers slightly resemble dinosaurs or heavy ground-dwelling birds, having stout, three-toed legs and a compact body. They also have a short, stump-like tail. This tail, as well as some small bulges in the neck, has some orange coloring on it. Its function is unknown. The one thing that shows Shriekers are related to Graboids is their skull- just like a Graboid's, it consists of a powerful, beak-like armored upper jaw and a much narrower lower jaw surrounded by two mandibles. Both the jaws and the mandibles have sharp hooks and serrations, ideal to hold on to prey. The beak is very powerful; Shriekers are capable of ripping through sheet metal with ease. While Graboids have three prehensile tentacles for tongues, complete with jaws, Shriekers have more normal tongues: singular ones lacking jaws. Like a Graboid's, the tongue is relatively stiff (for a tongue). It can be stretched out approximately 3 feet (90 cm) and has some short bristles on it, not unlike the tongue of a cat. The Shriekers' most notable feature is their heat sensor, a brain-like pulsating organ atop their head which is usually covered by a frill-like flap of skin, which is supported by a small ridge at the base of the skull. Using this sensor, Shriekers sense infrared heat, which is their only sense other than taste and touch as they lack eyes, ears or a nose. As shown by shots in Tremors 2 depicting the creatures' point of view, the heat sensed by the Shriekers is apparently processed into an image highly similar to that of an infrared camera. Like Graboids, Shriekers have orange blood. Unlike the solitary Graboids, Shriekers are pack hunters, using their numbers to bring down large prey. Sensing heat, they let out loud screams (earning their name). While the sound is useless (as they are deaf) they produce a lot of heat when screaming, alerting each other to the presence of prey. Another thing unexplained in the films is the Shriekers' ability to "see" heat before raising the frill covering their heat sensor; they always seem to know when to raise it. It is explained on the Stampede Entertainment FAQ that they can see some heat through the frills. Raising them merely enables them to make full use of the obviously delicate sensory organ, similar to opening one's eyes widely. When hunting Shriekers show some good feats of insight and cooperation, using each other to form natural ladders to reach prey hiding on high ground such as rooftops. Graboids, hunting by vibrations, often attack inedible objects, and the heat-seeking Shriekers are no different. They have been observed attempting to eat warm car engines, electronic cables and steamed clothes. Shriekers also feed on cold objects which they find by dragging their tongue over the ground. They have been observed eating military rations, and could possibly also feed on plants, which would make them omnivores. Shrieker: Strength 3, Dexterity 4, Stamina 4, Charisma 3, Manipulation 0, Appearance 0, Perception 3, Intelligence 1, Wits 3; Abilities: Alertness 4, Brawl 3, Dodge 2, Stealth 1, Subterfuge 2, Survival 3; Willpower 4; Attacks: Bite (6, 5 Dice Damage); Health Levels: OK x2, -1 x3, -2 x2, -5; Movement: Land 7 / 16 / 32 Grappling Bite: A Shrieker that successfully bites a target will continue to hold on (by making a Grapple attack). If this is successful, additional bite damage is suffered each round until the target is dead or breaks free. Heat Vision: A Shrieker chooses its prey by seeing if they have heat it their bodies. They cannot see heat through walls, but they see you through just about everything else. Undead, constructs and anything else that does not give off heat is effectively invisible to them, although they will still attack if they are bumped into. Metamorphosis: After surviving for about a week, a Shrieker will enter a cocoon shortly and emerge as an Assblaster. Food Effect: After eating, a Shrieker will vomit up a cocoon that will hatch into another Shrieker in 2d6 minutes. The amount of food does not matter. Adaptive Learning: Every three encounters the creature has with a more intelligent target, its Intelligence increases by one point. This learning curve caps out at an Intelligence of 3, putting them WELL above animal intelligence. 201

Ass-blasters: The ass-blaster (Caederus mexicana combustus) is a fictional species in the "Tremors" series of films. It is the third and final stage of the life-cycle including the Graboid and Shrieker. The ass-blaster appears in Tremors 3 and an episode of the TV series. It is named in Tremors 3 by Jodi Chang (Susan Chuang), the niece of Walter Chang, who named the Graboids in the original Tremors. Also like Shriekers, ass-blasters have bird-like legs ending in three-toed feet, and their feet have three slender black talons. The ass-blasters' most striking features are their wings they have red/pink-colored saillike structures at the back of their bodies, consisting of a semi translucent skin supported by rigid, stems. A third dorsal sail extends from the spine down the back and tail. Ass-blasters use these wings to glide through the air. In order to take off, they produce an explosion from their rear end, earning them their name. This is achieved by mixing two chemicals near their colon (by shaking their hind quarters). Creature Designers Tom Woodruff and Alec Gillis borrowed this design from the real life Bombardier Beetle. The mix explodes upon exposure to air, launching the creature into the air. The ass-blaster also learns at an extreme rate and can easily comprehend how to use its natural means of transportation as a torch, such as when one attempted to melt through a fire door in Tremors 3. Ass-blasters have been known to spontaneously combust when accidentally poked with sharp flaming objects. Like the other life cycle stages, ass-blasters have orange blood. Ass-blasters hunt like birds of prey, scanning the ground for prey while gliding on hot air currents. Their heat sensors are much wider than Shriekers', allowing them to view large sections of land at the same time. Judging from shots in Tremors 3 depicting the ass-blasters' point of view the heat they sense is processed into an infrared-camera-like image, just like how Shriekers see the world. An ass-blaster's heat vision is much more detailed than a Shrieker's. Like the other creatures, ass-blasters are also attracted to inedible heat sources such as fires. For reasons unexplained in the film, an ass-blaster will slip into a coma after eating. Like the other life cycle stages, ass-blasters are intelligent, capable of learning from their mistakes. When several ass-blasters were blown up by being shot with burning spears fired from a makeshift potato gun in Tremors 3, one assblaster quickly learned to dodge these projectiles. Assblaster: Strength 3, Dexterity 4, Stamina 4, Charisma 3, Manipulation 0, Appearance 0, Perception 3, Intelligence 1, Wits 3; Abilities: Alertness 4, Brawl 3, Dodge 2, Flight 2, Stealth 1, Subterfuge 2, Survival 3; Willpower 4; Attacks: Bite (6, 5 Dice Damage), Flame Burst (8, 6 Dice Fire Damage, Rear Only), Flying Ram (8, 6 Dice Damage); Health Levels: OK x2, -1 x3, -2 x2, -5; Movement Land 7 / 16 / 32, Fly 12 / 27 / 54 Grappling Bite: An Assblaster that successfully bites a target will continue to hold on (by making a Grapple attack). If this is successful, additional bite damage is suffered each round until the target is dead or breaks free. Heat Vision: An Assblaster chooses its prey by seeing if they have heat it their bodies. They cannot see heat through walls, but they see you through just about everything else. Undead, constructs and anything else that does not give off heat is effectively invisible to them, although they will still attack if they are bumped into. Food Effect: An Assblaster will fall into a coma after eating at least 7 health levels of food. This coma will last for 1 4 hours as they digest and metabolize their food. Adaptive Learning: Every three encounters the creature has with a more intelligent target, its Intelligence increases by one point. This learning curve caps out at an Intelligence of 3, putting them WELL above animal intelligence. Graboids are hatched from eggs laid by ass-blasters (the final stage in the life cycle), as indicated in Tremors 3. These eggs split open diagonally. Carbon dating has shown that the eggs can lay dormant for at least 300 years, explaining why Graboid sightings are rare and random. As shown in Tremors 4, the hatching of the eggs is prompted by warmth - in Tremors 4 hatched eggs were found in a hot spring. Baby Graboids (or Dirt Dragons) are 4 feet (1.2 m) long and are much shorter and compact in comparison to the adults, but already have the typical set of jaws and mandibles. The baby Graboids also have a row of armoured scales on their backs for protection, which are shed before they fully mature. Like adults, they have large spikes used for digging; extra large rows of spikes sprout from the sides of their body. Being smaller than the adults, baby Graboids are able to hurl themselves out of the dirt to tackle prey, like "some kind of demonic trout", according to Hiram Gummer. Their tentacles are underdeveloped at this point in their lifecycle. Baby Graboids will attack and consume prey in packs shortly after hatching. The fledgling Graboids will feed ravenously to build up stores of energy for hibernation. After enough food has been found, the young Graboids will lay dormant for several hundred years, (explaining the vast stretch of time between Graboid discoveries) during which time they mature into their adult forms. Dirt Dragon: Strength 2, Dexterity 4, Stamina 4, Charisma 3, Manipulation 0, Appearance 0, Perception 3, Intelligence 1, Wits 3; Abilities: Alertness 2, Brawl 2, Dodge 4, Stealth 3, Subterfuge 2, Survival 2; Willpower 4; Attacks: Bite (6, 4 Dice Damage), Body Strike (7, 3 Dice Damage); Health Levels: OK, -1 x2, -2 x2, -5; Movement: Land 1 / 3 / 6, Burrow 6 / 14 / 28 Adaptive Learning: Every three encounters the creature has with a more intelligent target, its Intelligence increases by one point. This learning curve caps out at an Intelligence of 3, putting them WELL above animal intelligence. Upon maturing, Graboids will resume attacking and consuming prey. After that, they will seek a secluded spot where they will metamorphose. Three to six Shriekers will emerge from their body where they have been growing in large sacks, killing the Graboid. 202

Upon emerging, Shriekers will search for food. When having eaten a sufficient amount of food, Shriekers will spit out a cocoon containing a mini version of themselves. This ability to reproduce asexually allows them to greatly expand their numbers over a short period of time, although it is unknown whether a Shrieker can produce more than one clone. The newborn Shrieker is fully developed, about 10 inches (25 cm) long and starts growing right after birth. When a Shrieker is around 24 hours old, it will undergo a molting process, turning into an ass-blaster. Ass-blasters can live up to several years (an individual sold to Siegfried and Roy in Tremors 3 was still alive two years later). They attack anything warm. While Shriekers reproduce asexually when they have fed enough, assblasters, slip into a coma when they eat a large amount of food. They can reproduce, however each assblaster carries a Graboid egg in its gut. Because they cover large distances when flying, they can carry these eggs further away, as theorized by Jodi Chang in Tremors 3. The Graboid's evolutionary origins are intentionally kept very vague; the creators of the film were unconcerned with this detail, offering no explanation as to where the Graboids came from in the original film, (wanting to avoid the typical clichs of the monster movie genre.) The main characters even satarize this convention by attempting to guess where they came from- outer space, nuclear mutations, genetic engineering and prehistory are all offered up as possible explanations. The answer was revealed in Tremors 2, when a fossil Graboid spike was discovered and dated back to the Precambrian, making it at least 600 million years old- the Graboids are apparently from earth, or have at least existed on earth for a very long time. Strangely, no prey large enough for Graboids to eat had evolved yet at the time; in fact there was no life on the land at all. A write-up written by the SciFi channel for Tremors: The Series retconned this by saying the fossil was incorrectly dated and actually from the Devonian period. By that time, prey big enough for Graboids to eat had evolved (amphibians), though they don't rule out a possible extraterrestrial origin. Though they resemble worms, in Tremors 3 the United States Department of the Interior calls them "desert reptilians", while the Department of the Interior classified them as cephalopods based on their intelligence, beaks and tentacles. Perfection Valley Perfection, Nevada (originally known as Rejection) is located in Perfection Valley, way out in the desert (possibly the Mojave Desert), 38 miles away from a (also fictional) town called "Bixby". There are mountains on either side, and the north end of the valley ends at the edge of a high cliff. The only way out of town is a road leading through a narrow pass to the south. It is a former mining settlement, the silver mines in the mountains owned by Burt's ancestors. The most distinctive feature of Perfection is its water tower, the tallest structure in the area. Directly next to it is Chang's Market, a general store which pulls triple duty as the town's store, tavern, and base of operations during Graboid attacks. After the Graboid attack in 1990, Perfection became a popular tourist destination, and Chang's market became a souvenir shack, selling Graboid, Shrieker and Assblaster memorabilia. Both the water tower and Chang's Market have been around since the town's creation in the 1800s. In the town's early years, it had a number of other businesses, including a blacksmith shop, post office, bank, and hotel, but these no longer exist in Perfection. Up on a tall hill just outside of the town is the residence of Burt Gummer, which, after the original Graboid incursion, was fortified with an underground concrete wall. Burt used to own a house, which he destroyed in Tremors 3 when an Assblaster broke into his domicile. He now lives in an underground bunker, and is slowly rebuilding. Pefection Valley is home to the typical desert wildlife - coyotes, wild burro, etc. The area is famous, however, for its Graboids (as well as its imago forms, the Shrieker and Ass-Blaster.) They are the town of Perfection's claim to fame, though they only appear sparsely and occasionally. As of 2003, there is only one Graboid living in Perfection Valley: El Blanco, the Great White Graboid, who is incapable of metamorphosing. Graboids are not the only strange creatures to reside in Perfection, however- thanks to the presence of the chemical compound "Mix Master" being intoduced into the food chain, many new and deadly mutations have been known to appear and cause trouble for the residents. Among these creatures are the Bacteria Vapour monster, a type of exploding plant/animal hybrid with an acidic sap, and the "Invisibat", a bat able to change colours to blend into the environment. If you like small towns, you're going to love Perfection! It's located in the heart of Perfection Valley, a pristine desert environment only a couple hours north of Las Vegas. Perfection Valley is an immense box canyon, with rocky cliffs to the north and mountains to the east and west. Aside from a few nearly impassable mountain jeep trails, there is only one road in and out of the valley; it leads to Bixby, Nevada, the closest town, 30 miles south through the desert. It's paved, and, as we locals say, "Stay on the asphalt if you want to stay alive!" Chang's Market, run by Jodi Chang, is the center of life in town. General store, post office and all-around watering hole, everyone who's anyone in Perfection can be found there. Desert Jack's Graboid Tours, run by exNASCAR driver Tyler Reed, is your best chance of seeing elusive old El Blanco, the "Great White Graboid," and living to tell about it! Sign up today for a once-in-a-lifetime spin through the lovely deserts of Perfection, But consider yourself warned - Tyler drives fast, so if you get a glimpse of El Blanco, don't blink or you might miss it! Burt Gummer's Survival School, run by world-famous Graboid-hunter Burt Gummer himself, offers courses in

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everything from basic firearm safety to how to write your legally binding last will and testament using only a rock, a cactus quill and your own blood. The people of Perfection Valley are every bit as colorful as the scenery. Jodi Chang (Chang's Market), Tyler Reed (Desert Jack's Graboid Tours) and Nancy Sterngood (Perfection Souvenirs Online) all live in the town proper. Burt Gummer lives a few miles from town in his hilltop survivalist bunker. It took some heavy damage during a recent incursion by those monsters colorfully known as "AssBlasters," but Burt, plucky fella that he is, has vowed to rebuild. Rosalita Sanchez lives on her small cattle ranch several miles from Burt's bunker, on the opposite side of town. Agent W.D. Twitchell, U.S. Department of the Interior, lives in a charming ranchette home he purchased from Melvin Plug. The initial appearances of Graboids and their mutations here in Perfection, as well as in Mexico and Argentina, are well-known world news. The big TV networks have all done stories here. Our cozy little town is a must-see destination for truly adventurous tourists, who routinely come to take Tyler Reed's desert tour in hopes of seeing elusive El Blanco, the "Great White Graboid." Of course, we hear the same question over and over again: "How can you live in a valley with a deadly, giant monster?" We won't lie to you it's damned inconvenient being unable to get insurance for life or property anywhere in the valley, but we believe our isolation and the risks we endure are a small price to pay to keep our individualistic lifestyle safe from urban sprawl. It's an odd and delicate balance: The big creature that wants to eat us is also the very thing that allows us to live our lives on our own terms. Luckily, El Blanco is usually content to graze on coyotes, sheep or the rare stray cattle. If we don't annoy him, he doesn't eat us. Can't get a much fairer shake than that, right? Using seismic equipment, geo-phones, and other gear, we keep tabs on the Big Worm and (usually) avoid dangerous encounters with him. Truth be told, we pretty much take in stride living with Graboids, Shriekers and AssBlasters. We view them as do people in northern Canada seeing polar bears walking down Main Street: We know they're dangerous we just don't get hysterical, and we take the necessary precautions. Perfection Valley has a variety of wildlife that keeps the place interesting. Of course, the world-famous Great White Graboid known as El Blanco and the occasional incursion by other phases of the Graboid lifecyle, the Shriekers and Assblasters. There's also a new threat to the Valley known as Mixmaster. Graboids hatch from eggs which can lay dormant for as long as 300 years, and possibly even longer. Once hatched, Graboid worms grow very swiftly into 30-foot-long, sightless, underground eating machines that hunt via their extra-sensitive hearing. They can zero in unerringly on the slightest movement or vibration. They burst out of the ground unexpectedly to gobble up their prey. Meals that try to escape are quicky captured by the three snake-like tentacles that grow from the Graboid's mouth and are sucked down its throat. It's also worth noting that many people who have survived encounters with Graboids have reported that one can smell the stench of a Graboid long before one actually sees its eel-like hunting appendages. When in an area infested with Graboids, it is important to remain absolutely motionless and silent. If you are in a stopped motor vehicle, do not let the engine idle, and be certain to turn off car stereos and any other sound-producing devices, such as portable CD or tape players with headphones. After an indeterminate time spent living underground, a Graboid surfaces and undergoes a gory metamorphosis: It divides into three to six Shriekers fast-moving, lion-sized bipeds. Though Shriekers, like Graboids, are technically blind, they can track their prey by sensing infrared radiation. They are especially sensitive to temperatures between 97 and 107 degrees F. the normal range for mammalian body heat. These extremely dangerous creatures reproduce asexually in effect, each Shrieker is "born" pregnant. Shriekers' ability to reproduce is limited only by their access to food. Once a Shrieker has eaten enough food, it disgorges a new, ravenously hungry Shrieker. Consequently, it is crucial that Shriekers be prevented from getting to plentiful food. Shriekers' prolific reproductive skills make them so dangerous that the U.S. government has decreed they are not a protected species, and should be killed on sight. If you encounter a Shrieker in the wild, do anything possible to mask your body heat. Thermally insulated blankets are effective camouflage against a Shrieker's infrared senses, but be certain to cover yourself entirely. Your exhaled breath can be a fatal giveaway if the ambient temperature differs from your body's internal temperature. Approximately 24 to 72 hours after being spawned, depending on numerous variables, Shriekers metamorphose into winged creatures that Perfection businesswoman Jodi Chang has nicknamed AssBlasters. AssBlasters are so named because they launch themselves into flight by igniting an explosive mixture of liquids produced in their bodies; they blast off like rockets, then glide for up to several miles. They cannot fly like birds. Like Shriekers, AssBlasters hunt via infrared radiation and are voracious. Also like Shriekers, AssBlasters are considered extremely dangerous and are not protected by law. They should be killed on sight. An AssBlaster is "born" with a single Graboid egg in its abdomen. It is thought that an AssBlaster's evolutionary goal is to carry its egg as far as possible, to ensure the spread of the species. This, however, is only a theory. Very little else is known about AssBlasters or Shriekers. One AssBlaster currently lives in captivity in Las Vegas, the property of Sigmond and Ray, who are underwriting research on the creature. It was sold to them by Nancy Sterngood and her teen-age daughter, Mindy, who captured it. If an AssBlaster is encountered in the wild, it is possible to conceal oneself by masking one's body heat (see the safety tip regarding Shriekers). Another important note is that, unlike Shriekers, AssBlasters do not multiply. If they eat to excess, they will enter a state called "food coma." If you are unable to mask your body heat from an AssBlaster, attempt instead to sate its hunger with high-calorie foodstuffs until such time as it becomes dormant. 204

Mixmaster is a DNA-splicing chemical created 30 years ago in a top-secret government biotech laboratory buried in the desert near Perfection. The lab was run by the Proudfoot Corporation for the federal government. Mixmaster is capable of blending any non-human DNA from animals and plants, to create new mutated creatures in the Valley. When the Proudfoot Corporation destroyed the biotech lab, most of the plant and animal DNA, as well as the Mixmaster chemical, was left in the lab. As time took its toll on the remains of the lab, Mixmaster infected many of the DNA specimens there, then managed to escape the lab via airshafts disguised in a an abandoned silver mine. Department of Interior Report The subterranean predators known as "Graboids," which ostensibly awakened in the late 20th century after a centuries-long slumber, are a life form unlike any other previously catalogued in Earth's genetic or fossil record. The first documented encounter with the species occurred in Perfection, Nev., in 1990. Graboid worms, which we have classified as Caederus americana, subsequently appeared in Mexico in 1996, and in Argentina and Nevada in 2001. During the Mexico incident, a second Graboid species, called "Shriekers," was identified. This species has been classified as C. mexicana. The second outbreak in Perfection revealed a morphological variant subspecies of Shriekers. Nicknamed "Assblasters" by the locals who first encountered it, its official name is C. mexicana combustus. Throughout this report there are references to "the Graboid species" or "the species" (plural). This generalized term should be understood to encompass the genus Caederus. The colloquial term "Graboid," when used alone, refers specifically to the wormlike subterranean predator C. americana. The species' hostile behavior and high rate of reproduction have triggered concern within the Department of the Interior (DOI) and raised many troubling questions. Where do Graboids come from? How could creatures so huge and aggressive go unnoticed before 1990? Do their lack of a logical place in Earth's fossil record imply they are extraterrestrial in origin? Or do they represent a previously undiscovered branch on the evolutionary tree? Are they intelligent? Are they sentient? Are they a true menace to humanity, or merely another animal curiosity to be studied with caution? In an effort to expand our knowledge base about the species and their life cycles, the DOI conducted the Graboid Ecological Research Initiative, in accordance with Executive Order No. 4371. The following report details our findings. NOTE: The contents of this report are to be considered eyes-only information. Individuals with a clearance level below SIERRA GREEN who read, copy, transfer, trade, sell, summarize or reproduce the contents of this report, in any format or medium, may be subject to penalties including, but not limited to, a fine of up to $500,000 and 30 years' imprisonment. EXTERNAL ANATOMY Graboids: The Graboid is a worm-shaped creature approximately 10 meters long and more than two meters across at its widest diameter. An adult specimen weighs approximately 10 to 20 tons, which makes it the largest land (or subterranean) animal on Earth. The Graboid displays linear orientation (its head is different from its tail), and dorsal/ventral orientation (the top of its head is different from the underside). It may also exhibit bilateral symmetry, but determining this conclusively will require a more detailed examination of multiple specimens. The Graboid's body is covered with a dense, leathery carapace. Twisting spines or spikes up to several inches long protrude in irregular rows, forming rings around the Graboid's tubular body. The Graboid appears to lack limbs or other significant external features apart from its head. This head consists of an armored or plated external sheath, under which opens a three-part jaw. Concealed within the mouth are three tentacles, which can extend several dozen feet beyond the Graboid's head to seize prey. Each tentacle appears to be bifurcated at its extremity, creating a biting jaw with sharp "teeth." This extremity resembles a serpent's head due to horn-like protrusions on one side of the bifurcation. The armored jaw sections and the tentacles all seem designed to funnel prey into the animal's central gullet. The Graboid has been documented to swallow large objects whole (for example, in 2001, one specimen swallowed an entire 50-gallon metal drum containing noted Graboid-hunter Burt Gummer). This may indicate that the Graboid lacks a rigid jaw structure. More likely, it seems to indicate that the animal's mouth is an elastic, sphincter-like structure, perhaps lined with shearing and cutting teeth. If the animal does have a rigid jaw structure, then it can likely unhinge its jaw (as can many species of snake) in order to swallow prey as large as humans and cattle. The Graboid's sensory abilities are well-adapted to its underground environs. It has no external eyes, and therefore, presumably, no vision. It does possess remarkable hearing, or at least remarkable sensitivity to ground vibrations: It tracks prey by following noise and movement. (Whether this is a function of sensitive hearing or merely a sensitivity to vibrations remains unclear.) Behaviorally, the Graboid is carnivorous. It is essentially an ambush predator like a tiger, preferring to covertly stalk its prey. That said, most adult Graboids can move swiftly through loose soil, faster than a human can run. Although Graboids cannot move through solid rock, they can sense the vibrations of prey that has sought shelter on a large boulder or vehicle, or on an artificial structure such as a house. 205

When possible, a Graboid will rapidly excavate the soil from beneath such a barrier, causing it to sink into, or closer to the ground, where the Graboid can attack with its three tentacles. In cases where such an assault is not possible, the Graboid has demonstrated a remarkable patience, lying in wait for its trapped prey. There are several documented accounts in Perfection Valley of individuals who died of exposure, thirst or starvation while perched on rock islands or atop utility poles, rather than face death in the maw of a Graboid. Furthermore, the Graboid seems to be highly intelligent. It appears to possess memory; it learns from its experiences. Confronted with problems, it will try to solve them. And it usually will not be fooled more than once by the same deception. Observers have documented several instances of Graboids traveling together, revealing a degree of socialization. They appear to act cooperatively for hunting, and may be able to communicate on some level (perhaps through subsonic vibrations, as elephants are known to do). All these factors combine to make the Graboid a startlingly sophisticated creature, despite its primitive appearance. The Graboid worm has been known, on occasion, to cannibalize its cousin species, Shriekers and Assblasters. However, the documented incidents involved a limited degree of deception by human observers, so it is not known whether the Graboid normally preys on Shriekers and Assblasters. Shriekers: At the end of its life cycle, a Graboid dies in order to spawn three to six Shriekers. This might be a factor of natural aging, occurring when the creature reaches a certain point in its life span. Alternatively, it might result after a Graboid devours a sufficient amount of prey, or it might be triggered by some other internal metabolic or external environmental cue. (El Blanco, the federally protected "Great White Graboid" of Perfection Valley, is an exception. This albino specimen of the species appears to be incapable of generating Shriekers, though we have not yet been able to determine why.) Shriekers are not a metamorphosed form of the parent Graboid. Rather, it appears that Shriekers grow within the Graboid and eventually burst out, killing the parent creature. The Shrieker is only about two meters in length, but its body shape and head structure are similar to the Graboid's. It is not clear whether the Shrieker possesses mouth tentacles for feeding as the Graboid does. It might be that its mouth tentacles are present but vestigial. The most striking difference between the Shrieker and its predecessor in the Graboid life cycle is that the Shrieker perches on two legs, allowing it to walk and run. These legs appear to be articulated with three joints, and they end in three-clawed feet. When not on the attack, Shriekers tend to move from place to place in spurts. They move, stop and scan, then move again. When traveling in this mode they make short, low-register grunting noises. According to available evidence, the Shrieker's most remarkable feature is that it can reproduce asexually by growing offspring within its mouth cavity. Once born or disgorged, an offspring is smaller than its parent but quickly grows to full size. A Shrieker, by consuming enough food, can multiply itself repeatedly; consequently, an initial population of three to six individuals can rapidly multiply into dozens. A Shrieker's primary sensory apparatus is thermal. Using a natural heat sensor mounted on top of its carapace, a Shrieker can "see" its environment and search for the specific heat signatures of its prey. When no heat sources are detected, these omnivores search for food by dragging their sensitive tongues along the ground. This enables them to find edible flora and fauna whose temperatures would otherwise blend into the ambient. The Shrieker is named, however, for the high-pitched noises it makes. Because Shriekers do not appear to have auditory nerves, they cannot hear the piercing sounds they make. Rather, the creatures emit the shriek while signaling each other via a rush of heat emitted from their fleshy mouths. This blast of thermal radiation alerts other Shriekers to the presence of food. Current evidence indicates that Shriekers do not open their mouths wide except when attacking or signaling. Shriekers appear to be social; they move in flocks and have not been observed to prey upon one another. There is evidence suggesting a dominance hierarchy among Shriekers, as well as evidence of learning behavior. These traits, coupled with their reproductive ability and rapid locomotion, make them relentless predators. Assblasters: When a Shrieker experiences a biological, hormonal or environmental cue (the exact trigger is unknown), it sheds its outer husks in much the same manner that a snake sheds its skin. The resulting morphological variation is known colloquially as an "Assblaster," the third (and possibly final) stage in the Graboid life cycle. Assblasters exhibit the same type of carapace and hinged triple jaw found in both the Graboid and the Shrieker forms, except that on the Assblaster these structures are more slender and elongated. The presence of mouth tentacles seems unlikely, but remains unconfirmed. The Assblaster has several traits in common with the Shrieker. It possesses two three-toed legs that allow it to walk, run and jump. Its overall body plan and shape is similar to a Shrieker's, except that the Assblaster is longer and more fragile in appearance. In addition, it appears to share the Shrieker's thermalsensory abilities. Like Shriekers they are deaf and, when they spot food, they open their beaks wide to release a loud, heat-emitting shriek to signal other Assblasters to join the hunt. On the ground, they hunt in a manner similar to that of Shriekers, making the same kinds of low, grunting noises as they pursue their endless quest for food. Most significant, the Assblaster has three unique anatomical peculiarities not found in Shriekers or Graboids. 206

First, the Assblaster has wings. These are not true wings in the sense of being capable of self-powered flight; they do not resemble birds' or bats' wings (which are modified limbs). By contrast, the musculature behind an Assblaster's wings is fairly crude. There is no indication that the wings are capable of beating or moving quickly enough to provide lift, or that the wing muscles are well-developed enough to enable sustained flight. Also, though winged, Assblasters spend the majority of their time on the ground. Instead, an Assblaster's wings consist of a membrane of skin suspended between a series of spines radiating straight out from the body. The wings appear to consist of three structures equivalent to a left wing, a right wing and a fan tail. Assblaster wings most closely resemble the "wings" of the flying lizard Draco modified ribs that the lizard unfurls in order to glide. Assblaster wing struts are most likely modifications of the Graboid skin spikes. The Assblaster controls its glides by flexing, lifting, lowering and even folding these structures, yielding remarkably precise flight maneuvers. Because its wings cannot power its flight, the Assblaster has developed its second unique anatomical aspect: a biological rocket. In the act which has inspired its off-color but highly descriptive name, the Assblaster releases a propulsive force from its tail end. This fiery expulsion launches the creature skyward. At the apex of its ascent, the Assblaster opens its wings and glides, sometimes for up to a mile or more. An Assblaster gives warning of impending take-off via a unique "windup," or revving-up sound. Cephalopods use a variation on jet propulsion for locomotion, but the Assblaster has evolved the trait to a radically higher level. This feature is not seen in either the Graboid or the Shrieker, but the remarkably high metabolisms of those forms suggest the early gestation of such a robust biology. (We can only speculate on the specific mechanics of this ability; a more thorough examination will require a detailed autopsy of one or more intact Assblaster specimens. Unfortunately, the Department of Defense has claimed first priority in the study of all such recovered subjects.) The third trait that distinguishes the Assblaster from its other Graboid forms is that the Assblaster bears eggs. (A more detailed discussion of this can be found later in this report, in section 5.0 EVOLUTION.) Even more so than the Shrieker, the Assblaster is highly verbal, uttering a wide variety of unique cries related to specific desires or reactions to particular stimuli. This strongly implies that, in addition to the Assblaster's thermal sense, the Assblaster possesses fully developed auditory senses. Finally, as with the Shriekers, Assblasters are ostensibly social animals, at least to the extent of not attacking or eating their siblings. So far, they have not exhibited coordinated hunting behavior. INTERNAL ANATOMY With no access to an intact Graboid carcass for detailed evaluation (most specimens have been severely damaged in collisions or explosions), precise information about the creature's internal anatomy is difficult to come by. Much can be inferred, however, from observed appearance and behavior, and from the scattered biological samples that have been obtained. Anatomically speaking, the Graboid is a tube wrapped with thick skin-muscle, which is necessary to manipulate its external spines. Presumably, it must also possess a semi-rigid internal structure (though not a true endoskeleton, as discussed in section 6.0 - HYPOTHETICAL TAXONOMY) since it can burst through concrete (though such an impact kills it). Less dramatically, the Graboid's ability to lift its upper body into the air, as well as bear the weight of the soil through which it moves, also suggests a semi-rigid internal structure. This structure is probably coupled with a strong musculature. It is logical to assume that a Graboid propels itself underground partly with its surface spines, and partly with an overall motion of its body. A strong internal musculature would enable the Graboid to flex its entire body, undulating in a curling, corkscrew motion through the ground. For obvious reasons, it has been all but impossible to directly observe the creature underground; observations of the surface soil above a Graboid's route, however, show that such soil is sometimes humped erratically, producing a series of rises and falls rather than a continuous ridge. This disturbance of the ground is consistent with a writhing, flexing mode of travel. Furthermore, when a Graboid surfaces, it often does so while turning its head or body in a circular motion, supporting the corkscrew theory of locomotion. The Graboid, the Shrieker and the Assblaster all appear to respirate the same nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere as other terrestrial animals. Witnesses have heard Shriekers and Assblasters "puffing," while Graboids sometimes expel blasts of air. This implies that all three Graboid variants possess lungs. Whether these lungs resemble vertebrate lungs is unknown. On a related topic, the Graboid, Shrieker and Assblaster all have closed circulatory systems; their reddish-orange blood has been well-documented. This suggests that they possess a cardiopulmonary system, a heart pump and an oxygen-based blood-transport system. Little is known about the creatures' nervous systems, but all forms of the Graboid appear to have sophisticated brains, at least as compared with other predatory animals. All three forms have exhibited signs of being extremely quick studies. We cannot yet measure exactly how smart these creatures are, but they might approach the intelligence levels of such mammalian pack predators as wolves and lions. In addition, the Graboid would seem to require astonishing levels of energy to propel its prodigious bulk underground faster than a human can run aboveground, yet it does so almost routinely when pursuing prey. It is possible that the Graboid spends most of its time in a torpid or dormant state to recover from these short, intense bursts of activity.

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The Shriekers' rapid self-replication and the Assblaster's ability to generate volatile chemicals capable of launching it skyward suggest extremely efficient metabolisms. Like the Graboid, however, these creatures appear to need rest while digesting food and after prolonged expenditures of energy. Supporting this theory is the observation that, when fully fed, an Assblaster collapses into a "food coma" in order to digest and to regain its equilibrium. Curiously, in addition to its feats of speed and its ability to digest large prey, the Graboid has even shown an occasional willingness to eat metal. One of the creatures swallowed a large metal drum containing Burt Gummer, and there is also a report of Graboids attacking a station wagon. Did the Graboids involved in these incidents attack because their bodies are capable of deriving useful nutrients from inorganic objects? Or, as is considered more likely, did the car's vibrations (or Gummer's movements inside the barrel) mislead the Graboids into thinking they had found living prey? It is possible that the Graboid's underground life gives it access to elements or chemicals that "supercharge" its digestion and metabolism. Because the surface-dwelling Shrieker and Assblaster also show a similar level of digestive/metabolic ability, the discarded body of their parent Graboid might provide them with these required chemicals. It is also possible that this ability is simply inherent in all three species. Regardless, it remains one of the most impressive aspects of their physiology. Clearly, much remains to be learned about the bizarre internal anatomy of these creatures. It is strongly urged that the DOI intensify its efforts to collect intact carcasses for future studies. ECOLOGY The ecological realities of the Graboid (and its relatives, the Shrieker and the Assblaster) seem mathematically impossible; however, empirical evidence cannot be denied. Theoretically (in a conventional mathematical model), the Graboid would require a significant amount of prey in order to generate the energy it needs to function. It is odd, then, that the Graboid has appeared most frequently in areas of sparse human population. Of course, humans are not its only prey; the Graboid may, in fact, be willing to eat nearly any terrestrial animal. Regardless, it is still puzzling that the Graboid species apparently lives in areas with relatively scarce mammalian life, such as the Mexican oil fields and, most notably, the desert of Perfection Valley, Nev. It would seem that the mammalian populations of these areas lack the capacity to support the Graboid, the Shrieker and the Assblaster as predators, yet they apparently do. How is this possible? The Graboid's unprecedented metabolism is so efficient that perhaps the creature requires less prey than most conventional predators. This "frugal" metabolism would allow the Graboid to generate immense energy from relatively small amounts of food. Alternatively, the Graboid might have other sources of energy that we have not yet discovered; it may derive nutrients (and thus caloric energy) from plants, underground creatures, microscopic life in the soil or even non-living elements and chemicals. These possibilities might help to explain how the Graboid survives in ecological settings that, statistically speaking, should not be able to support its presence. One final possibility is that the species is not, in fact, surviving very well in these settings. Observed specimens almost never miss an opportunity to pursue prey. Whereas lions that have recently fed will often opt not to chase zebras, witnesses have reported that Graboids will attack even after a meal. This might indicate that the Graboid population is constantly in danger of starvation, resulting in desperately aggressive hunting and feeding behaviors. Indeed, had the residents of Perfection not developed successful resistance techniques, Graboids probably would have consumed the town's entire human population (estimated in 1990 at just under 20 individuals), which implies that Perfection Valley is not adequate to support a robust Graboid population. In conclusion, mathematical modeling suggests that the ecological systems in which the Graboid, the Shrieker and the Assblaster have appeared cannot support the creatures' presence in any kind of long-term, balanced predator-prey relationship. This may indicate that traditional models of predation should not be applied to the Graboid (because of its unique metabolism), that the Graboids have other unknown sources of energy, or that the Graboid species is in danger of extinction because of a shortage of available prey. EVOLUTIONARY OVERVIEW Evolutionary History: It is nearly impossible to determine where, when and how Caederus americana might have originally evolved. The species is estimated to be hundreds of millions of years old, meaning that it likely originated when most or all of the continents were joined as a single landmass. However, the species might have evolved on a continental island well away from the hotbed of vertebrate land evolution, where its isolation allowed it to evolve or adapt in unique ways without excessive competition. (There are many betterknown examples of this phenomenon: Tasmanian tigers and kangaroos from Australia, giant sloths from prehistoric South America, the lemurs and elephant birds of Madagascar, the moas of New Zealand, and the giant turtles and iguanas of the Galapagos all evolved in relative isolation.) Alternatively, C. americana may have evolved in temporal isolation. If it began to develop before the vertebrates started moving onto land, it would have been spared competition initially. Of course, at some point, no matter where or when it originated, this proto-Graboid had to contend with vertebrates that had limbs, but presumably this occurred only after the Graboid was set firmly onto its own evolutionary track. 208

The Graboid's earliest ancestor was probably a small creature similar to a cuttlefish. Unlike the boneless octopus, the Graboid's progenitor probably possessed a shell. This shell may have been completely internal, like the cuttlefish's, or external, like that of a snail or clam, or some combination of both. It was likely a heavier shell than that possessed by the modern cuttlefish; whereas the modern cuttlefish is a fleet ocean swimmer, the prehistoric cuttlefish was probably much more slow-moving, due to the weight of its shell. It was likely a bottom and seashore dweller, preying on crabs and bottom-feeders. It required and consequently evolved a hard shell to protect its tentacles while dealing with armored or hard-shelled prey. In the long term, similar cephalopods moved into deep water and mostly lost their shells. Eventually, the prehistoric cuttlefish, which hunted the shallow water bottoms, could not compete with fish or with its lighter, shell-less cousins, all of which were more mobile. Specimens of this prehistoric cuttlefish might have become trapped in pools or mudholes by seasons and tides. The cuttlefish, trapped in a pool, probably then evolved the ability to crawl across mud flats to reach open water (like modern mudskippers, catfish, snakehead fish, and certain cephalopods), or to burrow into and through moist wet mud until the waters returned (like the modern lungfish). In this way, the cephalopod took its first step toward becoming a land creature; the prehistoric cuttlefish became a proto-Graboid in much the same manner that fish developed into lobe-fin fishes, which became amphibians and then reptiles. Of course, burrowing through mud was much more difficult than swimming through water. Mud was heavier, and its weight could put severe pressure on the delicate internal structures of the proto-Graboid. Luckily, the creature's internal shell offered some protection. Over hundreds of generations, the shell probably became larger, giving the body much-needed strength and rigidity. This, in turn, limited the proto-Graboid's mobility. To solve that problem, the proto-Graboid likely began to develop a jointed, segmented shell. If, in addition to an internal shell, the proto-Graboid had already developed an external shell, then it had already separated its shell structure into parts. From there it was only a short step to developing joints. A jointed, supportive internal shell system would be a great advantage for the proto-Graboid. It would multiply the creature's strength, allowing it to survive the crushing weight of mud while giving it the leverage to push and pull itself through that mud more effectively. Whereas limbs were the more convenient and appropriate evolutionary development for surface vertebrates, such physical features would not have been beneficial in the proto-Graboid's adopted environment. Above ground, the weight and stiffness of the proto-Graboid's internal skeleton would have made it easy prey. Among other land animals lacking limbs, the slug, with no skeleton at all, would have been more mobile than the proto-Graboid, and the snail, with its protective external shell, would have been better protected. Unlike our hypothetical proto-Graboid, these creatures were able to continue their evolution above ground, as were countless varieties of vertebrates that possessed legs and claws. During this time, the proto-Graboid would have been developing its armored head carapace and the hinged jaws that protect its important inner tentacles. Some of the musculature of its tentacles may have evolved to form the control muscles of the three rigid jaws. Indeed, it is not unreasonable to speculate that the proto-Graboid may have been a six-tentacled creature; three of its tentacles evolved into the Graboid's three major jaw muscles, while the other three remained the Graboid's serrated mouth tentacles. (An analogy can be made to the squid, which also has two different types of tentacles.) As the proto-Graboid became increasingly better suited to its underground existence, it no doubt became a successful scavenger (and occasional predator) in this small ecological niche. We suspect that it was during this period that the proto-Graboid lost whatever eyes it might have originally had. Eyes would have been a near-useless vulnerability for a Graboid, which, in a sense, spends its life propelling itself through an abrasive environment. Even small eyes would become a liability to a large tunneling creature because they are inevitably soft and at least partially exposed. Consequently, over millions or hundreds of millions of years, the trait was, presumably, bred out. The original proto-Graboid may have been the size of a sardine. Obviously one of the most significant aspects of its evolution was its incredible increase in size. This was likely caused by the proto-Graboid's twin needs to move through heavier mud or packed dirt and to hunt larger surface prey. In classic Darwinian fashion, this larger proto-Graboid was a better hunter than its smaller kin. With added size, speed and strength, it could capture larger, faster prey and attack animals located in places that previously would have been inaccessible. In addition, it could capture, kill and probably eat smaller protoGraboids. By overpowering its only competitors in the underground ecological niche, the largest proto-Graboids were naturally selected to survive and procreate. In short order, as the proto-Graboid became increasingly well-adapted to dry environments, it rapidly evolved into the modern Graboid form. (Note: There are unconfirmed reports that Graboid skin-spike fossils have been found in extremely ancient rock, possibly dating to the Precambrian period. If so, the evolution of the Graboids would predate the formation of multi-cellular life on Earth. If these reports can be confirmed, it might support an extraterrestrial origin for Graboids; more likely, however, is the possibility that the rock samples were incorrectly dated and date to the Devonian era.) Issues of Reproduction: The evolving Graboid had a problem: reproduction. Like every creature that moved out of the ocean, it had to find a way to preserve and protect its eggs in the harsh environment of dry land. Amphibians solved this problem by returning to the water. Reptiles solved it by laying strong, hard-shelled 209

eggs in protected locations. Mammals (and, in a slightly different fashion, marsupials) solved it by carrying their young inside them and giving live birth. The underground lifestyle of the Graboid posed unique problems that only worsened as the creature evolved into its present form. The proto-Graboid could survive underground, but its delicate eggs could easily be destroyed by the weight of soil. Hard shells were a solution until the eggs became much larger, at which point the pressure of the soil across the eggs' increased surface area again became a serious danger. In addition, the conditions necessary to support eggs and juvenile proto-Graboids were undoubtedly difficult to find. Eggs laid too close to the surface would be dug up and eaten by predators; newborn Graboids that failed to burrow quickly faced the same threat. Eggs laid too deep would be crushed by the weight of the soil above. The proto-Graboid had the option to migrate back to the shores to find a viable habitat for eggs and newborn offspring (where the mud would be moist and easier to traverse), but that would have prevented it from migrating inland to richer hunting grounds. For an inland Graboid, with no access to a shore, there was only one safe place where it could incubate its eggs and give its offspring a decent chance of developing to maturity: inside its own body. For an octopus, a theoretical relative of the Graboid, reproduction can be a death sentence. A female octopus lays eggs and often dies as they hatch. The same is true for the Graboid, which possesses a reproductive strategy far cruder and more primitive than that of mammals (who possess specialized organs and a placental membrane for bearing young). A Graboid's multiple Shrieker young grow like tumors inside its body until it dies, devoured from within by its offspring. Strictly speaking, Shriekers are not a divided, metamorphosed form of the original Graboid. Rather, they are offspring, a larval form of new Graboids birthed by the parent. However, because they are vastly physically dissimilar to the parent Graboid and exist in a different environment, they have a separate taxonomical classification, C. mexicana. A mature Graboid produces only two or three Shriekers. Additional, undeveloped Shriekers are carried in the mouths of these initial offspring. Among humans and other mammals, fetal twins are not uncommon. Inside the womb, one fetus fails to develop and is absorbed into the body of its twin, surviving as a clump of tissue, sometimes with its own bones, teeth or organs. A newborn Shrieker is actually a dominant offspring, sheltering undeveloped siblings within the tissues of its triple-hinged jaw. As the Shrieker eats, the undeveloped offspring gestate, grow and eventually separate from their more fully grown sibling. Development of Shrieker Legs: The Shrieker's primary difference from its parent is that it possesses legs. From an evolutionary standpoint, this is extremely puzzling. Cephalopods may have many tentacles, but none has ever produced a leg. Indeed, in evolutionary terms, a limb is a complicated affair, with hinged bones and muscles working together in impressive unison. In vertebrates, limbs evolved millions of years after the initial development of an articulated skeleton in fish. Because the Graboid appears to possess a semi-rigid internal structure (though not a true endoskeleton, as discussed in section HYPOTHETICAL TAXONOMY), it is not impossible that parallel evolution would allow it to develop jointed limbs. In fact, the separate musculature of its tentacles could have been a precursor to the development of limbs; all that would have been required was structural reinforcement, to give leverage to that musculature. It may be significant that the Shrieker has three-toed legs, just as it has three rigid jaws and three tentacles. (Indeed, it is possible that the species as a whole might exhibit a trilateral symmetry, right down to its three-stage life cycle.) There are several possible reasons why proto-Graboids did not evolve limbs. First, their internal shell structure might not have been strong enough to support limbs that were as successful as those of boned vertebrates. Second, limbed Graboids might have been unable to displace well-established vertebrates from their ecological niche, and so died out. Third, the Graboid's level of success underground without limbs might have precluded any evolutionary interest in such developments. By contrast, however, the second-stage Graboid the Shrieker did develop legs (and, by extension, an aboveground lifestyle). The most likely theoretical explanation for this anomaly is that the newborn Graboid was absolutely unable to live underground successfully. It was too small and too poorly muscled, compared to its older relatives, to survive. Underground, it was an easy target for predators. Consequently, the Shrieker was forced to survive on the surface. To do so, it developed powerful legs and became a swift, deadly predator. Other species exhibit this dissociation between the appearance and abilities of the parent and offspring: butterflies / caterpillars and frogs / tadpoles are the most obvious examples, but one also finds among salmon and eels significant differences between juveniles and adults. The Graboid and Shrieker, while a more radical example of this phenomenon, are not unique. Ironically, by the time the Graboid evolved this solution to its breeding problems (disgorging its juveniles aboveground), eyes had been bred out of its genetic pool. As a result, the Shrieker and Assblaster had to dip into their genetic heritage and develop a thermal sensing organ that would function as a substitute for vision. Assblasters' Reproductive Role: After Shriekers achieve maturity, they enter the third known phase of the Graboid life cycle: the Assblaster (C. mexicana combustus). The Assblaster differs from the Shrieker in three significant ways: It possesses wings; it has a rocket-like ability to launch itself into the air; and it has the ability to lay eggs. 210

To recap: An egg hatches a Graboid. The Graboid worm matures and dies to birth several Shrieker offspring. The Shriekers feed and produce additional Shriekers (which, as noted above, appear to be predeveloped siblings). The Shriekers then metamorphose into Assblasters, each of which lays at least one egg to produce more Graboids. The reproductive cycle of genus Caederus is, to say the least, unique among all known higher life-forms. It has been proposed by some researchers that the Assblaster is simply the female of the Graboid species. The evidence supporting this theory is scant, however. The conclusion of this research program is that the Shriekers and Assblasters both appear to be gender-neutral and capable of parthenogenic (asexual) reproduction. Because Assblasters seem to be a genuine metamorphosed form of Shriekers, it is likely that a gestational version of the Graboid egg is present in each Shrieker. It is possible that the trigger for the metamorphosis of a Shrieker into an Assblaster is connected to the development and fertilization of the Graboid egg. It is still not understood whether an Assblaster lays only the one Graboid egg that is inside its body at the time it is spawned, or if it is capable of creating multiple eggs over the course of its lifetime. If Assblasters employ the same reproductive strategy as adult Graboids, they might be intended to serve as nourishment for the newly hatched Graboid. If, however, Graboid hatchlings are relatively self-sufficient, an Assblaster might be capable of gestating multiple eggs over the course of its lifetime. (Corollary: It is worth noting that there is no documented proof that the egg laid by an Assblaster will yield a Graboid hatchling. All such eggs and often the Assblasters that laid them have been destroyed prior to hatching. Furthermore, the one Assblaster known to have survived in captivity Sigmund and Ray's "Messerschmitt" has so far not gestated or laid any eggs. Whether this is a clue to a necessary fertilization step in the Graboid reproductive cycle, or evidence of a single-egg cycle, is unknown at this time.) Assblaster Biochemistry: Special attention should be paid to the Assblaster's spectacular rocketpropulsion ability. The closest natural analogy to this ability may be the volatile discharge produced by the bombardier beetle as a natural defense mechanism. The Assblaster, however, clearly generates a compound far more explosive than that of the bombardier beetle. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the Assblaster's fuel is a highly combustible, methane-based binary compound. This "ass-blasting" behavior almost certainly evolved as a by-product of the Graboid's digestive processes. Birds and reptiles have a continuous digestive tract that encompasses their reproductive organs. Consequently, whereas mammals have separate orifices and organs for sexual functions and excretion, birds have only a single orifice, known as the cloaca. It is unclear at this time whether the ass-blasting mechanism is a single organ or gland or multiple organs acting in concert; or whether it is segregated from or integrated into the Assblaster's digestive tract. For this report, however, we have agreed to refer to the Assblaster's rear orifice as the cloaca. The Assblaster is believed to produce the chemicals it requires within its body, perhaps as a result of its complex metabolism. We speculate that the fuel for the ass-blasting ability is binary (i.e., composed of two substances that do not ignite until mixed) and that the Assblaster stores these substances in separate glands or bladders. The process of filling these "bladders" is probably continuous. Then, when an Assblaster needs to fly, it empties the correct amount of propellant from some of its storage bladders into the colon above the cloaca. The storage bladders immediately seal after discharge and begin accumulating more fuel. In a coordinated release, the Assblaster then discharges its ignition bladder and releases its cloaca sphincter. If the propellant is a true binary compound, timing is critical: If the fluid ignites too early, the Assblaster will explode. If the sphincter opens too quickly, the propellant will disperse before it can be usefully ignited. The cloaca, or the bodily chamber that holds the propellant, must be a remarkable organ. It must be tough enough to withstand an explosion strong enough to propel a creature weighing more than 100 pounds hundreds of yards through the air. Simple Newtonian physics would argue, in fact, that the Assblaster should explode from the magnitude of the blast. The fact that it does not implies that its cloaca must be not only strong but fireproof. The cloaca presumably has some form of calcium lining, which is not without precedent in the species. The Graboid possesses the equivalent of an internal skeleton as well as outer shell segments. Furthermore, the Assblaster lays eggs with hard shells, so it must metabolize calcium. In birds, and probably in the Assblaster, the eggshell is generated within or just beyond the cloacal tract. It is therefore not unreasonable to posit that the Assblaster can secrete a calcium-based lining to reinforce its propellant chamber. The calcium reinforcing the cloaca is probably not a single structure (which would be too brittle) but rather a complex of jointed segments that can bend or stretch to absorb shocks more effectively. This cloacal structure presumably is linked to the semi-rigid internal structure in order to evenly distribute impact forces throughout the Assblaster's body. Despite its ungainly appearance, the overall structure of the Assblaster is incredibly tough. The question remains, however, how such a bizarre trait as ass-blasting could evolve. Certainly, there is no evolutionary advantage to exploding while trying to fly. The Assblaster would have had to have all its organs and anatomical features more or less lined up properly before it could take its first flight. This seems paradoxical, however, because such organs would not evolve as they did without a purpose. 211

Perhaps, though, they developed for a reason other than explosive flight: defense and offense. It is wellknown that a number of animals have bizarre escape mechanisms. Some lizards can actually detach their own tails; others can squirt blood from their eyes. Skunks can discharge pungent chemicals from glands under their tails. Octopi squirt clouds of ink as a diversion. Birds, when they take flight, automatically discharge waste so as not to carry unneeded weight. It may be that the prehistoric proto-Assblaster, fleeing such vertebrate predators as dinosaurs, discharged waste or gas behind it as a diversion or deterrent. This simple discharge mechanism could have evolved into a specialized defense: a natural flame-thrower. As the proto-Assblaster learned to control its blasts, it might have achieved subsequently larger and more focused explosions. Eventually, these blasts would routinely propel it through the air. Over time, the modern Assblaster evolved the physical features, such as wings, that would allow it to glide after blasting off like a wild rocket. The Assblaster's wing structures likely developed for some other purpose and were only later adapted for flight. Most likely, the wings originally were skin spines (such as those still possessed by the Graboid) which grew longer and had membranes stretched between them. A number of prehistoric reptiles including Spinosaurus, Edaphosaurus and Dimetrodon all had sail-backs similar to this; their spinal vertebrae grew to extraordinary lengths and had delicate membranes stretched between them. It is believed that these features evolved for thermal control, because their greater surface area both absorbed and discharged heat quickly. The external membranes of the Assblaster may originally have evolved to serve a similar purpose. The simultaneous development of heat-radiating wings and the incendiary discharge mechanism does not seem to have been a coincidence. As the Assblaster intensified its metabolism to create the volatile chemicals needed for its combustible defense, it would have needed a better way to shed excess body heat and maintain a stable body temperature. The two different organs may well have developed in tandem. Consequently, when the Assblaster finally began blasting off it already possessed the rudiments of a gliding structure, enabling it to fly. HYPOTHETICAL TAXONOMY Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Bilateria (Triploblasts), Subphylum: Mollusca, Class: Cephalopoda, Subclass: Coleoidea, Order: Sepioida, Family: Vermiformidae, Genus: Caederus, Species: americana (Graboid), Species: mexicana (Shrieker) Variant: mexicana combustus (Assblaster) The proper taxonomical classification of Graboids, Shriekers and Assblasters was a curious challenge because the Graboid species does not clearly belong to any previously known Family grouping. To complete its zoological nomenclature, we were forced to look much deeper into the evolutionary tree than we had expected. Graboids have been described by some witnesses as being "reptilian," but this is probably no more accurate than describing the Assblaster as a bird because it flies or the Shrieker as a frog because it undergoes a metamorphosis. The Graboid does not appear to possess any of the features of true reptiles, though the Shrieker and Assblaster, curiously, each possess some, such as clawed toes. However, they share just as many similarities with birds and mammals, so a reptilian classification was not indicated. In fact, Graboids, Shriekers and Assblasters do not appear to belong to any existing class of vertebrates. They clearly are not fish, and it takes only a slightly more professional observer to see that they they are also neither amphibians nor reptiles, neither birds nor mammals. It is doubtful that they are even vertebrates, although they do seem to possess endoskeletonlike structures. Vertebrates, it should be stressed, derive from a family of creatures called notochords, which gave rise to fish. Also descended from notochords are amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. All these different forms share a heritage of organs and anatomy, ranging from bilateral symmetry to a similarity of organ/tissue types and functions. The three known forms of genus Caederus lack many of the features inherent to members of the vertebrate line. Most obviously, they lack eyes. Their multistage life cycle is similarly dissociated from known vertebrate reproductive models. In fact, research has not yet yielded any proof that the Graboid species is connected to the vertebrate line. Regardless, the Graboid, the Shrieker and the Assblaster are all highly sophisticated life forms, which implies that they represent the culmination of a long evolutionary history. Only three other non-vertebrate lines of animal life on Earth have reached a similar level of sophistication: arthropods, annelids and mollusks. Arthropods (including insects, arachnids, crustaceans and other forms) typically have hard, segmented or jointed exoskeletons, and generally remain small in size when compared with vertebrates. Most arthropods evolved with multiple external limbs and some form of eyes. All these traits are inconsistent with the speculated evolution of C. americana. Available evidence suggests the Graboid also is not a member of the subphylum Annelida. Annelids earthworms share some traits with the Graboid, such as an underground habitat, stiff hairs in the skin to assist in locomotion and an ability to extract nutrients directly from the soil. No annelid, however, has ever possessed anything resembling an endoskeleton or semi-rigid support system, which C. americana is believed to possess. In addition, C. americana and C. mexicana possess other features not found in annelids: segmented jaws; prehensile mouth tentacles; a multiphase life cycle; and thermal sensors. The Graboid is also larger and more sophisticated than any known annelid, making it highly unlikely that genus Caederus belongs in this subphylum. 212

Genus Caederus might be unique, in a class of its own. It might even be extraterrestrial. More likely, though, it is a form of mollusk. The subphylum Mollusca is one of the oldest, most diversified and successful on Earth. It includes clams, mussels, snails, slugs, cuttlefish, nautili, squids and octopi. The most advanced form of mollusks are the cephalopods (octopi and squids), which share many important features with the Graboid. Cephalopods have multiple tentacles, ranging from eight to dozens, all surrounding a mouth or gullet an arrangement that resembles the Graboid's tentacled mouth structure. Furthermore, some cephalopods (such as the prehistoric ammonites or the modern nautilus) have external shells or carapaces, as does the Graboid. At least one cephalopod, the cuttlefish, has a Graboid-like external carapace, or bony structure. In addition, octopi have enough control over the muscles of their skin to change their texture from craggy to smooth, suggesting a skin musculature similar to that of the Graboid, although of different degree. The "wing structure" of the Assblaster bears at least a passing resemblance to the rippling "fins" of the cuttlefish. Although no known aquatic cephalopod ejects combustible compounds, it is a compelling similarity that several eject prodigious clouds of ink as a defensive mechanism, and some have a hydrojet-like propulsive organ that resembles the Assblaster's dramatically fiery self-launching ability. Cephalopods are water-breathers, but other mollusks, including snails and slugs, exist on dry land. Many cephalopods, as well as certain bivalve mollusks, are able to survive for short durations out of the water. Cephalopods are the most intelligent non-vertebrate animals known to exist. Studies have indicated that they might possess a capacity for memory, learning and problem-solving, and witnesses have reported signs of social behavior among groups of squid and octopi. Cephalopods might well be as intelligent as some species of birds or mammals; certainly, they seem to show a level of "smart" behavior similar to that of genus Caederus. Finally, cephalopods have managed to achieve significant size and mass in aquatic habitats. The giant squid, for instance, is a deep-ocean-dweller that might rival the Graboid in size. The largest known giant squid have weighed several tons and stretched up to 55 feet from their flukes to the extremity of their longest tentacle. Although the Graboid and its related forms possess features previously undocumented among cephalopods (such as jointed limbs, endoskeletons and a multiphase life cycle), these differences do not disqualify their categorization as mollusks. For example, bivalve mollusks (clams and mussels) possess hinged shells; it is not unreasonable to assume that the Graboid family of mollusks may have developed hinged internal shells and eventually evolved more complex internal skeletons. However, no mollusk has evolved anything resembling the thermal sensors of the Shrieker and Assblaster; likewise, the incendiary metabolism of the Assblaster is unique to the Graboid species. Furthermore, no cephalopod or other mollusk possesses a life cycle nearly as complex as that of genus Caederus. Still, the shared traits documented above and elsewhere in this document are significant enough to justify a tentative classification of the Graboid, the Shrieker and the Assblaster as distant, terrestrial relatives of class Cephalopoda. HISTORICAL AND MYTHOLOGICAL REFERENCES The Graboid first appeared to the modern world in 1990. It is probable, however, that humans have encountered this unusual species many times since the dawn of human civilization. Dr. Kate Reilly has theorized that certain formations in Precambrian rocks are actually the remnants of Graboid skin spines. If her theory is correct, the Graboid predates all known forms of multi-cellular life on Earth. Our own research indicates that the genesis of the Graboid species likely dates to the early Devonian period, approximately 400 million years ago. If this is true, how has such a large creature escaped notice until now? Certainly it is possible that no human has ever survived a Graboid sighting until recently, preventing news of this creature from reaching the scientific community. But it is also possible in fact, likely that people have, indeed, reported Graboid sightings around the world and throughout history. These sightings, however, have until now been relegated to the realm of myth and legend. In South America, there are tales of an unknown creature called the "minhacao," sightings of which date to the 1840s. The minhacao is described as gigantic, up to 25 meters long. One report specifies that the creature has two horns (which might be a description of a Graboid's jaw parts or tentacles). According to the descriptions, the underground passage of the minhacao overturns trees, destroys orchards and diverts rivers. The creature is said to be a voracious predator that swallows cattle whole. On the opposite side of the world, in Mongolia, there are legends of the "olgoy-khorkoy," a species of giant worm believed to live in the Gobi desert. According to tradition, the olgoy-khorkoy is not as large as a Graboid, but it still supposedly attacks animals as large as men and horses. Deeper in humanity's vast reservoir of mythology lurk other fantastic creatures that might well be early Graboid descriptions. The ancient Greeks feared Cerberus, a gigantic, ferocious hound with three snapping heads that guarded the underground gates of Hades. Was this a description of the Graboid, with its doglike tenacity and its trio of prehensile biting tentacles? The Greeks also feared another three-headed monster, the Chimera, believed to be a combination of dragon, goat and serpent. Were the horns of the Graboid's tentacles the inspiration for the goat portion of the creature, and the sinuous movements of Graboid tentacles mistaken for the twisting of serpents? Indeed, folklore from ancient Greece, Mesopotamia and China is replete with multiheaded monsters. 213

Furthermore, legends of dragons are common in Europe, South America and China. Modern retellings refer to the dragons as reptiles, but in the earliest chronicles, the word "dragon" was often synonymous with "worm." Dragons were believed to be the greatest of the "wyrms," gigantic and terrible subterranean predators. Even more intriguing is that, although dragons were reputed to be underground serpents, many medieval drawings and Chinese folk tales depict them as winged creatures, sometimes capable of exhaling fire. Could such stories have been inspired by encounters with Assblasters? The basilisk and cockatrice, staples of medieval bestiaries, were sometimes described as the two-legged offspring of dragons; many physical traits attributed to these monsters are similar to those of Shriekers. Similarly, the gryphon, described as a hybrid between a lion and an eagle, figures prominently in these records. Other human legends describe the Phoenix, a bird that was both consumed and reborn in a fiery conflagration, and the Thunderbird, a ferocious bird that made a terrible sound during flight. Any of these descriptions might reasonably be attributed to an Assblaster. These varied accounts, previously dismissed as works of fiction, might represent primitive witnesses' efforts to describe the Graboid and its subspecies. Humanity and the Graboid, it seems, might share a long and bloody history. THREAT ASSESSMENT Genus Caederus is a lonely species. Its evolutionary path has left it no known close relatives, in no small measure because the voracious Graboid probably consumed its evolutionary cousins. Other weaker offshoots of the species probably fell victim to competition or predation from vertebrates, or to habitat destruction. The Graboid species' evolutionary path has also left behind few recognizable fossils. The life of the early proto-Graboid, in wet mud or moist loose soil, would leave few impressions and fossil traces. Even where a loose collection of smashed Graboid shell might be found, its true origin would not be obvious to observers. This lack of paleontological context, coupled with a lack of basic samples and evidence from the modern creatures themselves, means that many questions about this unique animal remain unanswered. Among these critical questions: Is the Graboid the mature male, the Assblaster the mature female, and the Shrieker a gender-neutral juvenile? Or is the entire species gender-neutral and parthenogenic? Does the Graboid life cycle incorporate only the three forms so far observed, or is the Graboid capable of new life stages, mutations or adaptations? Can a Graboid survive underwater? Is it possible the species burrows beneath the ocean floor? A more troubling question, however, lurks in the rarity of the species' encounters with humanity. If myths and legends of dragons, chimeras, etc., are actually ancient accounts of previous encounters with genus Caederus, why have there been such long intervals between outbreaks? Do Graboids hibernate during these periods? Do they withdraw to some unknown and unobserved locale? Naturally, the most pressing questions about Graboids are those that impact humanity's survival: Where will the next outbreak be? Have the documented outbreaks been isolated incidents, or is a widespread reemergence of genus Caederus imminent? Currently, our knowledge of the Graboid species is limited to the experiences and observations of those who have encountered it (particularly Burt Gummer and Earl Basset), and to a handful of poorly preserved remains. As of November 2002, there have been only four confirmed outbreaks of these creatures, each of short duration. Each outbreak has featured at least three or four full-grown Graboids, each weighing up to 20 tons. Worldwide, there is only one known living Graboid (El Blanco of Perfection, Nev.) and only one known living Assblaster, further limiting the possibilities for study. Yet study is essential if we are to continue answering questions about these mysterious and incredibly dangerous creatures. Indeed, a detailed threat assessment is impossible at this time; too many variables remain undefined. Genus Caederus might be nearly extinct and consequently of little threat. If Graboid outbreaks are rare, and not much larger than those we have seen, then it is likely that the threat to Americans and other technologically advanced countries will remain minimal. If, however, a much larger outbreak occurs (and the resulting Shriekers are able to multiply unchecked), then the entire human race might be confronted with a catastrophe on a par with a virulent plague or a small asteroid strike. While the worst-case scenario seems unlikely (after all, if genus Caederus was able to overrun the planet and eradicate humanity, surely it would have done so at some prior time, when humanity was less able to defend itself). Still, without further study, it is critical to stress that no possibility, no matter how farfetched or dire, can be eliminated. Final note: If a large, voracious predator such as the Graboid can take the modern scientific community by surprise as it inarguably did then it might be worth considering the possibility that other, equally fantastic creatures exist as well. Perhaps the Yeti really does wander the Himalayas, as the Sasquatch supposedly roams the Rockies. Perhaps the Chupacabra lurks in Central America. If the Graboid can exist undetected for millennia beneath our feet, what other mysteries await discovery in the lightless depths of the oceans or the untrodden paths of the wilderness? If we do not wish to be surprised again, then these oftmarginalized phenomena deserve less ridicule and more sincere attention than we have given them in the past. Nimue Locust I must admit to being perplexed by the specimen you brought me this week. It's basic physiology does conform to that of an African Locust however gene testing indicates it belongs to the family of Gryllidae of 214

Crickets. If I had to hazard a guess I'd say that it was created from the genes of the European House Cricket. At least I believe it is an engineered specimen, nothing in my preparation has ever led me to believe that such a thing would be naturally possible. But then again the same could be said for Novas. Part of its DNA could be taken from a nova genome but it is hard to say and any conclusion drawn from that assumption may be erroneous. Then again the fact that this incident occurred in Africa could be an indication that this is an engineered organism and that you were the unlucky recipient of its first field test. The burnt out tumorous growth on its abdomen is the part I believe interests you. Since you claim that all the specimens had the same anomalous growth I think it's safe to say that whatever it contained is the source of this insect's strange power. The energy residuals are minuscule and as hard to interpret as any quantum residual. However, I have come up with a theory that is mostly based on the account you provided of the incident. So bear in mind that this has very little to do with my study of the specimen which was inconclusive. I believe that this organ contains a small amount of quantum energy that when placed in contact with the quantum energy of an active nova produces a rapid decay of both energies. The process invariably proves fatal to the insect whose body acts as 'ground' for the quantum energies. I hesitate to label it 'negative quantum' because we know so little about quantum to begin with and while the analogy holds in this one instance the mechanics behind the process are much more complex and involve radioactive decay rather than electric charge. So while it may be easier to understand as a sort of negative quantum energy for the layman such as yourself I beg you not to go around describing it in those terms as the scientific community would crucify me. From your account the first power to desert you was your Fire Breath, followed closely by your power Flight. However your superhuman Strength never left you even when you were swarmed by the insects and that was what allowed you to escape the baseline militia you were 'escorting' to the border. I believe that this is a fair indication that some powers are fueled by differing energies and that those powers that suffered were those fueled by radiating or decaying energies. I postulate that your flight is fueled by a combination of radiant and electromagnetic energies which allowed you to stay airborne for a while longer whereas you strength is purely electromagnetic in origin. Then again perhaps your strength comes from control over gravitational forces, there is still much we don't know. We would need more incidents of this nature to prove or disprove this. Something I don't think too many Novas would be anxious to provide. Based solely on your account there is not much that I can add to what you already know. However, and I emphasize that this is pure speculation, the fact that you first felt the rapid decay of your quantum energies when you attempted to burn the insects with your fire breath may indicate that they only need a conduit to your quantum matrix to be able to ground out those energies. While this is very exciting information for those of us who postulate the Superstring Theory it is bad news for those on the receiving end of this nasty plague. The fact that rapid decay of radioactive particles may be occurring over a conduit goes a long way to proving, or disapproving depending on how the data pans out, the existence of a unified field. It also means that these bugs can suck your quantum without even touching you. As long as the insects are in contact with some article attuned to you, or in any way able to make contact with your quantum matrix (such as when you extend your quantum matrix to produce fire in the area in front of your face) then the rapid decay can begin. This makes these bugs very dangerous but since those quantum energies that don't depend on particle decay are safe from them then you should be safe as long as you're careful. One way to protect yourself would be to wear heavy clothing such as a biohazard containment suit which is not attuned to your quantum signature. Other than that all I can recommend is that you stay away from the critters and don't try to torch them. System: The Nimue Locust drains one point of Quantum from the Novas Quantum Pool and then it dies. As each insect that touches the nova drains a point of Quantum and then dies, swarms of hundreds of these insects could easily reduce the Quantum Pools of large groups of Novas to nothing. The real danger is that the insects don't actually have to touch the nova to drain the Quantum. It only has to be within the effects of his Quantum Aura which means that anything the nova attunes can act as conduit. Also anything under the effect of one of the nova's quantum powers can also act as a conduit for the drain. Direct effects such as Quantum Bolt, Force Field and Telekinesis provide a direct conduit which will drain as much Quantum as there are Locust affected by the power. Indirect effects such as Shockwave, Thunderclap, Animal/Plant Mastery and Luck don't provide a conduit unless the expression of the individual's power would indicate otherwise. The Nimue Locust is indeed an engineered organism courtesy of Dr. Michael Redford, A.K.A. Dr. Destruction. The original idea was to base it on a locust species to use its swarming instinct for devastating effect. Dr. Destruction shot down that idea as a radioactive plague insect could just as easily decimate crops and human populations as it could inconvenience Novas in battle zones. Instead he chose a European species of Cricket notable for its docility. The insects are semi social but don't swarm unless released in tight concentrations where they tend to scatter quickly to die shortly after from the cancerous growth on their abdomen which houses the radioactive particles. They are all sterile and have no protection from the radiation produced by their own systems. Which leads to a very short life span which is measured in days mostly because they are insects and can survive with reduced capacities in all their major organs.

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Predator Encounter One: Central America, 1987, an American Special Forces unit encountered a large bipedal alien. Before being defeated by Major Dutch Schaefer, this alien hunted down and killed most of the SpecWar unit. The Major and a female hostage were the only survivors of the rampage. Before dying, the creature activated an explosive that destroyed around 200 acres of rain forest. Maj. Schaefer reported that the creature had advanced technology, with the ability to bend light so as to appear translucent. It was armed with laser weaponry and knives. The predator seemed to ignore those it did not perceive as a threat, such as the unarmed female. Encounter Two: New York City, 1995, a fleet of alien ships arrived in New York; however, their cloaking devices made them invisible. Soon, violent murders began taking place, such as the death of groups of drug dealers, police officers, etc. Suspecting that this was the work of the aliens encountered in 1987, the military tried to cover up all of the murders. Unfortunately, Dutch's brother was a detective for the NYPD, and the predators marked him for the Hunt. Detective Schaefer started a war with the predators in the middle of Manhattan, which resulted in the aliens getting annoyed with the human resistance. No longer having any fun, the predator ships left. Encounter Three: Yamal Peninsula, Siberia, 1996, a predator ship crash landed in the frozen wasteland. Almost immediately, Russian military personnel at local oil stations were slaughtered. U.S. military was dispatched in an effort to either capture the alien ship or destroy it to prevent it from falling to the Russians. Being one of the few to ever combat the predators, the military brought in Detective Schaefer to help. Once again, the predators took only minor injury from humans, and once they fixed their ship, they left. Encounter Four: Los Angeles, 1997, predators began hunting the armed elements of the L.A. society: gangs, police, armed subway passengers, etc. They used spears, nets, and boomerang-like blades, somewhat different weaponry than seen before. A predator was badly injured by a police officer, Mike Harrigan. It tried to activate an explosive device like the one used in 1987, but Officer Harrigan stopped it. He chased the alien to its ship and killed it; however, the ship contained a dozen more aliens. Instead of killing him, they gave him a trophy: a flintlock pistol of Earth origin, marked 1750. After the gesture of respect, they took off and left Earth. Other Encounters: After the great war against the Xenomorphs (see Aliens: The Breeding), man once again encountered the predator aliens. These aliens were spreading the infestation of Xenomorphs and then hunting them for sport. When things got out of hand, they were aided by a human named Machiko Noguchi, who was accepted by one of the predator Leaders due to her fighting prowess. She spent a year Hunting with the predators and ultimately betrayed them at the planet of Bunda. She had believed that the predators had rules against Hunting intelligent beings and was horrified to find that they would Hunt humans. She killed many of the predators and left the rest stranded on Bunda, a planet now infested with Xenomorphs. The aliens, called Predators, are known in their own tongue as Yautja, a reptilian race whose entire society revolves around hunting and combat. They also have a bizarre sense of honor, and anyone who defeats one of them is greatly respected. Physically, the Yautja are larger and taller than adult humans, standing at least seven feet tall but often much taller. Females, who have not been seen by man, are even larger; the female Yautja are known to occasionally throw their mates during moments of passion. Yautja have reptilian skin of mottled red, green and yellow patterns. Like humans, they have two arms, two legs, and two eyes. Their mouths have four mandibles around them, much like a set of lips. Children are smaller versions of the adult, and a male will typically father seventy or more "suckers" in his lifetime. Yautja have long hair that is braided into dreadlocks in an extremely painful ritual taking months to perform, and any Yautja exhibiting pain during the process is forced to endure it again. Yautja young are trained by the elder warriors known as Leaders and travel in packs with one until they become Blooded. A Blooded warrior is one who has survived a Hunt against the Kainde Amedha (their name for the Xenomorphs, literally translated: Hard Meat). After such a Hunt, the survivors have the emblem of their Leader etched into their forehead and skulls with Xenomorph thwei (blood). They are then adults in society and are allowed to Hunt on their own. Ships of Blooded warriors travel the galaxy in search of the ultimate sport. They will Hunt anything that will fight for survival, and thus, their favorite prey is Kainde Amedha and Oomans, as they call them. Oomans, or Soft Meat, are the most challenging of their prey, for they are clever and shoot back. Life consists of two things for the Yautja, hunting and breeding. The Hunt is sacred. In fact, the methods of Hunting and combat are known as the Path, and it has very specific rules to be followed. It is dishonorable to Hunt something that is not a threat. The Yautja will generally ignore unarmed Oomans, especially women. If a person is skilled enough to be dangerous without weapons, the Yautja will be more than happy to fight. Of course, they consider a Kainde Amedha dangerous anytime. The older the predator, the less likely it is to use firearms. Any Yautja can shoot something to death, but it takes a real warrior to kill with knives and bare hands. For the same reason, not all Yautja use their stealth suits. The truly brave (stupid?) Hunt the Xenomorphs with only their bladed gauntlet. Yautja will make good Hunting by stocking an area. They will capture a Xenomorph Queen (no easy feat) and harvest the eggs. These eggs are then scattered in an area with suitable hosts. After a few days, the Yautja will come in and Hunt the bugs. With the bugs' known penchant for survival, this results in the inevitable spread of aliens around the galaxy. 216

Beings of other races who prove worthy on a Hunt may well be accepted into the Yautja society. Such adopted beings are Blooded like a normal warrior. Of course, many Yautja, especially the young, resent the fact that a non-Yautja runs with them. Prepare to be challenged... often. A Yautja's status and pride is measured by the power of the creatures it Hunts. The Yautja claim the skulls of their prey as trophies. Such trophies are treated with great honor, and they are polished and displayed at home. The trophy skull of an Ooman is the centerpiece of any collection. The highest insult in Yautja society is to be killed by another Yautja who then smashes your skull rather than claim it as a trophy. It is a way of saying you were not worthy. This is a tremendous dishonor to the family and Leader of the Yautja thus killed. On the converse, it is a great honor to have your skull displayed by your killer, as it shows they considered you a noble conquest. The Yautja have been coming to Earth to Hunt for centuries, maybe longer. Almost always they have come in tropical areas during extreme heat waves. Often these have been isolated areas such as deep in the rain forests of Central America, Africa, and Asia. Just how long Earth has been their private game reserve is unknown, but some think that they may have hunted the dinosaurs into extinction. There are no "formal relations" between humans and Yautja; the predators do not try to communicate with people. Does a human hunter try to talk to deer? To them, humans are primatives useful for sport, not allies. Occasionally, a human will earn their respect, but it is very rare.The U.S. military is convinced that the predators could wipe out the planet if they were provoked. Thus, standard procedure is to allow the predators to Hunt for a while and then leave. Efforts to assault or contain them have been disasterous at best. Since the military has discovered the Yautja, they have desperately tried to acquire their technology while preventing others from getting it. The Yautja have no desire for anyone to get their equipment, and a dying Yautja will (if possible) blow up his body and all equipment. If a Yautja dies before destroying himself, his fellow hunters will come to his location and destroy all evidence of their existence. To date, the U.S. military has not been successful in capturing any technology from the aliens. The movies take place on 20th century Earth, while some of the novels take place far in the future. Thus, a modern predator chronicle is highly possible. As much as the Yautja enjoy hunting humans, imagine their ecstasy in fighting the supernatural. Kindred: Vampires would be prime targets for the Hunters, as they are tougher than most humans. Ghouls are in the same boat. A vampire who does not have a full blood pool will be quite cooler than most people, thus harder for the Yautja to see. Impose a one point penalty to the Yautja trying to fight such a hard to see target. A vampire cannot feed on a Yautja, they are simply too alien. No one has ever tried to Embrace a Yautja, but it is possible that it would work. A Yautja could be ghouled by a Kindred. Changing Breeds: I can hardly imagine a better foe for a Yautja than a crinos werewolf! Garou are more likely to become Blooded than most any other supernatural. Their tough physical abilities and natural hunting instincts makes them perfectuly suited as allies or opponents to the Yautja. Mages: Mages are seen as normal humans. If perceived as a threat, they will be killed. If not, they will be ignored. Mages have the ability to be dangerous without any exposed weapons. As Yautja generally ignore humans who are unarmed, this could give a wily mage an edge. Once. Wraiths: The wraiths are beyond the ministrations of the Yautja. Changelings: The fae may be ignored if they aren't perceived as a threat. Their powers may help them against the Yautja, but not as useful as a mage. Going toe to toe with a predator is not advised. Mummies: Mummies do have the comfort of knowing that even if they are killed by the Yautja, they'll come back some day. As mages, their powers could give them an edge against unsuspecting predators. Gypsies: Gypsies are basically normal humans with a few special perks. Many of those perks won't do much good against a Yautja. Fomori: The Wyrmspawn are prime targets for the Hunters, as they are beyond human. It is conceivable that a Yautja could be possessed by a Bane, but this has never once happened in the past. Immortals: Immortals have much to fear from the Yautja. The fact that immortals carry swords and are experts with them makes them prime targets. Keep in mind that the Yautja take skulls as trophies, so an Immortal killed by a Yautja will be decapitated! Xenomorphs: The Yautja could make an unexpected ally in a war against the bugs. It may even result in some characters becoming Blooded. Regardless of the the fact that the Yautja are probably the ones who started the alien infestation! Blooded Warrior: STR 7, DEX 4, STA 8, CHA 2, MAN 2, APP 0, PER 4, INT 3, WIT 4; Talents: Alertness 4, Athletics 4, Brawl 6 (Street Fighting), Dodge 3, Intimidation 5 (Physical), Mimicry 3, Throwing 2; Skills: Blind Fighting 2, Firearms 4 (Shoulder Cannon, Razor Net, or Burner), Hunting 4, Melee 6 (Spear, Gauntlet, or Disc), Survival 4 (Tropical), Stealth 3, Tracking 4; Knowledges: Medicine 1, Military Tactics 3, Science 1, Yautja Language 5; Willpower 8; Path 7; Background: Equipment 6, Allies 2, Fame 3, Leader 2 Young Warrior: STR 7, DEX 4, STA 8, CHA 2, MAN 2, APP 0, PER 4, INT 3, WIT 2; Talents: Alertness 3, Athletics 4, Brawl 5 (Street Fighting), Dodge 3, Intimidation 5 (Physical), Mimicry 3, Throwing 2; Skills: Blind Fighting 2, Firearms 4 (Shoulder Cannon, Razor Net, or Burner), Hunting 4, Melee 6 (Spear, Gauntlet, or Disc), Survival 4 (Tropical), Stealth 3, Tracking 4; Knowledges: Medicine 1, Military Tactics 2, Yautja Language 5, Science 1; Willpower 8; Path 6; Background: Equipment 4, Leader 3 217

Leader: STR 7, DEX 4, STA 8, CHA 2, MAN 2, APP 0, PER 4, INT 4, WIT 5; Talents: Alertness 4, Athletics 4, Brawl 7 (Street Fighting), Dodge 3, Intimidation 5 (Physical), Mimicry 3, Throwing 3; Skills: Blind Fighting 3, Firearms 3, Hunting 4 (Kainde Amedha, Ooman, or other favored prey), Melee 7 (Spear, Gauntlet, or Disc), Survival 4 (Tropical), Stealth 3, Tracking 4; Knowledges: Medicine 2, Military Tactics 3, Science 1, Yautja Language 5; Willpower 9; Path 10; Background: Equipment 9, Allies 3, Fame 5, Contacts 4 Female: STR 10, DEX 4, STA 8, CHA 2, MAN 3, APP 0, PER 3, INT 3, WIT 3; Talents: Alertness 3, Athletics 2, Brawl 3, Dodge 1, Intimidation 5 (Physical), Mimicry 3; Skills: Stealth 2, Survival 3; Knowledges: Medicine 2, Science 1, Yautja Language 5; Willpower 8; Path Females do not follow the Path Neutralizing Blood: The thwei (blood) of the Yautja is a natural neutralizer to the thwei of the Kainde Amedha. Instead of the normal 5 levels of acid damage inflicted by Xenomorph ichor, Yautja take only 2 (which can be soaked as normal). They take no damage from the thwei of an alien crossbreed (see Aliens: The Breeding). Pain Threshold: Due to their vicious upbringing, the Yautja are better able to handle pain than many other creatures. Thus, they have Health Levels as such: OK, OK, OK, OK, -1, -1, -2, -2, -5, Incapacitated. They heal at the same rate as a human being. Temperature Resilience: The Yautja only show up on Earth during extreme heat waves and seem to prefer temperatures of 100 degrees or more. To what extremes they are capable of surviving is unknown; however, when a Yautja ship crashed in Siberia, the warriors functioned in temperatures of -60 degrees F without any problems. Thermovision: The Yautja see in patterns of heat. Living beings are seen as bright yellow and red objects. If a being can hide its heat signature, it becomes invisible to the Yautja. Thick Skin: The Yautja in Predator II takes a couple of shotgun blasts at point-blank range. This seems to indicate a thick resilient flesh. Assume they have a natural armor rating of 2. Man Bite Claw Dif 5 6 Dmg Str + 1 Str + 1 Man Kick Grapple Dif 7 6 Dmg Str + 2 Str

Please note that the Yautja have no natural aggravated attack. Yautja Technology: The Yautja are technologically years beyond 20th century man. Whether they made this technology themselves or stole it is unknown. Most of their developments are designed for war, but they do have space ships capable of interstellar travel. Most of their weaponry is made of a strange, unearthly material they call dlex which is lighter and tougher than steel. Please note that dlex does not inflict aggravated damage. Weapon Blade Gauntlet Telescoping Spear Smart Disc Dif 6 7 6 Dmg Str + 2 Str + 3 Str + 3 Weapon Razor Net Shoulder Cannon Burner Dif 8 6 7 Dmg Spec 8 Spec

Blade Gauntlet: The Yautja have a retractable dual-bladed gauntlet much like the claws of Wolverine. This gauntlet is grooved to allow the thwei of the Kainde Amedha to flow away from the hand. The gauntlet costs one Equipment background point for players. Telescoping Spear: This is a two foot tube that telescopes outward to seven feet and is tipped with deadly barbs. This spear is used in melee combat, and may be thrown as well. When thrown, it accelerates itself towards its target. The spear costs one Equipment background point for players. Smart Disc: Like a razor-edged frisbee, this hand-held blade may be thrown or used to slash. Much like a boomerang, it returns loyally to the hand of the thrower, but this is due to electronics, not aerodynamics. The disc costs two Equipment background points for players. Razor Net: This hand-held device fires a wire net at its target. The net is razor sharp and inflicts damage upon those pinned beneath it. It inflicts three levels of damage upon impact (soakable). For every turn that an entrapped being struggles, it takes damage equal to its own Strength + 2. The net is only large enough to entrap one creature roughly Yautja-sized, but it fires with enough force to pin a creature against a wall or thick column. The net costs one Equipment background point for players. Shoulder Cannon: A shoulder mounted laser cannon with a red beam targeting system, this weapon is often discarded by older warriors. For those who choose to use it, it can fire 30 blasts before having to recharge. This laser cuts through kevlar and similar types of armor with ease; targets wearing such armor receive no protection. The shoulder cannon costs two Equipment background points for players. Burner: A weapon never used in the movies, this is often carried by Yautja on bug Hunts. It is a handheld flame thrower which can fire five times before being reloaded. Each blast is equivalent to a blast of napalm. The burner costs one Equipment background point for players. Shift Suit: Known as 'awu'asa' to the Yautja, the shift suit allows the wearer to bend rays of light, in effect becoming translucent. Add 5 to the Stealth dice pool of any wearer of an active shift suit. This only affects vision, in no way dampening sound or reducing the smell of the predator. Creatures whose "sight" is not based 218

on reflected light will not suffer this penalty (i.e. the Kainde Amedha have no eyes). The suit is notoriously unstable in water, and getting one wet will shut it down. The 'awu'asa' costs four Equipment background points for players. War Helmet: The great masks of the of Yautja enhance their vision, allowing them to see in other spectrums such as infrared. Although this takes time to adjust, it can present a harsh surprise to those who believe themselves invisible to the predator (as demonstrated in Predator II). The special lenses in their helmets also allow the Yautja to see each other when they have enabled their shift suits. The helmet costs two Equipment background point for players. Mass Explosive: Worn by the Yautja in both films, this device can destroy everything in a 200 acre radius. Anyone in the blast radius will take 27 points of soakable fire damage. This is not worn in the novels. The explosive costs three Equipment background points for players. Medical Kit: Vital to anyone who lives on combat, the medical kits of the Yautja include bladed instruments, fire sources, drugs, powders, and various other disgusting items. With these, they are able to cauterize wounds and stop bleeding. They can even extract bullets from their own bodies, albeit painfully. A Yautja with a med kit and a little time can stop the most serious aspects of their wounds. In Predator II, the Yautja used his kit to stop the bleeding from the stump of his severed arm. The process, though agonizing, allowed him to continue the Hunt. Using a med kit, a Yautja may heal a single Health Level of wounds (Medicine roll, difficulty 7) per injury. The med kit costs one Equipment background point for players. Player Character Yautja: Yautja do not speak any human languages. They are great mimics, but cannot duplicate all sounds produced by the human mouth. Yautja physical attributes are naturally much higher than humans; thus, their initial point allotments reflect this. A male Yautja's maximum Strength and Stamina is 8. All other attributes have a maximum of 5, except for Appearance, which is automatically 0. Build a Yautja character with a 15/7/4 attribute allotment. Primary abilities must be either Talents or Skills. Their ability allotment is 22/20/6. They also have 20 Freebie Points. The majority of Yautja have an ability limit of 6 points; however, the awesome Leaders can have abilities up to 7 points. They also have 5 points to distribute among Backgrounds. Appropriate backgrounds include Fame, Contacts, Allies, Equipment, and Leader (treat just like Mentor). Add the character's Perception and Wits to determine beginning Willpower. Beginning Path is their Intelligence plus Wits. These point values seem high at first glance, but keep in mind that the Yautja have no supernatural powers. The Yautja are not human, and thus they do not have a Humanity rating. Instead, they have a rating in Path which is their dedication to their hunter society and code of ethics. There are rumors of a renegade Yautja clan that do not follow this code. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Hierarchy of Sins Using anything other than one's bare hands in a Hunt unless training the Young Yautja. Using firearms or burners during a Hunt unless training the Young Yautja. Failing to practice combat skills on a daily basis. Passing up the chance to Hunt extremely dangerous prey (i.e. Kainde Amedha or Oomans). Showing cowardice, fear, or pain. Passing up the chance to Hunt moderately dangerous prey. Accepting one less powerful than oneself as a leader. Hunting those unworthy or non-threatening. Backing down from a fight. Losing face in Yautja society.

Species We made her female so she would be more docile and controllable. - Xavier Fitch, Species This project is based on the films Species and Species II. Like many of my previous works, I don't always follow the films to the letter. I have added some of my own ideas based on unexplored aspects of the films. Please visit my web page (http://www.wku.edu/~charles.plemons/) for updates of this and other World of Darkness projects. This may be freely distributed by anyone in any format as long as credit is given to the author but cannot be distributed for profit for any reason. Known History: Encounter One - Mankind is not alone in the universe. In January of 1993, man received instructions from an unknown alien intelligence telling how to create a combined alien/human DNA sequence. Ten human embryos were injected with the The First SIL DNA sequence, and one was allowed to develop. This creature, code name SIL, grew at an astonishing speed. A decision was made to terminate the project, but SIL escaped the lab, after which the creature matured and took on the form of a full grown human female. A team was assembled to track down this woman and eliminate her. SIL was driven by an overwhelming desire to mate. After succeeding to do so, she bore a child in an amazingly short period of time. Soon after the birth, both SIL and her child were destroyed. Unfortunately, the alien DNA infected a rodent and survived. What became of this alien is unknown. Encounter Two - In an effort to study the aliens and defend against them, another embryo was allowed to develop. This project was simultaneous with man's first steps on Mars. A trace of alien DNA was accidentally The First SIL picked up in a soil sample. This DNA went through the rapid growth typically associated with these 219

beings and broke free. It proceeded to infect two of the three crew members. Once they returned to Earth, they were discovered to be infected, and one crew member was exterminated before she could cause much damage. However, the other infected member, Patrick Ross, escaped and began to breed. It was discovered that the second SIL, Eve, had a psychic connection with Patrick. By exploiting this, a team was able to track down Patrick and his children. Eve and Patrick succeeded in mating before Patrick killed her. He was then destroyed using human blood with genetic defects (sicklecell anemia). Once again, not all of the aliens were destroyed, and one of Patrick's children survived. Also, the child of the union between Eve and Patrick ripped its way from the corpse of its mother. The fates of these beings are unknown. Origin and Behavior: The origin of this alien species is unknown. But DNA traces of it still exist on Mars from millions of years past when it destroyed the then thriving planet and left it dead. If brought into the proper environment, this DNA will develop into a full SIL. Each cell of the alien's body contains its entire genetic code which can be injected into the cells of other beings like a super virus. It can replicate at an amazing speed, and it can take over a human sized host in a few minutes. Once in a host, a SIL has a variety of forms. Its natural form is a writhing mass of tentacles. It can also retain the appearance of its host; however, to a degree, the alien can alter this form at will. This altered state has a thick carapace-like skin and long tentacles. It still retains the basic shape and residual look of its host, but it is utterly alien. Also, a "male" SIL is much larger in this form than a "female". Infection of a host enables an alien to breed with members of the host's species. Driven with an instinct to breed, these beings will continuously pursue this endeavor. The alien can sense genetic defects in beings and will not mate with them. It has been proven that SIL DNA cannot adapt to flawed DNA, and it will die if exposed to it. A SIL cannot change hosts, because it bonds genetically immediately upon entering a host creature. No pureblood alien has yet been encountered. The ones on Earth have acted solely on instinct, not some grand racial scheme to destroy the Earth. They live to breed and survive and will destroy anything that tries to stop them. It is not known if there is a SIL society on some uncharted planet or if they merely act as a virus preying on everything they encounter. SIL Lifeform: A SIL is a very versatile creature capable of surviving in many extremes. In their natural form, a flowing pseudo-liquid with tentacles, they appear not to require air. They also seem to exhibit the ability to hibernate indefinitely until a suitable host is found. This is how they have survived on Mars when other life forms were unavailable. In natural form, this alien race cannot breed; however, it can grow at an amazing speed. In Species, one grows from the size of a single cell to the size of a small room in minutes. Its growth limits are unknown, because it was incinerated soon after. This species is required to bond with a host and use it to breed. A SIL is a true symbiote, and most of its advantages come from its ability to bond with any known animal. A SIL cannot use a plant as a host. Once a host is taken, the SIL acquires the instincts and thought processes of the being possessed as well as retaining its own. It can still be mildly influenced by things that normally influence the host, but the SIL is in control, so this is a dangerous endeavor. If two SILs were to breed (requiring that they possess hosts fertile with one another), the resulting offspring would be a pureblood. Such a creature has never been encountered by man. A pureblood has no host, but it resembles the hybrid form of its parents. This is the only form this creature has. A pureblood is stronger and faster than its parents, and it is fertile, but only with other purebloods. Note that purebloods do not have to mate with other purebloods of the same host species. Host vs. Grown: A SIL that finds a host has some advantage over a SIL grown in a lab. The SIL automatically attains the knowledge of the host, and is aware of what it is. A SIL that is grown doesn't know exactly what it is and is forced to live by instinct. It also must learn about behavior. Fortunately, a SIL learns rapidly, but it still takes time. If properly isolated, a SIL grown with human DNA will not have knowledge of human behavior or language. It has been noted that a SIL grown with human DNA can be appealled to in human terms to a limited degree. This will not work in cases where instinct overrides such thoughts. Abilities and Characteristics: Carapace - In hybrid host/alien form, a SIL has a carapace covering its body giving it a natural armor rating of 1 for resisting firearms and melee weapons. All purebloods have this advantage at all times. Climbing - In hybrid form, a SIL has greatly enhanced climbing abilities. The SIL in Species climbed and jumped with astonishing agility. The ability to climb could be greatly affected by the type of host the SIL has acquired. Enhanced Abilities - The alien species greatly enhances the physical abilities of its host. Add 2 points to Strength, 1 point to Dexterity, and 1 point to Stamina. The host retains all memories and knowledge, but it will eventually lose control to the alien being. It takes one day per point of Intelligence before the alien asserts itself completely. Meanwhile, the host slowly begins to realize that things are not right. When threatened or presented with an opportunity to mate, the host blacks out and the alien takes control and subsequently the host has no memory of what occurs while the SIL is in control. A pureblood takes most of its physical attributes from its parents. However, it is larger and more powerful than they, so add 1 point to the Strength and Stamina of the father SIL for the attributes of the pureblood child. Regeneration - The SIL species; extraordinary regenerative capabilities, put even the Garou to shame. The films show the SILs being riddled with bullets yet jumping back to their feet within seconds. A SIL has as many Health Levels as its host and can regenerate damage at 2 Health Levels per turn. All damage can be regenerated, even if reduced to 0 Health unless the damage is aggravated. Even lost limbs can be regenerated 220

in record time. SILs are vulnerable to fire, acid, supernatural attacks, and particularly so to genetic defects in DNA. Such used against them causes aggravated damage. For example, in Species II a SIL is killed when pierced by a pitchfork tipped with blood containing defective DNA. Tentacles - A SIL can utilize its tentacles in any form. For a pure SIL with no host, tentacles are the only means of movement and attack. In human host form, tentacles generally sprout from the back, the mouth, or the chest. When in hybrid form, the tentacles are on the back of the head and can sprout from the mouth, nipples, back, and possibly other locations. These do not do aggravated damage to creatures other than SILs. However, SILs are intelligent creatures and may well attack with fire or other ways dangerous to the supernatural. Their intense strength also gives them the ability to dismember their opponents. Toxin Resistance: A SIL is vulnerable to all toxins that affect its host. However, if it survives exposure to a specific toxin, complete immunity results. It is unknown if this immunity is passed to its offspring. Maneuver Bite Grapple Kick Difficulty 5 6 7 Damage Strength Strength Strength + 1 Maneuver Punch Tentacle Difficulty 6 6 Damage Strength Strength + 1

Use in the World of Darkness: How do you use the SIL species in the World of Darkness? This race can easily be incorporated into a chronicle, and they make a great enemy for any type of character. If the Storyteller is opposed to introducing such a dangerous creature to Earth, a Horizon Realm would make a great place for an infestation. Kindred: The vampires cannot become a host for the aliens. Also, the blood of the Kindred acts as a poison in the same way that defective DNA does. Thus, neither can ghouls become hosts to the SILs. Changing Breeds: Unfortunately for the Changing Breeds, their DNA, although unique, is not flawed. Thus, most of the Bete can be hosts to a SIL. Certain Gifts may allow this infection to be stopped or slowed. The natural regenerative abilities of the Changing Breeds resist the SILs automatically. Thus, it takes twice as long for a SIL to gain total control. The Ratkin are diseased creatures, and they will not be used as hosts. Their blood can be used as an aggravated weapon against the SILs as well. Once totally dominated by a SIL, all Gnosis is lost as is the ability to step sideways. Gifts can still be used as long as they aren't powered by Gnosis. The ability to change forms is retained as well. Mages: The Awakened are susceptible to SIL infection like any human or animal. Once infected, the ability to manipulate True Magic is lost. Although the memory of how to use magic and its effects are retained, True Magic is now forever lost to the individual. A SIL with a mage host will acquire understanding of magic, and thus, becomes very dangerous to surviving wizards. Wraiths: Of course, a wraith cannot become a host to the aliens. However, if a wraith observes a friend or loved one become a host, it may feel compelled to warn the living of this danger. A Risen cannot become a host either. Changelings: The fae are prime hosts for the SIL, as are most humans. However, once a Changeling becomes a host, all memory of the fae self is lost. The faerie soul is not destroyed, but it will not reawaken in this lifetime. Mummies: A mummy cannot become a host to the SIL. Although they are still living humans, they have been altered in such a way that they are unsuitable for bonding. However, mummy blood is not toxic to the aliens. Gypsies: Like the Changing Breeds, Gypsies have genetic differences, but they are not flawed. Thus, a Gypsy can be possessed. Bonding with a SIL destroys the Rom blood powers, but understanding of them remains. Fomori: These poor creatures are at least safe from the host hunting SIL. They are so riddled with disease and decay that no SIL would attempt to bond with one. Their blood is not poisonous to a SIL, unless the fomor has the power Toxic Secretions. Immortals: The Quintessence of the immortals prevents a SIL from establishing a symbiotic bond. This, however, does not make the blood of an immortal dangerous to SILs. Living Dead: The living dead (see Zombies: Night of the Living Dead) have passed beyond life and therefore are unsusceptible to bonding with a SIL. If bitten by a living dead, a SIL's natural immune system will destroy the contagion. Lycanthropes: These beings (see Lycanthrope: The Changing) are flawed to the SIL, and their blood is toxic to the aliens. Xenomorphs: The Xenomorphs, also known as the Kainde Amedha, are the monsters from the film Alien ( see Aliens: The Breeding). A SIL can bond with a Xenomorph without problem, but such a creature would be sensed by the Hive and hunted. The blood of a Xenomorph, which is highly acidic, is dangerous as an acid to the SILs, unless the SIL has a Xenomorph host. Yautja: These are the creatures from the film Predator (see Predator: The Hunt). The Yautja are susceptible to bonding with the SILs and would result in a creature of tremendous strength. It is probable that the Yautja, if aware of the existence of the SILs, Hunt them like they do the Kainde Amedha. 221

Chronicle Ideas: Invasion - The Earth is in trouble, the alien species is spreading like wildfire. Anyone could be an alien. All life is threatened, and any combination of characters could come together to fight the creatures. A great way to involve characters of all different types. Lions, Tigers, and Bears, Oh My! People are disappearing from a rural area. The evidence points towards a large predator of some sort. However, none of the well armed hunting parties have returned. Of course, this predator is host to a SIL, and it is breeding. A great rural chronicle for Garou or Gangrel. Mad Scientist - Like in the first film, scientists create a SIL and it breaks free. The troupe could either be the ones asked to hunt it, or they encounter the being in its quest to breed a planet of aliens. Unless told what they are dealing with they could have a very difficult time tracking and killing the creature. Red Planet - Perfect for a Void Engineer or Garou chronicle, the characters go to Mars. However, as in Species II, one or more of the explorers are infected by the alien being. This is a perfect way to see how long before the troupe turns on one another as they begin to suspect one another. Statistics: SIL (From Species): Strength 6, Dexterity 4, Stamina 5, Charisma 4, Manipulation 3, Appearance 5, Perception 4, Intelligence 5, Wits 5; Talents: Alertness 3, Athletics 4 (Jumping), Brawl 4 (Tentacle), Dodge 2, Intimidation 2, Seduction 4 (Alluring); Skills: Disguise 2, Drive 1, Stealth 3, Survival 3, Security 1; Knowledges: English 5, Enigmas 4 (Discovery), Investigation 2; Willpower 7 Eve - Female Human/SIL (Species II): Strength 6, Dexterity 4, Stamina 5, Charisma 4, Manipulation 3, Appearance 5, Perception 4, Intelligence 5, Wits 5; Talents: Alertness 3, Athletics 4 (Jumping), Brawl 4 (Tentacle), Dodge 2, Intimidation 2, Seduction 4 (Alluring); Skills: Stealth 3, Survival 3, Security 2; Knowledges: English 5, Enigmas 4 (Discovery), Investigation 2, Medicine 1, Science 1; Willpower 6 Patrick Ross - Male Human/SIL (Species II): Strength 8, Dexterity 4, Stamina 6, Charisma 3, Manipulation 4, Appearance 5, Perception 4, Intelligence 5, Wits 5; Talents: Alertness 3, Athletics 4 (Jumping), Brawl 5 (Tentacle), Dodge 2, Intimidation 4 (Physical), Public Speaking 3, Seduction 3; Skills: Drive 2, Etiquette 4 (Military), Firearms 1, Melee 2, Pilot 5 (Spacecraft), Stealth 3, Survival 3, Security 2; Knowledges: Computer 3, English 5, Enigmas 4 (Discovery), Investigation 2, Medicine 1, Politics 3, Science 3; Willpower 7 Xenomorphs Encounter One: The first humans to encounter the Xenomorphs were the crew of the transport ship Nostromo, a class M star cruiser owned by Weyland-Yutani Corporation. In the year 2122 A.D., the crew received orders from Mother (the ship's computer) to investigate a beacon on an unexplored planetoid (designated LV-426, Acheron, in orbit around Zeta 2 IV) where a derelict ship of unknown origin was discovered. Inside were the calcified remains of a large alien species, as well as thousands of pods which appeared to be eggs. One of these eggs hatched, and the entity inside attached itself to the face of one of the Nostromo's crew, Kane. He was brought aboard the Nostromo by an android doctor, but the "facehugger" could not be removed safely. Within a few hours, it removed itself and died, and crewman Kane seemed to have a complete recovery. Unfortunately, mere hours later an embryo implanted in his chest burst forth, killing him. The alien life form proceeded to grow until it was a large black creature resembling an insect, which began to hunt down and consume everyone onboard ship. Finally, the alien was eliminated by Lt. Ellen Ripley when she blew it out of an escape hatch into open space. Encounter Two: Thirty-seven years after the Nostromo incident, a colony of human teraformers settled LV-426. Twenty years after the colony was founded, all contact was lost, and a rifle platoon of United States Colonial Marines was scrambled to clear and contain the compound. Lt. Ripley, recently recovered from cryostasis and being the only surviving human to ever see an alien, was asked to accompany them. The compound was found to be devoid of human life, except for a small child, Rebecca Jordan. All of the colonists had been used as incubators for alien eggs; thus, the compound was swarming with Xenomorphs. The marines were overwhelmed and quickly cut down, and once again, Ripley was forced to destroy the aliens on her own. A nuclear meltdown caused the destruction of the compound and all aliens within. Only Ripley, Corporal Hicks, Rebecca, and the android, Bishop, survived to return to their ship, the Sulaco; however, the alien Queen stowed away on their UD-4 dropship and came with them. It proceeded to rip Bishop in half and tried to kill the humans. As she had done before, Ripley blew the alien out of an airlock. Encounter Three: Alien Hanging from Ceiling A fire on the Sulaco caused all the survivors of the second encounter to be jettisoned in an escape pod which subsequently crashed upon prison planet Fiorina "Fury" 161. Only Ripley survived the impact. An alien "facehugger" was hiding aboard, and it proceeded to impregnate a dog. This birthed a four-legged Xenomorph which began devouring the inhabitants of the prison. Being a prison colony, there were no firearms to use against the creature. Thus, one Xenomorph was enough to eliminate almost everyone in the compound. Ripley discovered that she was impregnated with a Queen embryo. If hatched, it could start a whole new generation of aliens. Ripley was determined to eliminate the quadruped alien and then herself. She succeeded in destroying the alien, and moments later, she dove into a furnace as the Queen ripped out of her chest. Both were incinerated. Encounter Four: Two hundred years after the last "incident", scientists still sought an Alien/Human Crossbreed ~ Ripley 8 alien with which to experiment in hopes of using it for medical purposes, weapons, and genetic crossbreeding. To get a viable specimen, scientists used DNA taken from the scene of Ripley's death. Once impregnated by an alien, the DNA of the host is altered to include that of the growing Xenomorph. The scientists used advanced cloning methods to attempt to grow a new Ripley with a Queen growing inside. Seven 222

attempts failed horribly, resulting in grossly deformed entities. The eighth time was a charm. This new Ripley survived and the Queen was surgically removed. The scientists, of course, allowed the Queen to mature and produce eggs. The new Ripley was allowed to live as well. The clone Ripley was not fully human, however. The DNA of the alien had combined with hers, and she became something else entirely, with superhuman abilities and alien traits. When the aliens broke free, it was up to her to once again stop the ship from reaching Earth. The DNA combination had an unexpected effect on the alien Queen as well. She began exhibiting human traits, such as developing a womb instead of laying eggs. This resulted in the birthing of a whole new breed of alien. All the aliens, including the new breed, were destroyed when the ship crash landed on Earth; however, the new Ripley survived. What became of her is unknown. Other Encounters: According to the novels, which were written before Alien: Resurrection, the Xenomorphs made it to Earth. Alien Mouth A corporate facility experimenting upon a Queen alien was raided by a group of religious fanatics. These cultists believed that the Queen Xenomorph was the new Messiah. They got themselves impregnated by the aliens and fled across the globe. The aliens possess a survival mechanism allowing a Drone to mutate into a Queen, and thus the aliens began building nests all over the world. Military forces hunted down these nests and destroyed as many as possible; however, the Xenomorphs learned how to better hide them and started making many very small nests rather than large ones. Soon things got out of hand, and within six months, Australia was declared uninhabitable. Within a year, over a billion humans had been killed, and a mass exodus of Earth was begun. The Earth was dominated by the Xenomorphs, and the humans left behind lived their lives as prey for the bugs. Many join cults that believed they could ally with the aliens by feeding them other humans. After a few years, the Earth was a wasteland swarming with bugs and those insane enough to worship them. It was not until one of the great Queen Mother aliens was brought to Earth that the favor swung back to mankind. The aliens swarmed to the great Queen and were destroyed in a massive nuclear blast. Twenty years after the original infestation of Earth, man once again reigned, while the Xenomorphs survived only in isolated areas. Numerous scientists attempted to experiment on the aliens, causing one disaster after another. However, most of these events occurred at isolated outposts. To date, all such outposts had been destroyed. Also, on many occasions in which man encountered Xenomorphs, it was due to the efforts of the Yautja (see Predator: The Hunt). This often resulted in violence between humans, aliens, and Predators. Xenomorph Life: Xenomorphs are organized into Hives, with a Queen being the absolute head. She lays thousands of eggs in a birthing chamber. Drones protect the Queen and procure life forms for the eggs to implant. In the darkest reaches of space live Queen Mothers, true giants of the race. The average Queen Mother is even larger than a Queen and is as fast as a Drone. Queen Mothers rule over huge numbers of separate Hives, and their personal Hive is full of the largest of Drones. A Queen Mother can only be born of an alien ingesting Royal Jelly from the Hive of an existing Queen Mother. The species of aliens known as Xenomorphs live distinct stages of life. The Xenomorph life cycle is thus: an egg hatches a small alien, often referred to as a "facehugger" (known scientifically as an ovipositor). This critter attaches itself to the face of a living being and implants an embryo inside the torso. This embryo gestates for 12 to 48 hours before ripping and chewing its way out of the chest cavity. The resulting alien takes many DNA traits from its host, and careful observation can reveal the nature of the animal an alien spawned from. These young aliens grow to full maturity within a few hours and begin acting upon their instincts. Members of a Hive will begin gathering living beings to impregnate. If there is no Hive, they will begin killing every living thing they find. If there is no Queen, one of the implanted aliens will develop as one, or a Drone will evolve into a Queen. All "facehuggers" look the same, spider-like beings with a long tail, and they can impregnate a large variety of beings. The films show bugs born of human and dog hosts, and the books tell of a Hive born of rhinosized herbivores. Aliens can be birthed from any animal large enough to contain a gestating alien. This rules out cats, bats, rats, and other small animals. Humans, dogs, cattle, sheep, moose, rhinos, tigers, gorillas, etc., are all fair game. Aliens take some of their genetic make-up from their host; thus, a biped host will produce a biped bug, etc. Once implanted, the alien radically alters the host's DNA so that it will be suitable for the alien to incubate within. This amazing ability is what allows the Xenomorphs to spawn from such a variety of animals. Aliens cannot gestate in plants, but it is not known if they can birth from reptiles or other more exotic creatures. Given their tremendous adaptive abilities, they most likely can. Adult Xenomorphs share certain characteristics, they have a shiny black carapace over their entire bodies; thus, the resemblance to insects. This carapace is silicon based and harder than steel. Their green blood is a super acid (perhaps a type of hydrofluoric acid) and can eat through flesh, armor, steel, plastic, glass, and just about anything exposed to it. Xenomorphs have no eyes, so bright lights and absolute darkness have no affect on them. It is theorized that they may "see" using psychic vibrations. This psychic sense allows them to detect emotions such as fear and pain. Each emotion is seen as a color to the aliens. Also, their "visual" awareness extends in a 360 degree arc around their heads. The mouth of the alien is unique: a fanged maw that contains a toothed tongue within. This tongue is able to extend from its face about a foot and creates a puncture motion, enabling the alien to pierce armor. All observed aliens have had tails which seem to have something to do with their communication abilities. They are able to slap with them, and the Queen can use hers to stab like a large blade. The aliens are 223

exceptional climbers, even able to suspend themselves upside down from ceilings. It is unknown if a surface can be too smooth for them to climb. Unfortunately, the Drones possess a devious intelligence, the Queens even more so. All aliens have tremendous cunning and are experts at hunting and ambushing. As an example, to escape a cell, the aliens kill one of their own in order to make it bleed. The blood eats through the floor, and out they go. They are smart enough to plan and lay traps. The Xenomorphs do have sexes; however, the average Drone is neuter. Those who do have a sex are generally female. Males do occasionally get the chance to mate with the Queen but are killed soon after. All Queens are, of course, female. There are no Kings in the Xenomorph society. It is important to note that Queens are born pregnant and do not need males to perpetuate the race. The Hive: Xenomorphs are social creatures who live and die for the Hive with no concern for their own safety. A Hive will swarm over intruders until one or the other is completely annihilated. No retreat, no surrender. A Hive is marked by a horrible stench, reminiscent of rotting eggs and meat. Aliens secrete an enzyme that is used to create their Hive. They mold it in a pattern much like the inside of a rib cage. This enzyme is brittle, and can be broken fairly easily (Strength roll, difficulty 6). The inside of the Hive is very warm and humid, and in great numbers Hives can alter the weather systems of an entire planet. After the alien infestation on Earth, freak thunderstorms and intense heat waves were found throughout the world. The Hive generally encompasses a large area with the Queen's chamber of eggs and Drones in the center. Along the walls leading to the chamber, living beings are bound to await impregnation. The bodies will be suspended in the enzyme (which is much more difficult to break when bound by it, Strength roll, difficulty 9). Also in the egg chamber is the sac of Royal Jelly (see below). A typical Hive will have huge Drones (add 1 to Strength and Stamina) protecting the Queen and eggs. Also note that the Xenomorphs leave the bodies of the incubators hanging in the Hive. When an area gets full, they simply move the birthing process elsewhere. This results in chambers "decorated" with the grisly remains of their prey. Aliens are intent on breeding. In one case, aliens captured a ship full of humans, but rather than lay eggs in all of them, they kept one male and one female alive and forced them to mate. In order to ensure the propagation of future hosts, aliens feed their captives; however, their diet consists of the rotting flesh of those already used to birth aliens. They force this repulsive meal down the throats of captives. Heaven help any survivors of such an imprisonment, derangements are definitely in order. Xenomorph Psychology: The aliens do have individuality; however, thinking and existing in such a state is terrifying to them. They prefer to live with others of their kind in constant telepathic contact with one another. The thoughts of each individual alien is broadcast to the other Drones and the Queen for approval. Thus, any ideas or knowledge is instantly sent to the entire Hive. Aliens are completely devoted to the Hive, or creche, as they refer to it. To protect the creche and serve the Queen is all that gives meaning to the lives of the Xenomorphs. A Drone will sacrifice itself for the Hive without a moment of hesitation. Queens continuously transmit feelings of intense love and belonging. A Drone cut off from these feelings will suffer from a loneliness humans cannot possibly understand. Such an alien will try to return to the creche in any way possible. It is not known how far a Queen can broadcast such emotions, but the signal from a Queen Mother was strong enough for some humans on Earth to sense all the way from Hiveworld. Unfortunately, these feelings of love do not extend to species outside their own. Everyone else is viewed as to their benefit to the creche, either as hosts or as food. They have no concepts of peace or co-existence. To them, only the Xenomorphs should survive. The aliens have no dreams of conquest or any other such motivation, living only to decimate all other races. One of the most terrifying aspects of the Xenomorphs is their racial memory. Once something is transmitted to the Queen, all of her future offspring will remember it. For this reason, the Xenomorphs became progressively more difficult to deal with throughout the films. All aliens in the second through fourth films were descendants of the same Queen. Thus, all remembered every encounter they had with humans and how to deal with them. An entire Hive learns at the same time. This kind of intelligence makes the Xenomorphs even more dangerous than previously believed. A strategy or trick that worked on one alien won't work on any of the others from the same Hive. In all likelihood, good ideas will be used right back upon their enemies. Few species could stand up against such creatures for long, and so far mankind has been lucky. Royal Jelly: The mysterious substance known as Royal Jelly is found only in the heart of a Hive, in the chamber of the Queen. It is this substance that is fed to aliens to cause them to grow into Queens when it is time to expand the colony. The uses of the Jelly are tremendous to humans as well. After Earth was reclaimed from the Xenomorphs, scientists began studying the Jelly and its uses. The result was a drug called Xeno-Zip (referred to as Fire in slang), produced by the chemical company Neo-Pharm. Upon taking a capsule of this, human senses, abilities, and endurance were heightened dramatically. Of course, the military decided to use it for "super soldier" experiments. Unfortunately, Fire has many drawbacks. First of all, it is the most addictive drug ever designed. It takes an iron will to be able to stop taking the drug after trying it even once. Also, the threats of overdose are very serious. A person being burnt up by Fire is a terrifying sight. The instincts of rage become so great that a person 224

will immediately attack every living creature around him until either himself or the object of his wrath is destroyed. No one has ever recovered from an OD on Xeno-Zip. A person taking a normal dose of Xeno-Zip adds one Die to ALL dice pools. An extra action may also be taken every turn until the drug wears off (1 Hour minus (Stamina * 10 minutes)). He or she gains all the benefits and drawbacks of Acute Senses of Sight, Hearing, and Touch. Willpower is considered 10 for the duration as well. When someone overdoses on the drug, they gain all of the above, plus all Health Levels are doubled. However, the poor person will attack any living being he can find until he is destroyed, or he dies when consumed by Fire (same duration as above). Rarely, a person will not go on a killing spree but will instead push himself beyond the brink. For example, a runner overdosed during the Goodwill Games and ran himself through a metal grate. Needless to say, it was fatal. Hiveworld: Hiveworld is the home of the aliens living in this quadrant of the galaxy. This is not the homeworld of the Xenomorphs as a whole, only the ones encountered by man. The planet orbits the star Achilles II, the fourth of ten planets. It is planet G-435, a class Alien Swimming M planet covered in a shallow, toxic ocean. The clouds are thick and somewhat poisonous to humans. Man can live for only a short time without a environmental suit of some kind. The greenhouse effect is rather intense, with a humid, steamy atmosphere the result. The ground is flat and rough, with fungus-like plants growing from the noxious water. Brutal winds scour the surface and the gravity is somewhat higher than on Earth. The planet is ripe with seismic activity; earthquakes are common and volcanoes dot the landscape. There is very little to welcome visitors, and the inhabitants are even worse. Not only does the planet swarm with Xenomorphs, but other predators prowl the barren land. Massive, winged reptiles patrol the skies in search of prey. Their wingspans are at least twenty feet across and their mouths are huge and lined with sharp teeth. Interestingly, these creatures don't hunt the Xenomorphs. At one time, the planet was host to two huge alien Hives, home to thousands upon thousands of aliens. The two Hives were engaged in a genocidal war (see Red Ants below) when discovered by humans. As a gift, the humans left a nuclear bomb in each Hive, blowing them from the face of the planet. It is unknown if Xenomorphs from either race survived past the 22nd century on G-435; however, given the aliens' proven ability to survive, count on it. Alien Drone: STR 4, DEX 5, STA 5, CHA 0, MAN 0, APP 0, PER 4, INT 3, WIT 4; Talents: Alertness 4, Athletics 4 (Climbing), Brawl 4 (Bite), Dodge 2, Intimidation 5 (Physical); Skills: Survival 3, Stealth 4 (Silence), Security 2, Spit 4, Hunting 3, Tracking 3; Willpower 8 Facehugger Alien: STR 4, DEX 5, STA 3, CHA 0, MAN 0, APP 0, PER 4, INT 1, WIT 3; Talents: Alertness 3, Athletics 3, Brawl 2 (Facehuggers may only Grapple), Dodge 2; Skills: Stealth 4 (Hiding); Willpower 6 Queen: STR 8, DEX 4, STA 8, CHA 0, MAN 0, APP 0, PER 3, INT 4, WIT 5; Talents: Alertness 3, Athletics 3, Brawl 4 (Bite), Dodge 1, Intimidation 5 (Physical); Skills: Stealth 2, Survival 3, Spit 3, Security 2; Willpower 9 Queen Mother: STR 10, DEX 4, STA 12, CHA 0, MAN 0, APP 0, PER 3, INT 5, WIT 5; Talents: Alertness 3, Athletics 3, Brawl 5 (Bite), Intimidation 7 (Physical); Skills: Stealth 2, Survival 3, Spit 3, Security 2; Willpower 9 Alien Crossbreed: STR 5, DEX 4, STA 6, CHA 0, MAN 0, APP 0, PER 3, INT 3, WIT 4; Talents: Alertness 3, Athletics 3, Brawl 5 (Bite), Dodge 2, Intimidation 5 (Physical); Skills: Stealth 2, Survival 3, Security 2; Willpower 8 Acidic Blood: The green blood of an alien can eat through most anything, including wood, metal, plastic, flesh, glass, and polymers. When wounded, their blood tends to spew from their bodies. Anyone within five feet of an alien when it is wounded is splattered with blood. One point of blood is spewed per wound level. Those sprayed must try to make a Dexterity + Dodge roll with a difficulty of 8. Each success negates one blood point's worth of acid damage. Each blood point inflicts 5 levels of aggravated damage which can be soaked. The blood oxidizes soon after death, making it harmless. Note that using a melee weapon against an alien is suicidal; not only does one risk being sprayed with blood, the acid will destroy the weapon in one turn, unless it is made of dlex (see Predator: The Hunt). The novels make an interesting point about combating the Xenomorphs. A body shot tends to cause the aliens to spew forth lots of acid as above; however, the head does not spurt as badly. Thus, a shot to the head only spews a blood point for every two wound levels inflicted. A combat strategy humans have learned in the Alien-Earth War is to shoot at the knees or the head of the aliens so blood spray is minimal. Once an alien has its legs blown out from under it, it is much easier to shoot in the head. In other words, aim low. Acidic Spit: The Xenomorphs possess the ability to spit acid up to 15 feet. This spit is not nearly as corrosive as their blood but is still extremely dangerous. The acid inflicts one point of aggravated damage for every success on a Dexterity + Spit roll, difficulty based on cover of the target, etc. Birthing: Newborn aliens rip their way out of their hosts. They do this in one turn, causing a horrendous mess that is fatal to normal humans and animals. Camouflage: Within a Hive, the bugs blend in almost perfectly with their secretions, which makes them very difficult to spot (Perception + Alertness roll, difficulty 8). Also, the aliens are invisible in the infrared spectrum. Carapace: The hard silicon exoskeleton of the bugs gives them an armor rating of 3. This only applies to firearms and melee weapons, not fire and cold. The weapons used in the novels and films are carbines which fire 225

10mm armor piercing exploding bullets. Smaller, less powerful rounds literally bounce off of the Xenomorphs. It is not unreasonable to assume that anything less powerful than a 9mm round will not even have a chance to harm an alien (this would include .22, .25, and .32 rounds) unless shot inside the mouth. Climbing: An alien can climb all but the slickest of surfaces. This includes the ability to hang suspended from walls and ceilings. Like insects, they don't seem to ever tire from "hanging on." Communication: Aliens communicate through a kind of psychic process that uses an organ in their cranium. This communication can be picked up on radio waves but is mostly indecipherable. In theory, a psychic can pick up these signals as well but is unlikely to understand them. It might be possible to disorient a group of aliens with a radio set to the proper frequency. These communications can also cause severe nightmares in nearby humans. During the early days of the Alien-Earth War, if people were having nightmares about aliens it was a good indication of a nearby nest. In fact, some people could sense the calling of the great Queen Mother from another planet in this galaxy. Their dreams were of intense feelings of love and belonging, like they were being summoned by their mother. Cunning: Aliens like to stalk and ambush and are sly enough to cut power lines and the like. Also, they often make use of unexpected openings. For example, in Aliens, they come in over the ceiling tiles. In Alien Resurrection, they lay a trail of weapons like bread crumbs down a dead-end corridor. Extraordinary Senses: Aliens have no eyes but can "see" in a 360 degree arc around their heads. They can smell and hear at least as well as the average human, but it is unknown if they have a sense of taste. They feel pain. It is assumed that they move with a kind of psychic sonar, much like a bat, but this is yet to be proven. In Alien Resurrection (the novel), the aliens distinctly detect color and movement, maybe as well as humans. Ferocity: An alien has no fear. It will fight until you or it dies. It is also aggressive, and once a battle is joined, all of its Hive mates will charge as well. Also, they will put up a chase. In game terms, this means that the aliens never need to check Willpower to continue fighting. Health and Healing: A Drone has as many Health Levels as an average human. A Queen has double that number, and a Queen Mother has three times as many! The "facehuggers" only have 5 health levels (OK, -1, -2, -5, Incapacitated). Aliens do not have the rapid healing abilities of many of the supernaturals in the World of Darkness. They heal at the same rate as humans. Hive Mind: Drones often cannot exist for long outside the Hive. An imprisoned Drone will gradually become listless and lose a point of Willpower per week until it dies. There are exceptions to this, the egg pods, the life span of which is unknown. The same egg clutch that infected the Nostromo infected the colony, Hadley's Hope, on LV-426 a full 57 years later. A Drone that is away from a Hive, but is in a suitable habitat will evolve into a Queen and setup its own Hive. Resilience: Xenomorphs can be burnt, fire does damage to them just like most living things; however, extremes in heat and cold don't seem to affect them. So, while fire is an effective weapon, molten lead is not. They also seem to be somewhat afraid of fire, if they are really afraid of anything. An alien can survive in the vacuum of space for an undetermined amount of time. Their blood superheats to keep the creature warm in the absolute cold of space. In Alien Resurrection, a Xenomorph is sprayed with liquid nitrogen, causing the creature pain but no lasting damage. They apparently don't breath, or are able to store air in their bodies. Swimming: In Aliens, one of the Xenomorphs swims up to Rebecca and captures her; however, it is unknown how long they can remain underwater. In Alien Resurrection the aliens show an amazing aptitude for swimming, being fast and graceful. One even jumped out of the water up to 15 feet. This is not surprising, as Hiveworld is covered in shallow water. If the aliens can truly exist without air, then there could be Hives entirely underwater. Teeth and Claws: An alien has sharp spindly six-fingered claws that shred flesh and clothing easily. Although this damage is not aggravated, the bite of the alien does inflict aggravated damage. Man Bite Claw Kick Dif 5 6 7 Dmg Str + 2 (Agg) Str Str + 1 Man Grapple* Tail Slap Tail Stab** Dif 6 7 7 Dmg Str Str + 1 Str + 2

*A Grappled opponent may be drug off to the Hive, or bitten at Difficulty of 4. **Only a Queen may stab with its tail. Alien/Human Crossbreeds: There are two basic types of crossbreeds, aliens with human characteristics, and humans with alien characteristics. First, the alien. In the film, the alien crossbreed had a grey carapace and was bipedal and had a humanlike skull that was greatly elongated. This being had human eyes and a hole that functioned as a nose. Unlike its relatives, this new alien had no toothed tongue within its mouth (in the novel, it does). It was somewhat larger than the typical alien and was hostile towards both aliens and humans. It had red blood rather than green but was still somewhat acidic. The clone Ripley appeared almost completely human; however, she had many special attributes, notably her enhanced physical strength and stamina. At one point, she punches her way into an access panel. She also

226

punches a large mercenary and sends him across the room. She had some mental abilities similar to that of the aliens, but she was not dominated by the Hive instincts. Player Character Crossbreeds: The most common crossbreeds would be created by scientists of some sort, such as Progenitors, Sons of Ether, Pentex, etc. Of these creations, 1 in 20 would be fertile, capable of breeding with others of their kind. Their children would be fertile as well. A crossbreed could also breed with a human, but this could be extremely hazardous to their mate, especially for males (see details on crossbreed blood below). Children from such a mating would be human, but with short tempers and violent tendencies. All player character crossbreeds are humans with alien traits. They possess heightened senses beyond human norms (all crossbreeds have the Merits Acute Hearing and Acute Sense of Smell). They are also much tougher than humans, having a maximum Strength and Stamina of 6. It is important to note that their bones and muscle tissue are much stronger than human norm; thus, what appears to be a small woman could possess the strength of a large body builder. Their fingernails are green and sharp and made of the same silicon base as a Xenomorph carapace; thus, they are extremely strong. They can use these to inflict Strength +1 nonaggravated damage. Crossbreeds are able to heal severe injuries, recovering from wounds three times faster than a human would. They also do not scar. They cannot, however, regenerate lost limbs or organs. A crossbreed can be extremely dangerous when wounded, as they have inherited the acidic blood of the Xenomorphs. This blood is nowhere near as caustic as a pureblood but is still hazardous. The red blood of a crossbreed inflicts 3 points of aggravated damage rather than the 5 points from a Xenomorph. It is handled in all other respects, exactly the same way. This blood will damage all that it touches, including clothing, weapons, friends, and anything else it comes in contact with. Also, a human male having sexual relations with a crossbreed must be wary, as any blood will be a disaster. Crossbreeds are immune to the blood of Xenomorphs and other crossbreeds. The crossbreeds share many mental patterns with their alien relatives. This tends to make them act in a manner many would consider "alien". Thus, no crossbreed may have a Humanity rating above 5. They are also prone to violence, having a Rage pool just like a Garou. This pool can be used to gain extra actions like a werewolf, etc. Xenomorphs are able to communicate with crossbreeds, and the aliens will not attack one, as it seems to them as "one of the family". The only exception to this is when the Xenomorphs are attacked by a crossbreed. A crossbreed can sense and understand the "language" of the Xenomorphs without a problem, but being individualistic rather than hive minded, they do not have to obey the commands of the Queen. It is important to note that crossbreeds share the same racial memory as the Xenomorphs; however, a crossbreed will not transmit knowledge unless actively trying to do so. Crossbreeds are built upon an attribute base of 7/5/3 like a new vampire. They also have an ability base of 13/9/5. They have no natural aggravated attack, unless they care to wound themselves to get at their blood. Vampires cannot gain nourishment from a crossbreed, and trying to do so will probably severely injure or kill the Kindred. A crossbreed can be ghouled, however. If this is done, their acidic blood is diluted greatly, inflicting only 1 point of aggravated damage. The crossbreeds cannot become lycanthropes (see Lycanthrope: The Changing). If drained of blood, a crossbreed can be Embraced by a vampire; however, like the ghouled crossbreed, the new vampire would have slightly acidic blood. Crossbreeds cannot Awaken, but they could theoretically be taught hedge magic. Red Ants: Red Ant Alien Drone A few years after the aliens took control of Earth, mankind visited Hiveworld. They captured the Queen Mother and took her to Earth to use as bait. With the Queen gone, some surprising changes took place on Hiveworld. Apparently, the Queens weed out genetic deviants from the Hive, but without a Queen, this didn't happen. While a new Queen Mother was growing from a Drone, a number of deviant Drones were born. Being different, they fled the Hive. After moving about a hundred miles away, they started a colony of their own, and a Queen was born. These new deviants developed a distinctly red hue to their exoskeletons. Once the new Queens assumed control of their respective Hives, they immediately went to war to destroy each other. Both sides bred thousands of Drones and attempted to commit genocide upon each other. They were at a standstill until the humans came and nuked both Hives. The "Red Ant" aliens were unique to Hiveworld, and they may well be an extinct breed; however, if even one survived, mankind may well encounter them again. Fortunately, the xenophobic nature of the aliens means that the Reds and Blacks will war with each other whenever they encounter one another. The greatest threat to the Xenomorphs could be themselves. The genetic differences were the appearance of recessive genes (such as coloring) that had no effect on the abilities of the Red aliens. They are exactly like the Blacks in every aspect except for some minor changes on a genetic level that makes the Blacks want to exterminate them. An infestation of Red aliens would be the same to humans as that of a Hive of Blacks. Exotic Aliens: This section is entirely optional, and it is included here due to overwhelming requests for its design. As anyone who has seen the Alien films knows, the Xenomorph in Alien3 was birthed from a dog and was somewhat different than the previous aliens. Also, Kenner released a huge number of action figures of various exotic types of aliens. These figures took on characteristics of the host species to produce very strange and exotic alien Drones. Thus, requests have come flooding in requesting details on all these special breeds. 227

Alien Queens never develop exotic characteristics from their hosts, the Queens are the source of Xenomorph perfection, and that is unwavering. Each Queen will look like every other Queen. Likewise, the facehugger aliens are always identical. As they are born without a host, there is no basis for exotic facehuggers. All Drones share some common characteristics as well. Coloring is always black (or red if of that breed), they always have the acidic blood, armoring, ability to spit, communicate the same, share the same ferocity, senses, resilience, and Hive Mind. Their size, methods of attack, and other physical attributes may change due to their body shape. A Hive may have one or one hundred different "types" of aliens in it, depending upon the availability of hosts. A Hive born entirely of human hosts will all be exactly alike, but one with access to humans and cattle would have two different types of Drone. For simplicity, the Storyteller should choose the dominate strain of alien in the Hive that players will encounter if they roam. Humans often make the mistake of believing the Xenomorphs are savage animals. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The Queen will utilize the special abilities of her children to best advantage. A Hive with a large number of hosts becomes even more dangerous and less predictable. Big Cat Alien: These aliens are birthed from a large predatory cat, such as a panther, cougar, lion, tiger, etc. They are sleek and slender and lightning quick. They are great stalkers and can attack from a pounce. They, of course, move on four legs and can move and climb like most other Drones. Differences: Add 1 to Dexterity, Add 1 to Stealth Dog Alien: The familiar dog alien, this creature is large but a quadruped. It moves very quickly and can fit in even smaller spaces than other Drones. Differences: Add 1 to Dexterity, Subtract 1 from Strength Gorilla Alien: The gorilla aliens are very similar to the familiar humanoid aliens. They are around six feet tall and are very stocky in the chest. Their arms are much longer than a humanoid alien. They are great climbers as well and have the ability to move through trees like apes. They are much stronger than normal Drones. Differences: Add 1 to Strength, Add 1 to Athletics, Add 1 to Grapple Damage Predalien: Perhaps the most dangerous exotic alien of all, these horrors are birthed from a Yautja host! These brutes are hulking monsters over 8 feet tall with a heavy set frame and the characteristic predator mandibles around their alien mouths. They are fast and deadly and often used to guard the Queen. Differences: Add 2 to Strength, Add 1 to Stamina, Add 3 OK Health Levels Snake Alien: These are truly exotic aliens born from large snakes of some sort. Like a snake, they have no arms or legs, being forced to slither. Their large size and heavy armor makes them somewhat slow, but they are exceedingly dangerous. The flexible creatures can slip through smaller openings and under many floors. Like a snake, they have a lightning fast bite, and they inject their acidic blood through their large fangs! They retain the tongue of other Drones as well making their bite very dangerous. Differences: Subtract 1 from Strength, Subtract 1 from Dexterity, Add 1 to Stealth, Add 1 to Bite Damage, plus each bite injects a point of acid blood (5 dice of damage) Use in the World of Darkness: How do the Xenomorphs fit in the World of Darkness? The books and films take place in the future; however, there is nothing saying that they cannot be used in a modern day chronicle. The aliens make a perfect nemesis for a party of Void Engineers. Once encountered, they are hard to get rid of, so an expedition could easily bring some bugs to Earth, or even a Horizon Realm. Kindred: A Xenomorph would not attempt to lay an egg in a vampire; however, the territorial bugs would definitely kill a vampire if found. It would be interesting to see what effect vampire blood would have on an alien. Could they be ghouled, and if so, could they be controlled? Sounds like a potentially disastrous experiment much like found in the novels. Ghouls can be used as incubators, with unknown results. The trauma will put them at incapacitated when the baby emerges, and they will die unless supernatural intervention occurs. But what about the resulting alien? Will it have powers of a ghoul and addiction to vampire blood? What about a ghouled Queen? A vampire with a high level of Auspex might be able to communicate with the Xenomorphs. Changing Breeds: The Xenomorphs have been known to implant humans and dogs, so there is no reason why a Garou could not be impregnated; however, most beings are rendered helpless in a cocoon of secretions so a "facehugger" can attach itself. Assuming a Garou could be imprisoned thusly, an alien could grow inside it. A Garou that has an alien rip its way out of it may die. It is immediately rendered incapacitated, and it will die if in Breed form. If not in Breed form, or if it is Metis, it will heal at the normal Garou rate. This damage is not aggravated, but it does require a roll on the battle scars table. Mages: Mages are basically normal human beings with extraordinary abilities. If another mage were able to heal the impregnated mage (or any other human) during exodus, he would survive, but he would be at the incapacitated Health Level. With no outside help, the process is fatal. Mages cannot heal themselves while a newborn Xenomorph claws its way out of the torso. Wraiths: Having no physical form, wraiths have nothing to worry about. Many a wraith has been created by a birthing Xenomorph, however. It would not be odd for a Hive to have wraithly denizens. A Risen wraith, like the vampire, is of no use to an alien and will be attacked like a threat to the Hive. Changelings: A faerie can be impregnated just like a human. This will not cause death to their fey souls, but it will kill them in this life. Mummies: A mummy is, for all intents and purposes, a normal human being to the bugs, and an alien could gestate inside one. If the corpse is kept in the Hive, this could result in a horrible fate as the mummy returns to life over and over. 228

Gypsies: Like the mummy and the mage, these beings are treated as normal humans. Fomori: Assuming it can be captured, it is just as useful as a human. Depending on the powers of the Fomor, it may or may not survive the birthing. Would the resulting alien be Wyrm tainted or even a form of Fomor in itself? Immortals: The immortals are of great use to the Hive, as they can birth alien after alien. Such an agonizing existence would definitely result in some serious derangements. Yautja: The alien beings from the movies Predator and Predator II, these hunters pride themselves on their abilities to Hunt the bugs. Aliens can grow inside a Yautja host. For more information about the interaction between these two races, see Predator: The Hunt.

TERAGEN (THE BROTHERHOOD)

Allerdyce, St. John St. John Allerdyce was originally a money-hungry young man who drifted from job to job around the South Seas before eventually becoming a journalist for an Australian wire service as well as a popular, if not critically acclaimed, Gothic romance novelist. Allerdyce eventually met the shape-shifting mutant terrorist Mystique and was recruited into her terrorist group, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, as Pyro. The Brotherhoods first public appearance was an attempt to assassinate outspoken anti-mutant activist Senator Robert Kelly, but they were defeated by the team of mutant adventurers the X-Men. After tiring of being hunted as outlaws, Mystique offered the Brotherhoods services to the U.S. Government and so they became the government-sponsored Freedom Force team. On their first official mission, they were sent to arrest the self-styled mutant master of magnetism, Magneto. The government ultimately disbanded Freedom Force after a disastrous mission in the Middle East during which they battled the Arabic super-team Desert Sword. Pyro and his teammate the Blob were captured by the Iraqi military and forced to serve as personal bodyguards to the Iraqi commander until the acrobatic mutant Toad bartered for their freedom and they joined his new incarnation of the Brotherhood. Pyro eventually left the Brotherhood after contracting the deadly mutant-killing Legacy Virus and went to join the mutant leper colony for Virus sufferers on the island owned by acclaimed author Jonathan Chambers to ease his pain. Pyro ultimately left and turned to crime to finance a treatment until the Virus caused his powers to begin flaring out of control. Pyro then briefly joined a team of other Virus sufferers in an unsuccessful search for a cure. Pyro ultimately opposed Mystique and her new Brotherhood during their second attempt on the life of Senator Kelly. Pyro sacrificed his life to stop the assassination, forcing Kelly to rethink his stance. Kelly was later killed whilst giving a pro-mutant speech by a protestor who believed Kelly to be a traitor to the anti-mutant cause. Pyro was a mutant with the psionic ability to cause any fire he could see within a 100-yard radius of himself to grow in size and intensity and to take on any form that he could imagine, even living creatures. Pyro could then mentally direct a creation to do anything he wished by concentrating, the degree necessary being directly proportionate to the size, power, and intensity of the creation. Pyro was unable to create fire himself. Pyro was an accomplished journalist and novelist. Pyro wore a kerosene-based flame-thrower on his back that could generate a stream of flame of up to 25 feet away. Pyro also wore a specially insulated costume that afforded him a certain degree of protection against fires he did not control. Real Name: St. John Allerdyce; Aliases: None; Identity: Secret (known to certain government officials); Occupation: Former government agent, terrorist, bodyguard, novelist, journalist; Citizenship: Australia (legally deceased); Place of Birth: Sydney, Australia; Known Relatives: Unidentified grandmother; Group Affiliation: Formerly Freedom Force, Brotherhood of Evil Mutants; Education: College level education; Height: 5'10"; Weight: 150 lbs.; Eyes: Blue; Hair: Blond Quantum 4; Quantum Pool 25 (Regenerate every 30 minutes); Willpower 5; Taint 2; Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2, Manipulation 3, Charisma 3, Appearance 3, Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 3; Abilities: Academics 2, Arts (Writing) 3, Athletics 1, Awareness 2, Biz 2, Brawl 3, Bureaucracy 2, Drive 2, Endurance 3, Etiquette 2, Firearms 2, Interrogation 2, Linguistics 1, Rapport 3, Resistance 3, Stealth 1, Streetwise 3, Style 2, Subterfuge 1; Backgrounds: Allies 2, Backing 2, Contacts 4, Influence 2, Mentor 2, Node 2, Resources 3; Quantum Powers: Elemental Anima (Fire, Alter Temperature, Elemental Shield, Enhance / Diminish, Lethal Blast, Movement, Shaping, Wall); Soak: Bashing 2 dice, Lethal 1 dice (Heals rates are two times normal, Lifespan 150+ years). Ashlocke, Gabriel The psychopath new mutant Gabriel Ashlocke was the first and most powerful child of Genomex created. Otherwise known as Patient Zero, Gabriel possessed abilities of all four new mutant types: Ursine feral, gravitative/force-field/intangible molecular, electrical/energy elemental and telepathic/illusionist psionic. Born without a conscience, little Gabriel's aggressive tendencies quickly spiraled out of control. On October 13th 1978, Gabriel's parents brought the 10-year-old Gabriel back to Genomex so that Adam Kane could make him more human by reducing his abilities. But Adam had unfortunately overlooked a weakness in strand 19 Gabriel's DNA and his treatment only caused further fragmenting in Gabriel's genetic structure. Gabriel murdered his parents six months later. In order to protect the world from his malignant potential, Adam and Mason Eckhart 229

placed Gabriel in a stasis pod where he remained in a coma-like state for 25 years until he was released by exGS agent Morgan Fortier. He and his group of loyal new mutants, The Links, formed an organization bent on world domination called The Strand. With the aid of Dr. Kenneth Harrison, Gabriel placed Mason in a stasis pod and took over Genomex headquarters. He then turned his vengeance sights upon Adam and Mutant X, while searching in vain for methods of stabilizing his DNA. His dramatic cellular breakdown quickly led to his explosive death, but not before he had impregnated one of The Links, Kim. Prior to his death, he set into motion the eventual creation of his successor, The Child, using genetic samples from one mutant of each type. Gabriel suffers from a hacking cough, the result of smoking at an early age. Gabriel was the first new mutant Genomex created. Though Mason Eckhart says in "A Breed Apart" that little Gabriel's mutant abilities were off the meter since birth, we learn in "Time Squared" that Adam did not first meet the boy until he was 10 years old, in 1978. Therefore Adam was not responsible for making Gabriel Ashlocke a new mutant; the child already had "unlimited powers" before Adam came along. Adam was, however, responsible for further fragmenting his DNA, thus making him more dangerous and considerably shortening his lifespan. In Adam's words: In October 1978, I arrived at Genomex to work on the Patient Zero project. I was the bright young star working at the hottest developmental facility in the world. And then, two weeks later, on October 13th, Gabriel Ashlockes parents brought him back into Genomex. They were convinced that Genomex was responsible for his extreme aggression. And they were right. Genomex had no idea what kind of a child he was until theyd given him unlimited powers. Look at this. Hes out of control. Nobody knew what to do. And then I came along, right? I was the savior. I designed a procedure, a procedure to make him more humane, give him a conscience. I had no idea that my procedure would cause his genes to mutate and make him into more of a monster. 6 months later, Gabriel Ashlocke killed both his parents. More evidence that Gabriel was already a mutant before Adam's procedure: In "Time Squared," Adam shows Emma a video of young Gabriel Ashlocke having a temper tantrum at the time his parents brought him back to Genomex. During the course of his rant, little Gabriel sends a scientist flying through the air to land on his face. A normal 10 year old boy wouldn't be able to do that; but Gabriel can because he has heightened feral strength. Note that this is *before* Adam does his procedure. The older Gabriel returns to his childhood house to pick up his younger self and take him to Genomex. When the younger Gabriel opens the door, the child's feral eyes flash. This is *before* Adam does his procedure on young Gabriel, which is scheduled to occur later that day, but young Gabriel has already got some feral abilities. In the car on the way to Genomex, older Gabriel's talking to his younger self: Gabriel: You know how you can walk through walls? Jump off the Hallians roof without ever getting hurt? Young Gaby: Howd you know about that? Gabriel: You know about Genomex, what they did to you, right? Young Gaby: Just what I stole from my file. Im supposed to have an appointment there today. Gabriel: Theyre gonna do this procedure. Its supposed to make you nicer, give you a conscience. The whole thing backfires. So before the procedure, young Gabriel also already had traits of a molecular... like being able to walk through walls. But if young Gabriel was already a mutant before the procedure, what exactly did Adam's procedure do? Dr. Aziza said in "Past as Prologue" that the reason that the adult Gabriel is dying is because his DNA is breaking down. This is a direct result of Adam's procedure. When Gabriel is speaking with young Adam at Genomex in "Time Squared," Gabriel explains why Adam's procedure didn't work: "You missed the weakness, Doc." Adam's procedure was designed to make young Gabriel nicer, but he missed a weakness in strand 19 of Gabriel's DNA structure. Instead of having the desired effect, Adam's experimental treatment triggered the very breakdown of Gabriel's genes that is slowly killing Gabriel. In fact, the entire reason Gabriel travels back to 1978 is to reverse the effects of Adam's experiment on his DNA. The blue serum he has created will strengthen strand 19 in young Gabriel's DNA, so when young Adam does the procedure on young Gabriel, the child will still maintain the powers he was born with, but he will no longer suffer from the broken DNA that Adam caused. No longer under threat of dying before his time, Gabriel would be virtually invincible. The Picture of Dorian Gray: This is a record concerning the life of the first Child of Genomex. It is also a warning. Gabriel Ashlocke may be the most powerful New Mutant ever born. He is also the greatest threat to our existence. Dr. Breedlove, the mastermind behind the genetic manipulation that created Ferals, Moleculars, Psionics and Elementals, overreached his initial unnatural goal of a superior race of beings. Having identified and designed the quartet of New Mutant classifications, he implanted embryos with all four strains together. Of the preliminary subjects, only one survived to be born: a boy named Gabriel Ashlocke. Unlike later New Mutants, Gabriel's parents were both Genomex scientists and fully aware of the experiment that was to bring the new species into the world. Donald Ashlocke and his wife, Ava de Winter, were both gifted European geneticists who did the bidding of an underground remnant of surviving Axis Powers. Dr. Breedlove was also allied with this evil regime and came to know the young couple through their associated DNA research. They had similar drive to his own and a complete disregard for moral consequences that impressed the impresario to no end. The Ashlockes became NATO security targets in the early 1970's and were forced to flee their homeland. Breedlove pulled strings and arranged for them to receive asylum in the United States, in exchange for their incorporating their nefarious laboratory skills into the evolving nightmare known as Genomex. At the time, it 230

was masked as an institute to genetically cure and prevent birth defects when, in reality, it was engineering a new breed of empowered infants. Hungry with power and wanting to advance the entrance of the new race, the Ashlockes eagerly volunteered to be among the first to parent the implanted embryos. Paternal desire played little or no factor their decision. The couple's knowledge of potential mishap and Dr. Breedlove's constant presence enabled Ava to carry the infant to full term. Patient Zero (Gabriel) was born at the Genomex facility on the 6th of June and appeared to be a normal, healthy baby boy. For years he was watched, guarded and analyzed like a priceless commodity. All four strains of mutated DNA ran through Gabriel's bloodstream but made no appearance until he reached adolescence. He was a handsome, highly intelligent child and charming youngster despite his parents' cold, clinical approach to childrearing. By this time, Genomex had brought forth each class of New Mutant separately with unmeasured success. Dr. Breedlove reluctantly began to consider "Patient Zero" to be a failure assuming the multiple gene mix had cancelled each other out. This opinion drastically revised when, in an uncharacteristic fit of teenage anger, Gabriel molecularly caused a nuclear flash that disintegrated his overly disciplinarian parents to ashes. He then proceeded to disembowel a task force of Genomex agents with Ursine Feral strength and shut down the entire complex's power grid by absorbing the electronic waves elementally. Both Dr. Breedlove and Security Head Mason Eckhart became Gabriel's thrall-like pawns through Psionic manipulation. It appeared that the fourteen-year-old was about to takeover the entire government operation with a mad agenda to lead his brother and sister mutants into war for global domination. He had possessed the four ranges of mutant power all along but, even as a toddler, had the uncanny inspiration to conceal them. There had never been anything normal about Gabriel Ashlocke. For weeks Genomex appeared to do Gabriel's bidding. Only one staff member, Adam, was immune to the young mutant's influence. In a courageous move, the scientist planted an untested invention called the subdermal governor on the back of Gabriel's neck. This negated his powers and allowed the boy to be subdued. Regaining his senses, Mr. Eckhart ordered Gabriel's execution, but Dr. Breedlove intervened. If controlled, Patient Zero could be Genomex's most valuable asset. Since Adam and staff psychologist Laura Varady had diagnosed Gabriel with an irreversible God complex, the teenager was kept in a state of unconsciousness, frozen in the first of Genomex's stasis chambers until an effective method of restraint could be devised. Gabriel Ashlocke remains under glass to this day under top security. He ages slowly and appears to any witness like a tranquil sleeping pharaoh. But underneath the calm, attractive surface still exists a corrupting power that could devastate mankind. The first New Mutant is the best and the worst of all of us. We owe Gabriel our existence, but must always remember his lack of humanity could cost us our souls and any future for happiness. Let the dark prince sleep. Real Name: Gabriel Ashlocke; Identity/Class: Human mutant; Occupation: Would-be world conqueror; Affiliations: The Strand, Morgan Fortier; Enemies: Mutant X; Mason Eckhart; Genomex; Known Relatives: Parents (deceased at his hand); Aliases: Patient Zero; Base of Operations: Mobile Quantum 8; Quantum Pool 100 (Regenerate every five minutes); Willpower 8; Taint 8 (Dying, God Complex); Strength 3 (3, Crush, Lifter, Quantum Leap), Dexterity 4, Stamina 5 (4, Durability, Hardbody, Resiliency), Manipulation 3, Charisma 2, Appearance 3, Perception 4 (3, Bloodhound, Electromagnetic Vision, Hyperenhanced Hearing), Intelligence 3 (1, Analyze Weakness), Wits 3 (1, Lie Detector); Abilities: Academics 1, Athletics 3, Awareness 4, Brawl 2, Command 4, Drive 2, Endurance 4, Interrogation 3, Intimidation 4, Investigation 2, Linguistics 3, Melee 1, Might 4, Perform 4, Rapport 3, Resistance 4, Science 1, Stealth 2, Streetwise 2, Subterfuge 3; Backgrounds: Allies 5, Attunement 5, Backing 5, Cipher 4, Contacts 5, Followers 5, Influence 2, Node 5, Resources 4; Quantum Powers: Density Control (Decrease) 4, Domination 6, Elemental Anima (Energy, All) 8, Elemental Mastery (Energy, Attraction, Blast, Lethal Blast, Phase Change, Plasma Conversion, Shield, Sphere, Storm) 8, Force Field 5, Gravity Control (Gravitic Blast, Gravitational Field, Gravitic Flight) 3, Holo 5, Telepathy 6, Time Travel (Physical) 3; Soak: Bashing 13 dice, Lethal 6 dice (Heals rates are six times normal, ignore four points of damage penalty, two extra Bruised health level, Lifespan 200+ years). Banner, Bruce Supervising the trial of an experimental gamma bomb for the U.S. Defense Department at a nuclear research facility in New Mexico, Dr. Robert Bruce Banner selflessly rushed to the rescue of an ignorant teenager who had wandered onto the testing field as the countdown ticked inexorably toward zero. After shoving young Rick Jones to safety in a nearby ditch, Banner was struck full-force by the bomb blast. He survived, but was irradiated by the deadly gamma energy. At first, Banner would transform into the brutish gray Hulk only at sunset, and revert to human form at dawn. Eventually, his changes into the childlike green Hulk came to be triggered by the release of adrenaline when he was intensely excited, no matter what time of day. The green Hulk possesses little of Banner's memory and intelligence, and is easily enraged; making him a menace to society. Since Banner's initial transformation into the Hulk, military forces commanded by the implacable General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross; father of his late wife, Betty -- have hunted him continually. 231

For a short time, Banner successfully treated his condition with radiation and was able to maintain enough of his own personality when he became the Hulk to control himself in that form. Subsequently, he helped found the Avengers and even received a presidential pardon. Ultimately, however, the Hulk reverted into a brutish menace. Gamma-powered psychiatrist Leonard "Doc" Samson captured the Hulk and successfully separated Banner and his alter ego. Without Banner's psyche to restrain him, the Hulk became a greater danger than ever before. Realizing there was only one way to reign in the Hulk, Banner agreed to merge with the monster. But the stress of the re-integration fractured Banner's subconscious, creating the street-smart gray Hulk. During this time, he spent several years in Las Vegas, sometimes operating as an enforcer calling himself Mr. Fixit (or "Joe Fixit.") The smart-mouth Fixit was an ill-tempered, wise-cracking, thuggish brute whose personality resembled that of his father and the fraternity boys who surrounded him in college. It was also at this time that Joe Fixit began his a short-lived relationship with the future wife of Rick Jones, Marlo Chandler. In this state of the Hulk, Banner again found himself changing into the Hulk at night and into his human form in the light of the day. Soon after, the swirling mess of persona and mentalities took their toll on the ever-flustered mind of Dr. Banner, and a battle for supremacy and control took place in Banner's subconscious. With assistance by the Ringmaster and his hypnotic abilities, Doc Samson tapped into the subconscious of Banner and reached his separate incarnations. Through this hypnosis, Banner, the green Hulk, and the grey Fixit all aligned to face their true inner demons-- Banner's unresolved issues with his abusive father and the murderer of his mother. With this realization, Banner was able to fuse these mentalities together, finding peace of mind. However, a green but intelligent version of the Hulk emerged. He had the mentality of Dr. Banner but the body and abilities of the Hulk. Unfortunately Dr. Banner soon realized that he must once again keep his temper in check, as if he let his rage loose, the mentality of the savage green Hulk would soon take over, albeit in the form of Banner's human body. Without the strength of the Hulk and filled with the Green Goliath's rage and belief of his old abilities, he proved to be a great danger to himself. This was, however, not to last. During the assault of the being known as Onslaught, the Hulk asked Jean Grey to let the green Hulk loose from its mental prison in order to use his maximum potential and abilities to defeat the menace. In a strange twist, Banner became divided. The Banner physically went away to a parallel world created upon Onslaught's defeat, where he once again became the savage green Hulk. Remaining on Earth, was a cold, somewhat unfeeling but intelligible version of the jade monster. This version of the Hulk also found himself allied with Apocalypse (En Sabah Nur), who made Hulk into one of his Four Horsemen. This surly version of the Hulk remained in this state, never changing until much later when the consciousness of Banner was awakened from a personal hell where he was trapped in his own subconscious and haunted by his memories of his father, his future self (the Maestro), the Leader, and his past Banner and Hulk incarnations. Banner's freedom and escape from this subconscious hell was only achieved through selfrealization and the understanding that his true strength came from within, proving his redemption from his fears. Upon this realization, Banner was guided to consciousness though the visage of his true love, Betty. Though never a team player, the Hulk joined forces with the Dr. Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts, and Namor, the Atlantean Sub-Mariner, to defeat the techno-wizard Yandroth and his ultimate computer, the Omegatron. Thereafter, this loose-knit band of Defenders would unite periodically to oppose threats to humanity. The original Defenders reluctantly re-formed when Yandroth surfaced again to menace the world. Though the heroes defeated his plan, Yandroth used his sorcery to levy a deathbed curse upon their heads, binding them to come together in times of crisis. After the events of the M-Day, Banner sought refuge and peace in Alaska, where he lived as a hermit loosely connected to the town community. He was eventually tracked down by Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D., who required his help in defeating the Hydra space weapon called the Godseye which could detonate all the nuclear bombs in the world. Sent up as the Hulk, he discovered that the Godseye was actually a rogue S.H.I.E.L.D. weapon that could match the strength of any enemy. In the ensuing battle, the Godseye found that though it could try, it could not match the increasing power of the Hulk, and it exploded. A S.H.I.E.L.D. commissioned space shuttle was sent to retrieve the Hulk, or so he believed. Seizing the opportunity to be rid of the Hulk, a group of superheroes known as the Illuminati decided to jettison the shuttle into space, to a planet with no intelligent life forms. Unfortunately, there was a navigation error, and the Hulk landed on Planet Sakaar, a planet full of barbarian tribes, gladiator battles and ruled over by a corrupt empire. The planet was situated near a portal, which gave it access to several different cultures and technologies. Weakened by his travel, Hulk was taken captive and sold into slavery and sent to the Great Arena to die in the games. After overcoming the first challenge set before him, Hulk was given the opportunity to be pardoned by the Red King, but instead he chose to attack him and was knocked out by the Red King when he became distracted. The Hulk soon joined several others in a group that would have to learn to fight together and, in result, they became warbound. The Hulk and his team of misfit warriors overcame the challenges set before them and became known as great warriors throughout the planet, inspiring many to rebel against the Red King. Soon thereafter, Hulk and his team were forced to fight a captured Silver Surfer who struck them fiercely. Hulk, angered by Silver Surfer's betrayal, attacked the Surfer and inadvertently released him from the disc implant embedded within him. Freed of the implant disc that kept him prisoner, the Surfer destroyed the rest of the implant discs embedded in the rest of the warriors. The Hulk declined the Silver Surfer's offer of 232

transportation back to his world so as to finish things on Planet Sakaar. Hulk then stood with his freed Warbound companions against the tyrannous Red King. After several hard fought battles, the evolution of Miek, and finally gaining the confidence of Caiera the Oldstrong, Hulk and the Warbound confronted the Red King. With those few still loyal to him, the King in his Death's Head Armor did battle with Hulk. As he soon saw he was no match for the Green Scar, the Red King activated a rupture under the very surface of the planet. In an act of desperation, Hulk leaped into the molten earth and forced the splitting plates back to their proper assemblage, literally saving Sakaar. The Hulk gave the King a finishing blow, knocking him clear of the city walls. Finally, the Wildebots came upon the Red King and finished him off once and for all. Real Name: Robert Bruce Banner; Aliases: Annihilator, Captain Universe, Joe Fixit, Mr. Fixit, Mechano, Professor, War, Bruce Bancroft, David Banner, David Bixby, Bob Danner, Bruce Jones, Bruce Roberts, David Blaine, the Green Scar, Green Goliath, Jade Giant, Bob; Identity: Publicly known; Occupation: Unemployed, former nuclear physicist; Citizenship: U.S.A.; Place of Birth: Dayton, Ohio; Known Relatives: Betty Ross Banner (wife, deceased), General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross (father-in-law), Jennifer Walters (She-Hulk, cousin), Morris Walters (uncle), Elaine Banner Walters (aunt, deceased), Brian Banner (father, deceased), Rebecca Banner (mother, deceased); Group Affiliation: formerly the Avengers, Defenders, Fantastic Four, the Pantheon, and the Horsemen of Apocalypse, Warbound; Education: Banner has a PhD in Nuclear Physics. The various Hulk personas have demonstrated different intelligence levels, from brutish to average to the same level of intelligence as Banner.; Height: 5' 9" (Banner); 6'6" (gray Hulk); 7' 8' (green/savage Hulk); 7'6" (green/Professor Hulk); Weight: 128 lbs. (Banner); 900 lbs. (gray Hulk); 1,040 1,400 lbs. (green/savage Hulk); 1,150 lbs. (green/Professor Hulk); Eyes: Brown (Banner); Gray (gray Hulk); Green (green/savage Hulk); Green (green/Professor Hulk); Hair: Brown (Banner); Black (gray Hulk); Green (green/savage Hulk); Green (green/Professor Hulk) Quantum 8; Quantum Pool 50 (Regenerate every five minutes); Willpower 5; Taint 8 (Aberrations: Bulging Muscles, Green Skin, Hormonal Imbalance - Rage, Hyde Syndrome, Sadism); Strength 4 (5, Crush, Irresistible Force, Lifter, Quantum Leap, Shockwave, Thrower), Dexterity 2 (1, Enhanced Movement), Stamina 3 (5, Adaptability, Durability, Hardbody, Health, Regeneration, Resiliency, Tireless), Charisma 2, Manipulation 2, Appearance 3, Perception 4 (1, Ghost Sight), Intelligence 5, Wits 3; Skills: Athletics (Dodge) 4, Brawl 5, Bureaucracy 3, Computer 2, Drive 2, Endurance 5, Firearms 3, Intimidation 5, Investigation 3, Medicine 4, Melee 3, Might 5, Resistance 5, Science 4, Subterfuge 3; Backgrounds: Allies 4, Cipher 3, Dormancy 5, Node 5; Flaws: Lusty, Overconfidence, Secret (Hulk Identity), Vengeful; Quantum Powers: Absorption (Radiation, Extended Effect, Reflexive) 5, Boost (Reflexive, Tied to Rage Aberration, Strength and Stamina both affected, Extended Affect) 5, Healing (Self Only, Reflexive) 5, Invulnerability (Broad Category Energy) 6, Invulnerability (Broad Category Physical) 6, Psychic Shield 6, Sizemorph Grow (Permanent) 1; Soak: Bashing 48 dice, Lethal 43 dice (heal at 7x normal rate, four extra bruised health levels, Lifespan 250+ years) Creed, Victor Little is known about the early life of the feral mutant named Victor Creed, although it is believed that he suffered an abusive childhood at the hands of his father who, disgusted by the boys mutant nature, frequently beat him and chained him up in the darkened basement of their home. As an adult, Creed took the name Sabretooth, and by the 1910s he was known by this name in a small Canadian frontier community where he intimidated almost everyone. One of the few exceptions was a young man named Logan, whom Sabretooth sensed had superhuman abilities similar to his own. Hating the love that existed between Logan and a young Indian girl named Silver Fox, Sabretooth brutally assaulted her, apparently raping her and leaving her for dead. The enraged Logan then forced Sabretooth into a pitched battle, which ended with Sabretooth victorious. Unbeknownst to either combatant, Silver Fox survived the attack and soon departed from the community. Little is known about Sabretooths subsequent activities until the early 1960s when served in Team X, a special intelligence unit run by the Central Intelligence Agency for the subversive Weapon X Program. In Team X, Sabretooth was reunited with both Logan, now known as Wolverine, and Silver Fox, however none of them recalled their past experiences due to false memory implants provided by Weapon Xs ally Psi-Borg. Sabretooth had a falling out with Wolverine during a mission in East Berlin in Germany during the early 1960s, exacerbating the already tense animosity between the two. During that same mission, Sabretooth met and romanced Leni Zauber, an operative for another unnamed government agency. Unbeknownst to Sabretooth, Zauber was actually the shape-shifting mutant known as Mystique. Sabretooth remained with Zauber for a month before returning to his Team X duties and remained with the team until its disbandment. He then set out on his own as a hired assassin, earning a worldwide reputation. At some point in the subsequent decades he became a student of the enigmatic Foreigner, head of the assassin guild known as the 1400 Club and one of the few men that Sabretooth respects. Sabretooth was also again manipulated by Mystique, who, for reasons of her own, seduced him in order to become pregnant with his child. However, the resultant son had no mutant potential and was abandoned by Mystique, growing up to become the anti-mutant activist Graydon Creed. While working for the elitist Hellfire Club, Sabretooth clashed with Wolverine in the latters capacity as an agent of the Canadian governments Department K. Months later, an amnesiac Wolverine, having recently been subjected to experiments which bonded the unbreakable metal Primium to his skeleton, sought the advice of Primium creator Doctor Myron MacLain. Sabretooth, hired by unidentified parties, interrupted the consultation 233

and attempted to kill his former foe and teammate, only to be stopped by Wolverines allies. At some point, Sabretooth took up the practice of annually stalking Wolverine on the day Wolverine believed to be his birthday. In recent years Sabretooth, although always a violent man, gradually began developing a psychotic bloodlust that overcame his admittedly heartless human persona. As a result of this further mutation, Sabretooths features became more animal-like, a condition which eventually corrected itself. He first came to attention in the modern era when he abducted noted attorney Jeryn Hogarth who was rescued by his client, the martial artist known as Iron Fist. Later, Sabretooth formed a partnership with the costumed criminal the Constrictor on an assignment for the crimelord Montenegro. However, driven by his hunger for violence, Sabretooth disguised himself and slew several people in New York City, resulting in reports of a mysterious Slasher. When Sabretooth was exposed as the Slasher, he and the Constrictor found themselves fighting not only Iron Fist, but his allies in the super-strong Power Man, the cyborg detective Misty Knight, and the mutant adventurer El Aguila. Sabretooth and the Constrictor were forced to retreat, however the pair later sought revenge on Knight, only to again meet defeat at the hands of Power Man and Iron Fist. Later, in an effort to prove himself to the Foreigner, Sabretooth tracked down the costumed adventurer the Black Cat, who had clashed with some of the Foreigners agents. The effort led to battles with both the Black Cat and the costumed crimefighter Spider-Man, with Sabretooth ultimately being hospitalized under guard. Soon escaping, he was subsequently recruited by an old acquaintance, the mutant thief Gambit, to join the cadre of mutant assassins the Marauders in the service of the enigmatic geneticist Mister Sinister. The Marauders were sent to slaughter the underground mutant community of Morlocks, leading to a clash with the Morlocks allies, the team of mutant adventurers the X-Men who counted Wolverine amongst their ranks. In the course of the socalled Mutant Massacre, Sabretooth and Wolverine fought several times, with Sabretooth ultimately meeting defeat. As his bloodlust increased, Sabretooth hired the telepathic Birdy to help him keep his urges in check, only for Birdy to be murdered by his son Graydon, now an avid anti-mutant activist with a deep hatred of his parents. Sabretooth then slipped into a killing spree, only to be captured by his former Team X teammate Maverick and the X-Men. The X-Mens founder, the telepathic Professor Charles Xavier, undertook the task of helping Sabretooth overcome his bloodthirsty impulses, just as the X-Men had helped Wolverine deal with his own berserker rages. Sabretooth played along at first, although doing little to hide his contempt for the X-Men, but when the opportunity presented itself, he escaped from his holding cell in Xaviers mansion. Confronted by Wolverine, the two fought savagely and Sabretooth was nearly lobotomized when Wolverine thrust one of his claws into Sabretooths brain. Following this attack, Sabretooth seemed unusually passive, and one of the XMens allies, the young mutant called Boom-Boom , became fond of the seemingly peaceful prisoner and sought to help him reform. However, Sabretooth soon regained his true personality and turned against Boomer and the X-Men, almost killing the X-Man Psylocke during his escape. Not long after, Sabretooth was recruited by the U.S. government to pursue the malfunctioning mutant tracker known as the Hound. To that end, Sabretooth was instated as a member of the government-sponsored mutant team X-Factor, much to the chagrin of X-Factors leader Forge. Unknown to his supposed teammates, Sabretooth was actually a sleeper agent of the governments Hound Program, under orders to kill X-Factor should they be deemed uncontrollable. He was forced to wear an inhibitor collar that administered a severe shock to his nervous system if he became overly aggressive towards any of his teammates or if he tried to remove the collar. After joining his teammate Mystique in opposing the terrorist organizations Hydra and A.I.M., Sabretooth obtained pills to help him overcome the pain and, after succeeded in removing the collar, he savagely assaulted several other members of X-Factor before escaping. Rejecting the governments authority, Sabretooth also killed several potential members of the Hound Program, setting back the governments efforts to control mutants. Sabretooth also clashed with the Russian super-soldier Omega Red who sought to capture the feral mutant and bring him to the Russian telepath Elena Ivanova, whose mother Sabretooth had killed years earlier whilst she was still in-utero. Under unrevealed circumstances, Sabretooth had the near-unbreakable metal Primium bonded to his skeleton and claws, much as the Weapon X Program had done to Wolverine decades prior. Sabretooth then attacked Wolverine during his wedding to the Viper on the island nation of Madripoor, only for Wolverine to be forced to cooperate with his foe to save Madripoor from an attempted invasion by the ninja clan the Hand and the terrorist organization Hydra. In a later encounter, Sabretooth and Wolverine were set against each other by the eternal mutant Apocalypse, who sought to transform one of them into a Horseman in his service. After a savage battle, Wolverine defeated Sabretooth, tearing out his heart, and Apocalypse removed the Primium from Sabretooth, bonding it to Wolverines skeleton instead. Left for dead, Sabretooth was found in an extremely weakened state by Gambit and the mutant shape-shifter Courier. The trio broke into one of Mister Sinisters bases, and, after some haggling, Sabretooth received a treatment to kickstart his healing factor. Gambit subsequently secured enough Primium from Sabretooths former partner the Constrictor to keep him alive. Restored to his former self, Sabretooth joined Mystiques restructured Brotherhood of Mutants in an effort to release a virus that would infect the normal human population. However, after an attack on the Muir Island research base, Sabretooth was defeated by the X-Man Bishop. Sabretooth was subsequently captured by the reformed Weapon X Program, and Primium was once more bonded to his skeleton. Sabretooth was used as the Programs key operative, responsible for recruiting other former Weapon X members back into the fold. Sabretooth recruited the mercenary Deadpool, but failed to recruit his former Team X teammates Maverick and 234

Wraith. Sabretooth was then assigned as back-up on Deadpools mission to kill the shape shifting mutant named Copycat, Deadpools former lover. When Deadpool refused to kill her, Sabretooth performed the deed instead. Sabretooth soon betrayed Weapon X by stealing its data on the worlds known mutants, data he used as a lure to recruit two more of Wolverines enemies, Omega Red and the cyborgs Lady Deathstrike, to attack Wolverines friends and family, capturing Wolverines young ward Amiko. Sabretooth quickly betrayed these allies as well, teleporting himself and Wolverine to the original and long abandoned Weapon X facility where he taunted his nemesis with the revelation that some of Wolverines amnesia about his life was due to his own healing factor, which repressed overly painful memories. Using command codes stolen from the Weapon X projects Director, Sabretooth utilized a device that stripped Wolverine of his mutant powers. Sabretooth then challenged Wolverine to a supposed final battle during which his own mutant abilities were negated by the same device. Both mutants seemingly died of wounds sustained in the ensuing fight, but once their powers were reactivated both were revived by their mutant healing factors. Sabretooth next set about using his stolen data to murder several mutants under consideration by the Weapon X Program, which soon recaptured him and subjected him to the hypnotic power of the mutant Mesmero to keep him in line. However, Mesmero soon lost his powers, leaving Sabretooth a threat once again. Sabretooth escaped Weapon X a second time with the help of Mister Sinister, then disguised as the projects lead scientist Doctor Charles Windsor. Returning to his former mercenary ways, Sabretooth accepted employment from an offshoot of Weapon X to track down an escaped test subject called the Native. Outfought by the Native, Sabretooth manipulated Wolverine into tracking her for him, only to be turned on by his employers as they recaptured their quarry. Seeking vengeance, he allied with Wolverine to raid the facility where the Native was being held. After killing his employers and watching Wolverine and the Native escape, Sabretooth swore to finish the job he had started. Sabretooth is a mutant possessing various superhuman attributes that are the result of genetic mutation and artificial enhancement. Sabretooth's primary mutant power is an accelerated healing factor that enables him to regenerate damaged or destroyed tissue with far greater speed and efficiency than an ordinary human. Sabretooth can fully heal from injuries that result in massive tissue and blood loss such as multiple gunshots, slashes, puncture wounds, and severe burns within only a few minutes. This mutant healing factor also renders Sabretooth highly resistant, possibly even totally immune, to disease. Sabretooth's healing powers, also, render him immune to most drugs and toxins, except within massive doses. Due to the unique regenerative properties of his mutant healing factor, Sabretooth ages much slower than an ordinary human. Despite having a much greater chronological age, Sabretooth possesses the appearance and vitality of a man in the physical prime of his life. All of Sabretooth's natural mutant abilities stem from, at least partially, his accelerated healing factor. Sabretooth possesses superhumanly acute senses of sight, hearing, smell, and taste - although perhaps not of touch - comparable to those of certain animals, allowing him to track prey similar to the way dogs and wolves do. His night vision is preternaturally sensitive, containing twice the average human beings area of lightgathering retina, and extends into the infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. His hearing is extraordinarily acute, able to detect light breathing in a cave at 200 feet. His sense of taste can detect 1 part of foreign matter in 10,000. His highly developed olfactory sense and memory allow him to detect and track a scent over eight hours old, possibly a concentration of 20 parts per million, that he had not been exposed to for up to several months previously. Dilute, common odors of perspiration, perfumes, cigarettes, candies, and food are beacons to his senses. Many of Sabretooth's physical abilities function with superhuman levels of efficiency. He possesses some degree of superhuman strength, the limits of which are unknown. Originally, Sabretooth possessed sufficient physical strength to crush an iron barbell, with ease. Sabretooth has undergone various procedures, some willingly and some unwillingly, that have increased his strength considerably beyond his original levels. Sabretooth's mutant healing factor grants him much greater immunity to the lactic acids generated by his muscles during physical activity than the musculature of an ordinary human. Hence, Sabretooth possesses superhuman stamina in all physical activities. His natural agility and reflexes are enhanced to levels that are beyond the natural limits of the human body. Sabretooth's agility and reaction time are superior to those of the finest human athlete. Currently, Sabretooth's entire skeleton has been artificially infused with the, virtually indestructible, alloy known as Primium. As a result, Sabretooth's bones are practically unbreakable. Sabretooth is a formidable hand-to-hand combatant, having been trained by the Foreigner, the C.I.A., and many others. Sabretooth is also an extraordinary hunter and tracker. He also possesses a single, razor sharp, retractable claw at the tip of each finger. Originally, these claws were fully capable of rending substances as durable as bone, wood, and stone. However, just like his skeleton, Sabretooth's claws have been artificially infused with Primium. As a result, his claws are not only as indestructible as his skeleton, but are now capable of cutting any known solid substance other than Primium itself. Real Name: Victor Creed; Aliases: Der Schlchter ("The Butcher" in German), Slasher, El Tigre, others; Identity: Known to various government officials; Occupation: Mercenary, former government agent, possibly others; Citizenship: Unrevealed (numerous international criminal records); Place of Birth: Unrevealed; Known Relatives: Zebadiah Creed (father, deceased), unidentified mother (deceased), Graydon Creed (Tribune, son, deceased); Group Affiliation: X-Men; formerly Weapon X, Brotherhood Of Mutants, Hound Program, Marauders, 235

X-Factor, Team X, former agent of Tribune, Foreigner, Montenegro and others, former partner of Constrictor; Education: Unrevealed; Height: 6'6"; Weight: (Without Primium) 275 lbs.; (with Primium) 375 lbs.; Eyes: Amber; Hair: Blond; Nature: Thrillseeker Quantum 2; Quantum Pool 24 (Regenerate every hour); Willpower 8; Taint 2; Strength 5, Dexterity 5, Stamina 5 (3, Resiliency, Regeneration x 2, Health), Charisma 2, Manipulation 2, Appearance 2, Perception 5 (2, Blindfighting, Bloodhound), Intelligence 2, Wits 4; Skills: Athletics 3, Awareness 4 (scent), Brawl (claws) 4, Command 1, Computer 1, Demolitions 1, Drive 1, Endurance 5, Firearms 3, Interrogation 2, Intimidation 3, Intrusion 3, Investigation 1, Linguistics 2, Melee 2, Might 4 (Jump), Rapport 1, Resistance 5, Stealth 3, Streetwise 2, Subterfuge 2, Survival 4, Tactics 1; Backgrounds: Attunement 1, Cipher 1, Contacts 3, Influence 2 (international menace), Node 1; Merits: Acute Sense (smell), High Pain Tolerance; Flaws: Disability (color blind: can only see in black, white, and greys), Enemy (Professor X), Enemy (Wolverine), Hormonal Imbalance: Rage, Obsession (hunting and killing "prey"); Quantum Powers: Armor 5 (Primium Skeleton), Body Modification: Extra Bruised Health Level, Claws 2 (Strength +4 damage aggravated due to Primium coating), Fangs 1 (Strength +3 damage aggravated due to Primium coating), Innate CounterMagick (Primium Skeleton) 2 dice, Invulnerability: Aging 1; Soak: Bashing 26 dice, Lethal 21 dice (Heals five times faster than normal, ignores three dice of penalties, two extra bruised health levels, Lifespan 180+ years) Gray, Gabriel Gabriel Gray, commonly known by his assumed name of Sylar, is a fictional character and main antagonist on the NBC drama Heroes. Portrayed by Zachary Quinto, he is a superpowered serial killer who targets other superhumans in order to steal their powers. Sylar was named one of the best new villains on TV by Entertainment Weekly. Sylar serves as the primary antagonist of the first season of the series. Prior to Quinto's first appearance in the episode "Seven Minutes to Midnight", the role of Sylar is played by stunt doubles, with the character's face being obscured by shadows. Sylar's voice during a telephone conversation is that of voice actor Maurice LaMarche. Contents The episode "Six Months Ago" reveals that Sylar's desire to be special and important drives him to kill the victims with powers. He has shed all connections to his previous life as Gabriel Gray and prefers to be called Sylar. The online comic book Road Kill reveals that Sylar now thinks of what he does as an evolutionary imperative to acquire new abilities; this was the reason he gave for his first murder in "Six Months Ago". Mr. Bennet believes the radical changes to his DNA may have driven the already unstable Gray insane. Quinto has said of his character, "The sad part is, he's initially well-intentioned. He wants to improve his life. He wants to make a difference. He wants to matter. Through the process of realizing how to do that, he gets blinded and loses himself in the pursuit of it and goes a little crazy'a little' being an understatement." In another interview, Quinto stated that "He's definitely somebody that has been overcome by a hunger and overcome by a pursuit for power and for importance that did start a little more innocuously than it evolved into." When asked if he thought Sylar was irredeemable or not, Quinto responded, "I think there's a certain point at which you cross a line and it's sort of irrevocable.... I don't know what the writers have in mind, but it would probably be kind of a challenge at this point, you know? ... I think that that's one of the really exciting things about this show is that they're constantly coming up with surprising ideas and ideas that people would never expect, so I don't think anything is out of the question, but I do think that he's gone pretty far down a path that at this point might be a little difficult to back track." In the episode "The Hard Part", Sylar's backstory is partially explored during a visit with his mother. Several times during the visit, Sylar comments to his mother that he would be content simply fixing watches and wishes that his mother would not push him to be 'special'; that she see him as just 'normal'. The same episode also explores his unwillingness to kill those whom he views as "innocents". When Sylar learns he might end up destroying New York City in his quest for power, he is initially unnerved. He justified his previous murders as an evolutionary necessity, taking abilities from people who didn't deserve them and killing anyone who got in his way; however, the prospect of killing millions of people for no apparent reason seems monstrous even by his standards. However, after accidentally killing his mother and painting the future with her blood, he seems to reconsider this stance. In the episode "Six Months Ago", Gabriel Gray, a highly talented watch repairsperson encounters Chandra Suresh (Erick Avari), a genetisist, father of Mohinder Suresh. He tells Gabriel that he may be an evolved human with superhuman powers and that he would like to test his DNA. Gabriel who felt a strong desire to be special and important, eagerly submits to the testing. Gabriel discovers he has the power of intuitive aptitude; he is able to see how things work and use that to take the special powers of others after killing them. Gabriel, now calling himself Sylar, contacts Davis, a man identified by Suresh as having special abilities. Gabriel recognizes Davis as a telekinetic and murders him to acquire his power. He returns to Chandra's apartment the next day, this time demonstrating telekinetic abilities with greater control than Davis. Thoroughly impressed, Chandra continues on with his research with "Sylar". Sylar, being Chandra's first recorded study, is dubbed "Patient Zero", though sometime over the course of six months the study is terminated. (Chandra discovers what Sylar has done and washes his hands of him. It is later revealed that Sylar kills Chandra in the latter's taxicab. (Chandra's death is what originally brought his

236

son, Mohinder, to New York City.) Eventually, Sylar becomes a serial killer, using Chandra's list to track down victims across the United States. This leads FBI to become obsessed with capturing him. In "Don't Look Back", the FBI investigates a double homicide where a married couple with a child were murdered. Telepathic police officer Matt Parkman (Greg Grunberg) finds their unharmed daughter, Molly (Adair Tishler), hiding in the house, and learns the name "Sylar" from the FBI agent assigned to the case. The two begin working together to capture Sylar. In the following episode, Sylar infiltrates the FBI's Los Angeles office and attempts to kidnap the murdered couple's daughter, Molly. Matt Parkman and his partner Audrey Hanson (Clea Duvall) chase him into a corner. When Audrey pulls her gun, Sylar uses his powers to force her back against a wall and make her point her weapon to her own head. Matt arrives and shoots at Sylar, but when Matt checks on Audrey, Sylar stands up and the bullets which supposedly hit him fall to the ground. As the two law-enforcement officers look back, Sylar disappears upward. Meanwhile, Mohinder and Eden McCain (Nora Zehetner) break into Sylar's apartment in New York. The apartment has no photographs but plenty of books on philosophy and a copy of Chandra's book, Activating Evolution. A secret room also contains a map similar to those used by both Chandra and Mohinder Suresh, but with many more connections and papers linked to it. Nathan Petrelli (Adrian Pasdar)is identified on one of the links, and in an adjoining room, the wall is covered in scrawls, some seemingly written in blood. Most of the messages amount to variations on the phrase "Forgive me, father, for I have sinned." When Mohinder fetches police officers to show them the apartment, it has already been cleaned out. Sylar continues to use Chandra's list, leading him to Texas in "Seven Minutes to Midnight". Sylar enters a diner where Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka) and Ando Masahashi (James Kyson Lee) are being served by a young waitress named Charlie Andrews. Charlie demonstrates superhuman memory skills while talking to Hiro and Ando. Sylar, who is sitting at a nearby table, follows her to the diner's storeroom, murders her, and takes her brain. After his stop at the diner, Sylar travels to Claire Bennet's (Hayden Panettiere) high school to murder the one he believes to be a superhealing cheerleader. In the school's gym, Sylar attacks Claire and her classmate Jackie Wilcox (Danielle Savre), but concentrates his attack on Jackie, apparently due to an erroneous news article which reported that Jackie had saved a man from a fire. Sylar hurls Claire, with crushing force, against a nearby wall. As Sylar brutally attacks Jackie, cutting open Jackie's skull with no physical contact. When Sylar realizes he has the wrong girl, he turns to pursue Claire. As she makes her escape, Sylar uses his powers to attack Peter, who runs into Claire in the hallway, by telekinetically hurling locker doors at him. His pursuit ends on top of the school, where he and Peter struggle, causing both of them to fall off. Sylar escapes alive, but is later apprehended by Eden McCain and the Haitian (Jimmy Jean-Louis). Eden uses her persuasive abilities to cause Sylar to involuntarily fall asleep, while the Haitian uses his "dampening" ability to render Sylar powerless. In "Fallout", Sylar is confined in a small cell which supposedly prevents him from using his powers. During his imprisonment, Sylar becomes infuriated when Mr. Bennet (Jack Coleman) repeatedly refers to him as Gabriel, insisting that his name is really Sylar after repeated uses of his former name. Mr. Bennet informs him that he'll be taken apart and studied, comparing the act to the watches Sylar once repaired. Before this can happen, however, Eden visits Sylar and attempts to use her powers to force him to him commit suicide with a gun she brought along. However, before she can give him the gun, he telekinetically slams her into the glass wall of his cell. While he informs her that her power will help him immensely, she manages to point the gun to her own head and fire, killing herself and preventing Sylar from acquiring her power. Bennet and the Haitian then rush into the cell and subdue him with a tranquilizer gun. In "Godsend," Sylar is seen lying helpless on the floor of his cell after being injected with powerful drugs used to help make special abilities manifest. The doctor in charge of him, Hank, states that Sylar has been tested to the brink of death, saying Sylar had been given enough drugs to kill an elephant, and still fails to display any power besides telekinesis. In "The Fix", the tests on Sylar seem to be fatal, as he dies despite Hank's best efforts. Nevertheless, after Hank reports this to Bennet and removes his restraints, Sylar revives (possibly having faked his condition) and murders Hank. When Bennet arrives to check on Sylar, he finds Hank's body in Sylar's place and Sylar standing calmly behind him. Sylar simply asks Bennet, "How's Claire?" In "Distractions", Sylar uses his telekinesis to attack Mr. Bennet, and then traps him in the room in which Bennet had imprisoned him. After stealing Mr. Bennet's driver's license to learn the location of his house, he travels there. Under the disguise of a Primatech employee making a delivery for Mr. Bennet, he fools Mrs. Bennet for a while. However, Sylar's strange interest in Claire eventually causes Mrs. Bennet to see through his deception. He then uses his telekinesis to attack her, after telling her of his murderous intentions in regards to Claire. As he moves in to finish her off, Mr. Bennet and the Haitian run into the house. Mr. Bennet shoots Sylar multiple times. Nonetheless, Sylar quickly escapes. Though the Haitian chases after him, Sylar has already vanished. While on the run once more, Sylar hitches a ride with a semi-truck driver. After realizing the driver is really heading West, Sylar kills him and hijacks the delivery truck. Police eventually follow Sylar, but he easily escapes them by using his powers to put ice on the road and then jump/fly out of the truck as it crashes over the embankment. Sylar also notes that he is down to the last person he can remember from Chandra's list. Thus, he ends up at the home of this person, and the events of "Run!" begin. 237

Zane Taylor was expecting Mohinder Suresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy) to visit him when Sylar comes to his door. Mistaking Sylar for Mohinder, Zane lets him into his house and quickly demonstrates his liquefaction ability to him. Sylar kills Zane and takes his ability, just before the real Mohinder arrives. When Mohinder enters, Sylar identifies himself as Zane Taylor, showing Mohinder his new ability when prompted. Mohinder then asks for a DNA sample to continue his research. Sylar covertly gives him a sample from Zane's corpse, in lieu of his own. As the conversation draws to an end, Sylar, seeing Mohinder as a way to find more victims, suggests accompanying Mohinder on his mission to find other "unique people". Sylar states that because he possesses an ability himself, he could help convince others to help with Mohinders research, with which Mohinder happily agrees. Sylar and Mohinder then locate a woman named Dale, who possesses incredibly enhanced hearing that allows her to hear rain coming from forty miles away, or to hear the changes in someone's heartbeat. Sylar demonstrates his new liquefaction ability, and she agrees to let Mohinder run some tests. Later that night, Sylar returns to Dale's shop, kills her, and takes her ability. The next day, Sylar finds his new enhanced hearing ability hard to control, as he experiences excruciating pain at the slightest noise. Mohinder finds Dale's body, but Sylar convinces him not to phone the police, telling him they'd look too suspicious. Mohinder agrees, and says he'll phone them once they're on the road again. Later, Mohinder, unbeknownst to Sylar, has discovered his true identity, after finding a news article on the internet about Zane Taylor's death. Mohinder drugs Sylar, and restrains him to a chair, hooking up an I.V. with curare, which renders him unable to access his abilities. Mohinder prepares to shoot Sylar, but stops when Sylar tells him that Mohinder's father confided in him and trusted him more than his son. Mohinder proceeds to take a sample of Sylar's spinal fluid, without any anesthetic. Through this sample, Mohinder apparently finds the key to being able to locate other unique people (to "make a new list," as Mohinder states). He then attempts to kill Sylar, who had secretly shut off the I.V. via a reserve of telekinesis he had been building up. Sylar telekinetically stops the bullet Mohinder fires at him, and then asks Mohinder for his list. Later on, Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) arrives at Mohinder's apartment, finding him pinned to the ceiling through Sylar's telekinetic abilities, bleeding. Sylar then emerges from the darkness and pins Peter to the wall, saying that he would like to see how Peter's power works. He then grabs Peter and begins to slice his skull in the same manner he has all his victims. Sylar slices deep into Peter's skull at the beginning of ".07%", attempting to claim his powers; however, Peter is able to use Claire's healing ability to close the wound before hurling Sylar across the room with his own telekinetic abilities, freeing Mohinder as a result. Sylar quickly recovers from the attack and prepares to battle Peter, who responds by becoming invisible. Sylar notes that he cant wait to try that one, and retaliates by telekinetically lifting a large amount of shattered glass off the ground and flinging it in all directions, stabbing Peter in the back of the head and killing him. As Sylar moves in to take Peter's power, Mohinder crushes him against the wall with his charts, knocking him out. Sylar awakens later, finding Mohinder's list destroyed. He flies into a rage, only to find Isaac's (Santiago Cabrera) address on the ground. Isaac just finishes a painting of Sylar standing over his corpse as the killer arrives. Isaac tells Sylar that he has seen Sylar's future, and that he is doomed to die at the hands of the other heroes. Sylar retaliates by impaling Isaac's wrists and ankles with paintbrushes. Isaac tells him that he can't fight the future, and Sylar kills him and takes his power. Sylar is later seen painting a picture of Nathan Petrelli standing in the White House. His painting is, however, far darker and more macabre than Isaac's, showing Nathan in a slightly demonic light; the colors of the painting are also distorted. As "The Hard Part" begins, Sylar finishes a new painting, showing himself about to kill Ted Sprague (Matthew John Armstrong). Fearing that he is going to be the exploding man, he phones Suresh, telling him that he doesn't know why he'd want to do that. He tells him that he only killed people who "didn't deserve" their powers, and that he doesn't want to kill all those innocent people. Mohinder asks him to turn himself in while dialing 911. Sylar hears him dial and quickly hangs up. Sylar then calls his mother and asks if he can come over. He proceeds to clean himself up, dressing like he appeared in "Six Months Ago". As he goes to leave, he hears the heartbeats of Hiro (Masi Oka) and Ando (James Kyson Lee), who had come looking for Isaac. Hiro teleports himself and Ando away just before Sylar finds them. Sylar arrives at his mother's apartment, his mother expressing great joy and relief to see him. During their conversations, in which Sylar asks that his mom accept him as a "normal" watchmaker, and not wish for him to be special, it becomes apparent that his mother is the reason Sylar longs to be special. She even tells him that he could be president if he wanted, possibly allowing him to justify taking Nathan Petrellis presidential role in "Five Years Gone". Sylar eventually demonstrates his powers to his mother, using a kitchen hose, his freezing powers, and telekinesis to turn her apartment into a "snow globe". However, he seems to become detached and unresponsive as he uses his powers, inadvertently injuring her. The two eventually have words. Sylar's mother accidentally kills herself by plunging a pair of scissors into her chest. Hiro, having followed Sylar, freezes time at this moment and attempts to kill him, but loses his nerve and lets his concentration slip, allowing Sylar to block Hiro's sword. Sylar tries to goad Hiro into killing him, but resolves to kill Hiro after he can't do so. Sylar breaks Hiro's sword with his freezing powers, and Hiro teleports away before Sylar can kill him. Sylar is later seen painting the explosion in New York in blood, saying that his mother was right about him being able to become president. 238

As "Landslide" begins, Sylar has tracked down Sprague, who is with Claire, Peter, Mr. Bennet and Matt Parkman. Sylar uses his enhanced hearing to learn that Ted, Peter, and Claire are heading to Nebraska and that Ted is wanted by the FBI, so he begins following them. Peter hears Sylar's thoughts as they move down the street, and the three of them duck into a building to hide. Sylar takes the time to contact the FBI and inform them of Ted's whereabouts, leading to his arrest shortly after he leaves the building. Audrey Hanson, who is leading the FBI team, thanks Sylar for the tip. He gives his name as Isaac Mendez before disappearing into the crowd. Later, Sylar attacks the van that is transferring Ted to Guantanamo Bay, using his telekinesis to flip it over. Still chained to the van, Ted is unable to fight back as Sylar moves in and kills him, taking his power. In "How to Stop an Exploding Man", Sylar paints a picture of himself facing off against Peter Petrelli at Kirby Plaza. Realizing Peter is part of his final destiny, Sylar prepares to hunt him down. However, before he leaves, Ando arrives to kill him. Sylar easily defeats Ando; discovering the comic that shows his death, he taunts Ando, saying that a "silly little man" like Hiro could never kill him. Sylar demands the location of Peter from Ando, but Ando tells him he doesn't know. Hiro teleports into the loft. Sylar taunts Hiro to try and stop time before he cuts off Ando's head. Hiro manages to quickly teleport himself and Ando away. Doing as his painting suggests, Sylar waits for Peter in Kirby Plaza. Peter soon arrives with Mr. Bennet, whom Sylar hurls against a wall, incapacitating him. Sylar tells Peter that he will not get "all the glory", and grabs him with his telekinesis. Matt Parkman arrives and shoots at Sylar, who stops the bullets and throws them back at Matt, gravely wounding him. Sylar then grabs a parking meter and begins to beat Peter, but a nearby Niki Sanders rips the meter from Sylar's hands and knocks him down. Having absorbed Niki's (Ali Larter) enhanced strength, Peter begins beating Sylar viciously. Sylar, instead of fighting back, begins laughing as Peter's hands begin to glow. He tells Peter that he has been wrong all along, that Peter is the villain, and he's the hero. As Sylar watches Peter, Hiro teleports in behind him and runs Sylar through with Ando's sword before Sylar can react. Sylar collapses to the ground, but before Hiro can do anything to stop Peter from exploding, Sylar uses what little strength he has left to toss Hiro against a building, forcing him to teleport away at the last second. Sylar smiles and slumps to the ground; in his eyes, he sees everyone who has died due to his own actions, including himself, and they then fade to white. In "Kindred" Sylar is found to be in the company of Candice Wilmer (Rachel Kimsey), who apparently dragged him into the manhole cover after his defeat in New York. The two are in hiding somewhere in Mexico. Sylar's severe injuries are described as having required eight surgeries to fix. (Hiro's stab apparently struck his spine, among other injuries.) His powers have somehow been rendered inoperative. Candice assures him that his powers will return, if he has adequate time to rest and heal. She also mentions that the people she works for want Sylar to be healthy and with his power back. Sylar, enraged by his loss of powers, attempts to rebuild his power base by killing Candice, only to discover that it does not correct the problem he is unable to access her power of illusion. Stumbling outside, he finds himself alone in the middle of a dense jungle. A period of time later, at the outset of "The Kindness of Strangers" Alejandro (Shalim Ortiz) and Maya (Dania Ramirez) come across his near unconscious form on their way to the United States. When asked what his name is, he glances at his broken "Sylar" watch and replies with Gabriel Gray, his real name. He tells Maya that he knows Dr. Chandra Suresh and will take the siblings to him. While making a stop, the car's 'owner', Derek, sees the warrant notices for Maya and Alejandro in a newspaper and brings it to Sylar's attention. Sylar agrees to stall the pair while Derek calls the police, but kills Derek before heading back to Maya and Alejandro. Once there, he is nearly killed after stressing Maya with the news that Derek is calling the police, which causes her to manifest her virus. However, Sylar is saved when Alejandro reverses the effects. Surprised to find they have powers, and understanding why they are wanted for murder, Sylar agrees to take the pair to see Chandra Suresh, having appropriated the keys to the car from Derek. He explains to them that he understands people who have done things they aren't really responsible for. In "The Line", Alejandro becomes more distrustful of Sylar, while Sylar is able to earn Maya's trust in turn. Upon reaching the US border, their car is surrounded by armed civilian border patrolmen. Sylar persuades Maya to use her power in order to avoid capture by the armed patrol. Later that night, he engages in a fist fight with Alejandro outside the car, forcing Maya to intervene and break them up. Unable to convince her to leave Sylar behind, he warns her that he will let Sylar die if she uses her power again. After Maya walks away, Sylar reveals his true intentions to Alejandro, knowing he won't be able to understand a single word: once he regains his powers, he'll kill them both and steal their abilities, as well. He also says that even if he doesn't regain his powers, Maya will become his new toy, and he'll use her for his own ends. In "Truth & Consequences", Sylar further manipulates Maya, telling her it is possible to control her powers. He taunts her into a state of emotional frenzy, telling her that her brother hates her and that in her heart she wanted to see his fiancee dead. She nearly kills Sylar with her ability, but at the last moment reverses it, gaining at least some control of her power. Sylar then convinces her she must send Alejandro away for his own good. In a heated scene with the three of them she tells him to leave and that she is staying with Gabriel. Alejandro comes back later in an attempt to stop Sylar's manipulation of Maya, and is stabbed and killed. Maya arrives and confesses her love for "Gabriel," and kisses him, not realizing Alejandro's fate. At the end of the episode Sylar and Maya arrive at the Parkman residence, waiting beside a sleeping Molly. He calls Suresh, stating ominously that he will "See him soon." In "Powerless", Sylar attempts to obtain a cure for his condition, now revealed to be the same strain of the Shanti Virus which Niki was infected with. After Mohinder learns of this, he attempts to stab Sylar, but Sylar 239

reveals a gun and forces Mohinder to comply. Monhider takes him to his lab and covertly triggers the alarm, then stalls for time. While waiting with Molly, Molly reveals that she can track Alejandro through a photograph, only to have her failed attempt confirm for Maya that Sylar killed Alejandro. When she confronts him about it, Sylar shoots her. He has Mohinder test the cure enhanced with Claire's blood on Maya, and once it begins working attempts to leave with the rest. Elle shows up to take down Sylar, but fails to capture him, though she does cause several significant wounds. At the start of "Volume Three - Villains", Sylar injects himself with the cure, healing his wounds. He tests out his telekinesis by summoning a can to his hand, happily remarking, "I'm back." In the graphic novel "String Theory" Hiro says that, before he attempted to alter the past, Sylar was the "exploding man" that decimated New York. Hiro attempted to kill him, but failed because this Sylar possessed Claire Bennet's power of regeneration. Over the ensuing five years, strict laws for the control and registration of powered individuals came into effect, and Hiro dedicated himself to protecting those who could not protect themselves. In addition, he mapped out the events that had culminated in Sylar's explosion, and, identifying the key factor, used his powers to travel back in time five years and contact present-day Peter Petrelli, giving him the cryptic message, "Save the cheerleader, save the world." Hiro reasoned that if Peter saved Claire from Sylar, he would not acquire her healing powers, and thus could be killed before he exploded. However, Hiro's efforts had little overall effect on the timeline. Though Claire was indeed saved, the future still played out in much the same manner. "Five Years Gone" reveals the new timeline Hiro created when the present-day Hiro inadvertently travels into the future and sees it for himself. While "future Hiro's" warning allowed Peter to save Claire, Peter became the bomb instead of Sylar. This fact was concealed by his brother, Nathan, now President of the United States, who blamed Sylar to protect him. Sylar is believed to have died in the same explosion. Unbeknownst to anyone, however, Sylar still lives; having killed both Nathan and Candice Wilmer, he has used the latter's illusion-casting ability to assume Nathan's identity. By this point in time, Sylar has become content with the powers he has gained from his victims. As such, his goal has changed from acquisition to elimination: as powerful as he is, Sylar doesn't want any competition. After killing Claire for her ability, he gives a speech in the ruins of New York to advertise the cure. During the speech, Sylar is contacted by Matt Parkman, who tells him that Peter is keeping them from apprehending both the past and future Hiros. Revealing his secret to the media, Sylar takes flight and arrives at the building to stop Peter. While Sylar and Peter battle, Mohinder bars a door against the effects, allowing Hiro and Ando to return to the present. When Sylar first meets Chandra Suresh six months prior to the series' starting point, he is described as having "intuitive aptitude", the ability to know how things work by looking at them. This ability to see and manipulate patterns within complex systems made him an expert at restoring time pieces. He was able to discern any problems, with any given watch, almost instantly. He later uses this ability to locate the source of the power in the brain of his victims, enabling him to steal their abilities. Upon meeting Brian Davis and learning of his telekinetic abilities, Sylar promises to "fix" what Davis perceived as a problem and kills him, taking his telekinetic powers for himself. In "Fallout", Mr. Bennet mentions that Sylar's powers are a product of using foreign DNA to alter his own. However, the series has left it intentionally ambiguous as to how Sylar does so once he removes a victim's brain. In a March 22, 2007, interview executive producer Tim Kring, when asked if Sylar eats brains, laughed that "that's the popular speculation. There is a connection between the powers and the brain - and Sylar has found it. Early in season 2, you'll find out what he's been doing with the brains." Bryan Fuller also explained in an interview that the original concept was that Sylar kills people and he eats their brains and he, like, digests their power"; however, in order to avoid the potential silliness and zombie associations, they decided to deliberately make this fact vague in the series. Whether or not Sylar's cannibalism is literal or metaphorical, various episodes express his assimilation of powers in cannibalistic language using words like delicious to describe Maya's power, or for example, in "Parasite", Sylar loses his composure when demanding the list of heroes Mohinder is compiling, saying, "Give me that damn list! So I can ... sink my teeth in!" Of all the powers Sylar has acquired, his most prominently displayed power is telekinesis, which was the first power he absorbed. Compared to the limited abilities Davis displayed, Sylar's skill with telekinesis is much more advanced. He can enhance his own strength with it, seen when he flings Claire Bennet several feet horizontally into a wall with enough force to break her arm and severely lacerate her face. He also has enough fine control to smoothly cut open the skulls of his victims. When tested by Bennet's associate, Hank, Sylar shows no overt signs of any power besides telekinesis. Sylar also demonstrates a number of abilities which, while feasibly explained by his telekinesis or other known powers, have not been explicitly attributed to a specific power. He exhibits some sort of levitation in several episodes, most notably "One Giant Leap" and "Unexpected", rising upward to escape capture in the former and hovering to bypass Dale Smither's superhuman hearing in the latter. He has also demonstrated superhuman durability on a number of occasions. He catches Hiro Nakamura's katana bare-handed in "The Hard Part", is shot numerous times to no ill-effect (aside from small bruises), walks away from a fall that kills Peter in "Homecoming", and recovers from being hit with a parking meter and a severe beating by Peter (using Niki Sanders' enhanced strength) rather quickly in "How to Stop an Exploding Man". On several occasions, Sylar has 240

mysteriously appeared or disappeared from view instantly; in "How to Stop an Exploding Man", Peter speculates that he is "hiding in plain sight." Sylar also recovers from apparent death on at least two occasions. In "The Fix", he recovers after being diagnosed as clinically dead, and in "How to Stop an Exploding Man", his body vanishes into the sewers after having suffered a seemingly fatal stab wound from Hiro's sword. In both instances a cockroach is seen crawling nearby. However, the second instance is explained in "Kindred" to be the work of Candice Wilmer, who used her power to evacuate him after his injury. Eight surgeries were required to repair the damage. Following these surgeries, Sylar has been unable to access any of his acquired powers, and also seems unable to acquire new powers by killing as in the past. However, after returning to New York with Maya and visiting Mohinder, it is revealed this is due to an injection of the Shanti Virus strain that Niki was also exposed to. Sylar steals the cure intended for Niki and injects it into himself, restoring his powers. As mentioned in the graphic novel "String Theory", Future Hiro listed Sylar as being the original exploding man. Hiro's attempt to stop Sylar failed because Sylar had Claire's regenerative ability. Since Hiro had since prevented Claire's death, Sylar no longer had her power. As shown in "Five Years Gone", Peter became the exploding man instead, while Sylar continued obtaining other abilities. Sylar has committed several murders, the victims often being others with powers of their own. In such cases, Sylar removes their brains. Despite targeting a specific group of people, Sylar has not hesitated to kill others when he deems it necessary. People whose deaths have been linked to Sylar and their powers (if any) are listed in chronological order below. Character
Brian Davis David Chandra Suresh Unnamed victim from Barstow James Walker Mrs. Walker Unnamed police officer Unnamed FBI Charlene Andrews Jackie Wilcox Eden McCain Hank Unnamed male trucker Zane Taylor Dale Smither Isaac Mendez Virginia Gray Ted Sprague Unnamed police officer Candice Wilmer

Acquired
Telekinesis Unknown None Unknown Unknown None None None Eidetic memory None None (see note) None None Liquefaction Enhanced hearing Precognition None Radiation manipulation None None confirmed

Notes
Sylar's most commonly used power. Murdered in Chicago. Seen in Mohinder's dream induced by Sanjog Iyer. Audrey Hanson mentions this death in "Don't Look Back". She says this person was killed in the same manner as the other special people that Sylar has killed. His corpse was found frozen. Later, Sylar unsuccessfully attempts to kidnap the Walkers' daughter, Molly, from FBI custody. Brain not removed. Shown frozen in an unaired scene of the episode.

Murdered in Midland, Texas. Mistaken for Claire Bennet. In order to prevent Sylar from acquiring her power (persuasion), Eden commits suicide by shooting herself in the head. Sylar murdered Hank upon waking from his death-like state in PrimaTech Paper. Killed by Sylar in order to gain access to his vehicle after escaping from Odessa with multiple bullet wounds. Sylar takes on Taylor's identity and his ability to "melt" objects. Sylar's sense of hearing is extremely sensitive for several episodes, until he adjusts to the new ability. Isaac's death is seen in the future by Hiro in "Don't Look Back", and later painted by Isaac himself in "Parasite". Sylar accidentally stabs his mother in the heart with a pair of scissors. He uses her blood to create a picture of New York City blowing up. Sylar informs the police of Ted's whereabouts and later attacks the transport van. Killed when Sylar flips the transport van. Sylar kills Candice shortly after recovering from his injury in "How to Stop an Exploding Man", but the Shanti virus prevents him from using it. Since he remains powerless throughout Volume II, it is not clear if his attempt to absorb her power succeeded. Killed as part of a plan to gain access to Maya's power. Stabbed by Sylar after attacking him in his hotel room. Sylar did not visibly remove his brain. Shot by Sylar when she becomes enraged at him. She is later revived by Claire Bennet's blood. Sylar didn't take her power.

Derek Alejandro Herrera Maya Herrera

None None confirmed None

Gabriel Gray took the alias "Sylar" six months before most of the series' events. He got the name from a brand of watch that he had been working on. Since then, "Sylar" does not want to be referred to by his given name, angrily proclaiming that his name is indeed Sylar after Mr. Bennet repeatedly uses his real name. However, he returns to using his original name after finding that his powers have disappeared. A picture of a news clipping on the NBC website has a birth announcement for a "Paul E. Sylar," born June 11, 1962. This clipping is posted to the left of the map in Chandra Suresh's New York apartment, but does not appear in any of the televised episodes. The same clipping is seen, however, in the 72-minute Tim Kring Cut unaired pilot. In 241

"Landslide" he uses Isaac Mendez's name to call in a report that he has seen Ted Sprague. Sprague is then arrested by the FBI and later killed by Sylar. Besides this, Sylar also tends to use assumed names and various dialects in an attempt to mask his true identity and intentions. He has used the alias "Drew O'Grady", which he had stolen from a newspaper headline. He allowed Zane Taylor to believe he was Mohinder Suresh, and later took on Taylor's identity to join forces with the real Suresh. In the alternate future depicted in "Five Years Gone", it is revealed that Sylar had been using Candice Wilmer's power of illusion to successfully masquerade as President of the United States, Nathan Petrelli. Quantum 8 (Pool 112, Regenerate every 5 minutes); Willpower 7; Taint 7 (Hormonal Imbalance: Rage); Strength 2 (1, Quantum Leap), Dexterity 3, Stamina 2 (1, Regeneration), Charisma 2, Manipulation 2 (1, The Voice), Appearance 2, Perception 3 (1, Hyper-Enhanced Hearing), Intelligence 4 (1, Analyze Weakness, Eidetic Memory, Enhanced Memory, Linguistic Genius, Mental Prodigy: Engineering); Abilities: Awareness 2, Brawl 3, Command 3, Endurance 3, Engineering 4, Interrogation 2, Intimidation 3, Legerdemain 2, Medicine 1, Might 2, Resistance 3, Stealth 2, Subterfuge 3; Backgrounds: Cipher 3, Node 5, Resources 2; Powers: Domination 2, Elemental Mastery: Cold (Blast, Lethal Blast, Storm) 3, Elemental Mastery: Radiation (Lethal Blast, Shield, Sphere, Storm) 4, Force Field 5, Immolate (Radiation) 5, Magnetic Mastery (Radiation Based EMP, Magnetize) 2, Molecular Manipulation (Destruction) 1, Pretercognition 4, Quantum Imprint 5 (Permanent Transfer, Requires the death of the target, gains points in ability as well), Telekinesis 5; Merits: High Pain Tolerance; Flaws: Bad Vibe (1), Compulsion (Kill and Consume Powers), Overconfident, Weak Sense (Vision, Corrected with Glasses), Vengeful; Soak: Bashing 3, Lethal 2 (Healing rates are tripled. Lifespan 150+ years. Ignore one point of dice pool penalty due to injury.) Grey, Jean The younger daughter of history professor John Grey and his wife Elaine, Jean Grey was 10 years old when her mutant telepathic powers first manifested after experiencing the emotions of a dying friend. Her parents took her to be treated by Professor Charles Xavier. While Xavier treated Jean he also used her to fine tune his Cerebro machine. When Xavier introduced young Jean to the astral plane a part of her mind manifested as a Phoenix raptor and touched the mind of Scott Summers in the orphanage. Later, Xavier erected psychic shields in Jeans mind to prevent her from using her telepathic powers until she was mature enough to control them. Eventually, using her telekinetic powers, Jean was a founding member of Xaviers team of mutant trainees the X-Men as Marvel Girl. Upon a mission in outer space Jean was noticed by the Phoenix Force which took note of her unlimited potential. At this moment Jean had a vision of becoming the Phoenix but the vision faded from her memory as it ended. She soon fell in love with fellow student Scott Summers, and later would develop a strong attraction towards one of the teams new recruits, the feral Wolverine. After Jean and the X-Men defeated scientist Stephen Lang and his robotic Sentinels on his space station, the heroes escaped back to Earth in a shuttle through a lethal solar radiation storm. Dying from radiation poisoning, Jean was saved by the cosmic entity known as the Phoenix Force who created a duplicate body complete with memories and personality, absorbed a portion of her consciousness and cast her into suspended animation in a strange cocoon at the bottom of Jamaica Bay. For months the Phoenix believed itself to be the real Jean and saved the universe by healing the MKraan Crystal. Mental manipulation by Mastermind caused Phoenix to go insane and become Dark Phoenix. Ultimately, the portion of Jeans consciousness within Phoenix resurfaced, causing it to commit suicide. This portion of Jean Greys consciousness then journeyed to the afterlife to meet a manifestation of Death. Death explained the Phoenix Force to Jean, who now wore a White Phoenix costume, before this portion of her consciousness and residual Phoenix energy was sent to Jeans original body in the cocoon, where it was rejected, and then to her clone, Madelyne Pryor. Eventually, Jean was rescued from her stasis and, with the other original X-Men, formed a new team, X-Factor. Madelyne Pryor later died in a confrontation with Jean Grey in which Jean absorbed Madelynes and Phoenixs personalities and memories and a spark of the Phoenix energy. While in battle with a Celestial on an alien world, Jean expelled this spark of energy and the personalities she had absorbed but kept faint impressions of their memories. Ultimately rejoining the X-Men, Jean and Scott eventually married and were temporarily teleported to a possible future to help raise Nathan Summers. Later, Scott seemingly sacrificed himself to stop Apocalypse from gaining the power of The Twelve. Apocalypse used Scotts body as a host until his essence was removed from his body by Jean. However, Scotts corruption by Apocalypse greatly strained his and Jeans relationship. While on a mission to stop the Stranger from trying to destroy the universe, Jean used the Phoenix Force to get advice from the cosmic being known as Eternity. Later, Jean assumed the position of acting headmistress of the Xavier Institute and was revisited by the Phoenix Force. Following an attack on the X-Men by a mutant impersonating Magneto named Xorn (who had previously been a teacher at the institute), Jean and Wolverine were trapped on a space station that was hurtling into the sun. Seeing no hope for survival and wanting to spare his teammate further suffering, Wolverine seemingly killed Jean, unleashing the Phoenix Consciousness within her and resurrecting her. Returning to Earth, Jean, with the power of the Phoenix, opposed the faux Magneto and was killed by a massive stroke induced by a lethal electromagnetic pulse. After being killed by the faux Magneto, Jean hatched from a Phoenix Egg in the future. Sublime sought to use Jeans Phoenix power to control all of creation. However, Jean remembered her mission and destroyed

242

the future reality. Jean ascended to the White Hot Room as a White Phoenix of the Crown and created a new future by pushing Scott to stay with Emma Frost and continue the Xavier Institute. Later, a band of Shi'ar used their advanced technology to force the Phoenix Force out of the White Hot Room and shattered it with an 'Event Horizon'. Confused and driven insane, the Phoenix flew to Earth and forcefully resurrected Jean Grey. Jean ultimately merged with the Phoenix Force, once again becoming the White Phoenix, and returned to the White Hot Room to find its missing pieces. Real Name: Jean Grey-Summers; Aliases: Redd, Ms. Psyche, Jeannie, Marvel Girl; Identity: Public; Occupation: Phoenix Force host; former adventurer, teacher, headmistress, student, model; Citizenship: U.S.A.; Place of Birth: Annandale-on-Hudson, New York City, New York; Known Relatives: John Grey (father), Elaine Grey (mother), Sara Grey-Bailey (sister, deceased), Gailyn Bailey (niece, deceased), Joey Bailey (nephew, deceased), Scott Summers (Cyclops, husband), Christopher Summers (Corsair, father-in-law), Katherine Anne Summers (mother-in-law, deceased), Alexander Summers (Havok, brother-in-law), Gabriel Summers (Vulcan, brother-in-law), Philip Summers (grandfather-in-law), Deborah Summers (grandmother-in-law), Madelyne Pryor-Summers (clone, deceased), Nathan Christopher Summers (Cable, stepson), Stryfe (clone stepson, deceased), Rachel Summers (Marvel Girl, alternate timeline daughter), Nate Grey (X-Man, alternate timeline progeny, deceased), Dark Mother (alleged relative); Group Affiliation: Formerly X-Men, Twelve, Brides of Set, XFactor/X-Terminators; Education: College level education; Height: 5'6"; Weight: 115 lbs.; Eyes: Green; Hair: Red Quantum 9; Quantum Pool 200 (Regenerate every 5 minutes); Willpower 10; Taint 7; Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Charisma 4, Manipulation 5, Appearance 4, Perception 4, Intelligence 4, Wits 5; Abilities: Academics 3, Awareness 5, Athletics 3, Brawl 3, Bureaucracy 3, Command 2, Computer 4, Drive 2, Endurance 3, Engineering 3, Etiquette 3, Firearms 1, Intimidation 4, Intrusion 3, Investigation 4, Medicine 4, Melee 2, Might 3, Occult 4, Rapport 5, Resistance 3, Science 3, Stealth 3, Streetwise 2, Style 3, Subterfuge 4, Survival 3; Backgrounds: Allies 5, Backing 5, Cipher 5, Contacts 5, Dormancy 1, Node 5, Resources 5; Flaws: Hunted; Quantum Powers: Disintegration 5, Domination (Telepathic) 5, Elemental Mastery (Phoenix Fire, Blast, Imprison, Lethal Blast, Shield, Storm) 5, Energy Absorption (Energy Magnet) 5, Flight 5 (60 yards per turn, 700 miles per hour), Force Field 8, Healing 5, Matter Creation 5, Mental Blast 7, Psychic Shield 7, Shroud (Phoenix Fire) 5, Telekinesis 7, Telepathy 7, Teleportation 7, Warp 7; Soak (Force Field): Bashing 3+ (9 + 2 per success), Lethal 1 + (9 + 2 per success) (Healing rates are doubled. Lifespan 150+ years.) Hellfire Club Base of Operations: Hellfire Club mansions in London, New York, Hong Kong, Paris, and elsewhere Current Members: Roberto DaCosta (Sunspot, Lord Imperial), Courtney Ross (White Queen), Sebastian Shaw (Black King), Selene (Black Queen), Viper (White Warrior Princess), James Braddock Jr., Jacqueline Crichton (Spitfire), Bianca LaNeige, Norman Osborn (Green Goblin), Ronald Parvenue, Anthony Stark (Iron Man), Dwayne Taylor (Night Thrasher), Gerhard van Ostamgen, Wo-Han, Warren Worthington III (Archangel) Former Members: Blackheart (Black King), Elias Bogan (Lord Imperial), Brian Braddock (Captain Britain, Black Bishop), James Braddock Sr. (Black Bishop), Lord Braddock, Edward Buckman (White King), Patrick Clemens, Commander Clinton, Emmanuel DaCosta (White Rook), Elizabeth Braddock (Psylocke), Francis Dashwood, Trevor Fitzroy, Adrienne Frost (presumed White Queen), Frost, Emma (White Queen), Charles Grey, Eleanor Grey, Lady Grey, Malkin Grey, Daimon Hellstrom (Hellstorm, disputed White King), Benazir Kaur, Benedict Kine, Diana Knight, Harry Leland (Black Bishop), Magneto (Grey King/White King), Harry Manners, Duncan Munro, Ororo Munroe (Storm, White King), Reeva Payge, Gordon Phillips (Lord Imperial), Phoenix Force (as Jean Grey, Black Queen), Anton Pierce, Donald Pierce (White King/White Bishop), Waltham Pierce, Madelyne Pryor (Black Rook), Scribe (Red Rook), Paris Seville (White Queen), Shinobi Shaw (Black King), Elizabeth ShawWorthington, Ms. Steed (Black Queen), John Stuart, Rachel Grey (Marvel Girl), Tessa (Sage), White Warrior Princess), Margali Szardos (Red Queen), unidentified Black King, unidentified Red Bishop, unidentified Red King, Friedrich von Roehm (Black Rook), Jason Wyngarde (Mastermind) Other Members (Honorary, Reserve, etc.): John Braddock, Lourdes Chantel, Oliver Ryland, Candace Southern, Howard Stark, Wallace (Kingmaker), Wallace Worthington, Warren Worthington Jr., Voldemir Zhivago The Hellfire Club was established as an exclusive British gentlemen's club by Englishman Sir Francis Dashwood, Scotsmen John Stuart (Third Earl of Bute) and Duncan Munro and others in the 1760s. Members Sir Patrick Clemens and Lady Diana Knight soon emigrated to North America, where they founded the Hellfire Club's New York chapter in an abandoned church located at what is now Fifth Avenue on Manhattan's East Side. Today, the Hellfire Club is an overt, worldwide organization. Famous for its lavish annual gala, it is open to the wealthiest and most influential entrepreneurs, politicians and socialites, whose membership is traditionally passed on to the heirs of their estates. Within the Club at large is a secret cabal, known only to a select few. These Inner Circles, of which there are typically one or two at a time, desire to achieve world domination through political and economic influence, subversive activities and the recruitment of mercenary forces and powerful superhumans. Its members often holding positions named after chess pieces, an Inner Circle is ruled by its Queens and Kings, the so-called Lords Cardinal. They, in turn, are ruled by the Lord Imperial, who is also in charge of the Club's overt activities. Shrouded in secrecy, only fragments of the Inner Circles' history are known. During the Revolutionary War, an attempt by Philadelphia members to obtain strategic information from the influential Major-General 243

Wallace Worthington failed, with fatal consequences for Worthington. In 1859, London's Inner Circle was forced into a brief alliance with the mutant conqueror Apocalypse. In 1915, the twisted geneticist Mister Sinister exploited the rivalries within the London chapter, finding a willing subject for his forbidden experiments in envious young Jacob Shaw. An act of sabotage by London branch member Sir Harry Manners, who sought to facilitate a German victory in the Great War, was foiled by British superhero Union Jack later that same year. In the early 21st century, the growing divide between mutants and ordinary humans caught up with the Hellfire Club, as the New York branch's White King, Edward Buckman, funded scientist Steven Lang's Project: Armageddon. Its purpose was to eliminate the "mutant threat," starting with the X-Men, by unleashing the mutant-hunting Sentinel robots. Among Buckman's so-called Council of the Chosen, his Inner Circle, was selfmade industrialist Sebastian Shaw, a mutant himself, from whom Buckman had hidden his true agenda. Once the Sentinels were launched, Shaw came under attack, and he realized that he had been betrayed. While Shaw survived the assault, his fiance Lourdes Chantel did not. Furious, Shaw killed Buckman and his supporters and assumed control of the Inner Circle as its new Black King. Aided by the enigmatic Tessa, Shaw appointed lawyer Harry Leland his new Inner Circle's Black Bishop, while the telepathic Emma Frost, introduced to the Club through Leland, assumed the position of its White Queen. They were soon joined by the cyborg Donald Pierce, who became White Bishop, as well as the mutant illusionist Jason Wyngarde, alias Mastermind. Viewing the X-Men's activities as a threat to its agenda of mutant world domination, the Inner Circle prepared for their elimination. With his hypnotic powers, Wyngarde began to secretly manipulate the X-Men's Phoenix, slowly but steadily subverting her. Meanwhile, Frost almost succeeded in capturing the X-Men, but ultimately succumbed to Phoenix in a brutal confrontation that traumatized her for years to come. Hoping to learn more about their new opponents, the X-Men infiltrated Manhattan's Hellfire Club, but were soon discovered. In the subsequent clash, Wyngarde's subversion of Phoenix bore fruit, as she turned against her teammates and joined the Club as its Black Queen. Although Phoenix eventually managed to shake off Wyngarde's influence, leading to the Inner Circle's defeat, the X-Men's victory was pyrrhic: While Phoenix took revenge on Wyngarde with her mental powers and left him in a catatonic state, his psychic tampering served as a catalyst for her transformation into the destructive Dark Phoenix. The conflict between the Hellfire Club and the X-Men kept smoldering in the months to follow, but there was also friction within the Inner Circle. An attempt by Pierce to overthrow Shaw's rule failed and resulted in Pierce's exclusion. While Shaw used his contacts to influential officials like his friend Senator Robert Kelly to lobby for new, government-sponsored Sentinel projects, Frost attempted to recruit Charles Xavier's younger students into her own group of charges, the Hellions. The Inner Circle was joined by the ancient sorceress Selene, its new Black Queen, along with Emmanuel DaCosta, a White Rook. When Leland was killed by Nimrod, an advanced Sentinel, the Inner Circle and the X-Men agreed to an alliance, in order to survive in a world increasingly hostile towards mutants. Magneto, headmaster of Xavier's school at the time, became the Inner Circle's new White King, a position he initially shared with X-Men leader Storm. Philosophical differences between Shaw and Magneto eventually resulted in Shaw's dismissal as Black King and Magneto's crowning as "Grey King." Magneto soon wearied of the ongoing struggles between humans and mutants, however, and withdrew from the Inner Circle. Thus weakened, the Inner Circle was assaulted by the Upstarts, a group of young power mongers including Shaw's son, Shinobi. Originally assembled by Selene as the next generation of mutant leaders, the Upstarts' string of surprise attacks resulted in the apparent deaths of Shaw, Magneto, Pierce, Frost and the Hellions, while Selene herself became the prisoner of her erstwhile charges. Believing to have killed his father, Shinobi usurped the position of Black King, but his reign was short-lived. Shinobi's attempts to recruit prominent mutants such as Archangel and Storm failed, and, although he briefly managed to assemble his own Inner Circle, a long series of fruitless conflicts with other superhumans prevented him from establishing a lasting power base. When he learned that his father was alive after all, Shinobi deserted his position and went into hiding. The Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club's London chapter, meanwhile, had attempted to harness the power of an ancient demon incarcerated beneath England's capital. Its plans were thwarted by Brian Braddock, alias Captain Britain, who had infiltrated the Club as its Black Bishop, a position he had inherited from his late father, Sir James Braddock. Sebastian Shaw quickly reclaimed his position as Black King, recruiting the powerful young Madelyne Pryor, the time-traveling Trevor Fitzroy and, briefly, even his old rival Donald Pierce, into a new Inner Circle. When Shaw failed both in developing a profitable cure for the lethal Legacy Virus and in acquiring Apocalypse's advanced technology, however, he agreed to support a mysterious employer with impressive capabilities, which soon led to his resignation from the Inner Circle. In subsequent months, Shaw briefly resurfaced operating an establishment named "The Hellfire Club," an exclusive nightclub for mutants with money to spend. During his absence, Shaw's former aide Tessa joined the X-Men, revealing that she had been a spy working for Xavier all along. Following Shaw's withdrawal, Selene seized her chance and returned as the Inner Circle's Black Queen. In league with the demon Blackheart, she succeeded in coercing Xavier's former student Roberto DaCosta into joining her as a Black Rook. Her Inner Circle's capacity to act, however, remained hamstrung by the unwelcome presence of its contentious White King, superhero exorcist Daimon Hellstrom. Eventually, Sebastian Shaw made his return to the Inner Circle as Lord Imperial, but immediately lost the position to DaCosta when an attack by Pierce resulted in his hospitalization. 244

While Selene and British investment banker Courtney Ross, who has joined the Lords Cardinal as their latest White Queen, pursued their own vicious schemes, DaCosta's declared objective is to improve the situation of mutants around the globe. His aide Tessa, who through her actions has earned the distrust of both Shaw and her former X-Men teammates, appears to play another significant role among the Hellfire Club's new leaders. Once again, the Hellfire Club's Inner Circle is a nexus of hidden agendas, which makes it an unpredictable quantity to both its opponents and members alike. The Hellfire Club recently resurfaced. This time they faced off against Cyclop's team of X-Men at the Xmansion. The new roster consisted of Sebastion Shaw, Emma Frost, Perfection, Cassandra Nova, and Negasonic Teenage Warhead. It was discovered however that the new Hellfire Club was nothing but a mental illusion created by Emma Frost. Shortly after the team of X-Men learned this, they were rocketed into space by S.W.O.R.D. There has been no sign of the Hellfire Club since. LeBeau, Remy Gambit has the mutant ability to tap into the potential energy contained within an object and transform it into kinetic energy upon touching it. When Gambit thus charges an object and throws it at a target, the object releases this energy explosively on impact. Gambit is unable to use this power to charge living objects. After surgery performed by Mister Sinister, Gambit's powers were restored to their natural potential. He was able to use his power simply by looking at an object that he wished to charge, including living tissue. Gambit could also manipulate the potency of the energy release and could even exercise a measure of control over time. Following his climactic battle with the New Sun, Gambit lost this enhanced level of power. Gambit's ability to tap energy also grants him near-superhuman agility and dexterity, as well as creating a static interference that shields his mind from detection and intrusion by even the most powerful telepaths. Gambit also possesses a hypnotic charm that allows him to exert a subtle influence over any sentient mind. This power allows Gambit to compel others to believe what he says and agree with anything he suggests. More powerful minds have proven immune to Gambit's charm. Abilities: Gambit is bilingual in English and French, and also possesses the ability to throw small objects - including knives, throwing spikes, and playing cards - with extraordinary accuracy. He is also a skilled duelist and fencer. Paraphernalia: Gambit often wields playing cards and telescopic bo staff. Abandoned at birth due to his burning red eyes, the child who would one day become Remy LeBeau was kidnapped from his hospital ward by members of the New Orleans Thieves' Guild who referred to the child as "le diable blanc" - the white devil. They believed he was the child that had been prophesied to unite the warring Guilds. Soon after, Remy was placed in the care of a gang of street thieves who raised the child and taught him the ways of thievery. Later, when he was around ten years old, Remy attempted to pick the pocket of Jean-Luc LeBeau, thenpatriarch of the Thieves Guild. Jean-Luc took the boy in off the streets and adopted him into his own family. As part of a peace pact between the Thieves Guild and their rivals, the Assassins Guild, a marriage was arranged between Remy and Bella Donna Boudreaux, the granddaughter of the head of the Assassin's Guild. However, Bella Donna's brother Julien objected to the marriage and challenged Gambit to a duel. Remy killed Julien in self-defense, but was excommunicated and banished from New Orleans in an attempt to maintain the nonaggression pact between the two guilds. Remy wandered the world as he plied his skills as a master thief, aided by his mutant power to charge objects with explosive energy. He employed playing cards he charged with kinetic energy as his trademark weapon. At one point Remy had approached the master geneticist Mr. Sinister for help in controlling his powers. Sinister removed some of Remy's brain tissue to reduce his power levels, thus affording him a greater degree of control. As a result, Remy was now in the geneticist's debt, and Sinister subsequently charged the thief with assembling the team of assassins called the Marauders. Remy did not realize that Sinister would employ the Marauders to massacre the underground mutant community known as the Morlocks. Seeing the horrific results of his actions, Remy attempted to stop the massacre but was almost killed by the Marauder named Sabretooth. However, he did manage to save one young Morlock girl who would one day grow up to become the X-Man named Marrow. Eventually, Remy encountered Storm, a member of the outlaw team of mutant adventurers known as the X-Men. Storm had been transformed into an amnesiac child who had turned to theft as a means to survive. Remy helped her escape her enemy, the malevolent psionic entity known as the Shadow King, and they became partners. Later, when the X-Men's founder Professor Charles Xavier returned from a long period of traveling in outer space, Storm sponsored Remy's admission into the X-Men. Remy soon fell in love with his fellow X-Man, Rogue, blessed and cursed with the ability to absorb other mutants' thoughts and abilities through skin-on-skin contact. The feeling was mutual, but the two soulmates were condemned never to touch. At one point, Rogue left the X-Men after she kissed Remy and absorbed a portion of his memories, learning of his role in the Morlock Massacre. Remy was subsequently captured and brought before a mock trial held by Magneto, the mutant master of magnetism, then disguised as Erik the Red. He was summarily cast out of the X-Men and was abandoned in the frozen wastes of Antarctica. Starving to death, Remy made his way back into Magneto's citadel where he came upon the psionic essence of a dead mutant named Mary Purcell. The wraith-like Mary bonded with him, 245

allowing him to survive until he reached the Savage Land, a hidden jungle nestled in the icy wasteland. There, Remy struck a deal with the enigmatic being known as the New Sun. In exchange for passage back to America, Remy agreed to run errands for the New Sun. Remy returned home and encountered the X-Men again when he attempted to steal the fabled Crimson Gem of Cyttorak for his new employer. He agreed to return to the team, mainly for his self-respect and for his love for Rogue. However, Mary began to threaten Remy and his friends if he didn't agree to stay with her forever. When the X-Men finally found out about Mary, the wraith fled with Remy to her old hometown, where she tried to force him to merge with her and become a new type of hybrid lifeform. While Remy wrestled with her, Rogue charged in with a containment unit, which ultimately dispersed Mary. During a trip back in time, Remy's powers were restored to their maximum potential by Sinister and he was able to utilize them to return to the present. Soon after his return, Remy served for a time as patriarch of the Thieves' Guild in his father's stead, as well as leading one of two teams of X-Men. Remy was also responsible for the unification of the Thieves' and Assassins' Guilds into the Unified Guild, of which he also served briefly as patriarch. Meanwhile, the New Sun revealed his true nature after organizing an assassination game for a cadre of super-powered mercenaries with Remy as the target. When Remy took the fight back to the New Sun, he was shocked to learn that the New Sun was actually an alternate reality version of himself. In his own reality, the New Sun's kinetic charging powers had flared out of control, burning the world and killing everyone. As a result, the New Sun hunted down and killed versions of himself in other realities to ensure that they would not repeat his mistakes. During their final battle, Remy burned out his enhanced powers to defeat the New Sun, ending his threat and returning his powers to their normal level. Remy was later framed by mutant businessman Sebastian Shaw for the death of the Australian crimelord named Viceroy. With the assistance of Rogue, her team of X-Treme X-Men, and former Triad member Red Lotus, Remy was able to clear his name. Soon after, Remy became embroiled in the X-Treme X-Men's fight against an alien invasion of Earth. He was captured and used as a power source for the invaders to open a portal that would allow their full invasion fleet to pass through and complete the conquest of Earth. The process was halted by the enigmatic villain known as Vargas, who plunged his sword into Remy's chest. Remy survived, but found that he had lost his mutant abilities. As a result, he and the also-powerless Rogue sought to live a normal life together and retired from the X-Men. However try as they might, a normal life was not for them to lead as the pair soon became embroiled in the X-Treme X-Men's fight against the mutant predator Elias Bogan. After Bogan was defeated, the X-Man named Sage used her mutant ability to "jumpstart" Remy's mutant powers and he rejoined the team. In an alternate future over 70 years from now in which the X-Man Bishop was born, Remy had become an aged figure named the Witness, so-called because he had apparently witnessed the betrayal of the X-Men by one of their own members. He was also thought to be the last survivor of the X-Men. Upon joining the X-Men himself, Bishop suspected Remy to be the traitor until realised that Xavier's mind and Magneto's mind spawned the corrupt psionic entity known as Onslaught. During Apocalypse's most recent bid for power, Gambit joined Apocalypse's side as the horseman, Death. Gambit believed that Apocalypse would be able to save the mutants, but he would be able to stop Apocalypse should he betray them. Real Name: Remy Etienne LeBeau; Aliases: Death, Le Diable Blanc, formerly Robert Lord; Identity: Publicly known; Occupation: Unknown; formerly thief, adventurer; Citizenship: U.S.A.; Place of Birth: New Orleans, Louisiana (presumed); Known Relatives: Jacques LeBeau (foster grandfather, deceased), Jean-Luc LeBeau (foster father, deceased), Rochelle LeBeau (foster grandmother, deceased), Bella Donna Boudreaux (exwife), Henri LeBeau (foster brother, deceased), Mercy LeBeau (sister-in-law), Theoren Marceaux (cousin), Etienne Marceaux (cousin, deceased), Marius Boudreaux (father-in-law, deceased), Julien Boudreaux (brotherin-law, deceased); Group Affiliation: Marauders; formerly Horsemen of Apocalypse, X-Men, X-Treme Sanctions Executive, X-Treme X-Men, Unified Guilds (patriarch), Thieves Guild (patriarch); Education: No official schooling; Height: 6'1"; Weight: 179 lbs.; Eyes: Burning red; Hair: (Originally) Brown; (currently) white Quantum 3; Quantum Pool (Regenerate every 30 minutes); Willpower 8; Taint 1; Strength 3, Dexterity 5 (1, Accuracy, Perfect Balance), Stamina 3, Charisma 4, Manipulation 5 (1, Hypnotic Gaze), Appearance 3, Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 5; Abilities: Athletics 5, Biz 4, Brawl 3, Drive 4, Engineering 4, Intimidation 3, Intrusion 5, Investigation 3, Linguistics 2, Melee 4, Occult 4, Rapport 3, Stealth 5, Streetwise 5, Subterfuge 5; Backgrounds: Allies 2, Contacts 4, Influence 1, Node 3, Resources 3; Merits: Dual Nature, Catlike balance, Animal Magnetism; Flaws: Dark secret; Quantum Powers: Claws (Kinetic Discharge) 5; Soak: Bashing 3 dice, Lethal 1 dice (Heals rates are doubled, Lifespan 150+ years). Linderman, Daniel Daniel Linderman, often referred to as simply Mr. Linderman, is a fictional character in the NBC drama Heroes, played by Malcolm McDowell. Throughout most of the first season until "Parasite", he was an unseen character. Daniel Linderman is a reputed mobster, and founder of Linderman Corporation, who has ties to several of the main characters. He is an avid chef and collector of art and antiquities, and is revealed to have the ability to heal living things in the Heroes graphic novel series "War Buddies" and the episode ".07%". In person, he is persuasive, gentle and unfailingly polite. However, he has no qualms about extortion or assassination. He is even willing to allow the deaths of several million people in order to safeguard the human race. 246

In the graphic novel "War Buddies", it is revealed that Linderman served with the Petrellis' father in Vietnam, where the two were the only survivors of a mission to destroy a target called Au Co. Upon arriving at the target, with Linderman healing a wounded Petrelli en-route, the pair discover an area of farmland with vast amounts of vegetation. They destroy the farm, which they surmise is being used to feed Viet Cong troops. They then realize that Au Co is actually the name of a young girl with the ability to make crops grow at an accelerated rate. Petrelli then shoots Au Co, and prevents a horrified Linderman from healing her, stating that in killing her, they have saved many lives. Linderman, in retaliation, refuses to confirm Petrelli's seemingly unbelievable account of the mission during their debriefing, suggesting some form of mental defect - which results in him being court-martialed. Years later, however, Linderman arranges to meet Petrelli again, and tells him that he now agrees with him that sacrifices sometimes have to be made for the greater good. In "Six Months Ago", Nathan Petrelli and his brother Peter discuss their father's connection to Linderman, and agree not to interfere with or expose that relationship, in spite of Nathan's political aspirations. After an incident where Nathan's car is driven off the road by a mysterious truck, which he believes to have been sent by Linderman, Nathan and Peter change their minds and decide to report their father's relationship. When their father dies shortly before they are scheduled to testify against him, the brothers decide to end their mission to expose Linderman. In the series premiere, Linderman sends two thugs to Niki Sanders' home to collect on a loan she could not repay. When the thugs are killed, he sends a corrupt police officer to retrieve her in "One Giant Leap". In "Collision", one of Linderman's subordinates gives Niki the opportunity to repay her debt by being the bait in a badger game targeting Nathan Petrelli; Jessica, Niki's alternate personality, eventually complies. Nathan, however, realizes that Linderman needs him to win the congressional seat he was running for, and convinces Linderman's associate to "donate" $4 million to his campaign, rather than the originally agreed-upon $2 million, and suppress the tape. In "Godsend", Simone says that Linderman is one of her biggest clients, having purchased nearly every one of Isaac's works. He is also revealed to be in possession of a sword desired by Hiro Nakamura, who steals it from him with the help of Ando. Later on, in a meeting with him, Nathan holds a gun on Linderman. Linderman subsequently reveals to him the extent of his knowledge regarding Nathan's, Peter's and Claire's powers, as well as those of many others, before offering him the victory in the election, as well as an eventual position in the White House. In "Distractions", he arranged for Niki Sanders' freedom from prison in exchange for Jessica's services as an assassin and henchwoman. In ".07%", Linderman revives a plant and implies that he has the power to heal others. He shows Nathan one of Isaac's paintings, depicting Nathan in the Oval Office. He also tells him of how he was once part of a group of heroes, but that they began to use their power for their own personal desires. Later, he demands that Jessica bring her son Micah to him but she refuses, so he enlists Candice Wilmer to impersonate Niki to deliver Micah to him. This shows that he has a connection with the Company, which was already known. In "Five Years Gone", while not shown, a news show mentions the "Linderman Act", most likely involving Mr. Linderman and his company. In "The Hard Part", while not shown, Linderman is heard talking on the phone with Candice Wilmer apparently giving her some specifics on her assignment with Micah and encouraging her to do a good job, even though she feels the assignment is a "waste of her abilities." Later on, Nathan calls Linderman to inform him that there is a problem in relation to Nathan's new knowledge of Ted Sprague. Later, in a meeting, Thompson reassures Nathan that Linderman has the situation under control and confirms that "Yes, we are trying to blow up half of New York." In the episode "Landslide", Linderman heals Nathan Petrelli's wife Heidi's paralysis. Later Linderman meets with Candice and Micah at the building in New York. By promising Micah his freedom and enough money to make his family live happily ever after, Linderman persuades him to adjust the election results so that Nathan wins by "a landslide" by manipulating the outcome through one of the networked electronic voting machines. At night, Linderman gets an unexpected visit from Jessica and D.L.. They ask where Micah is, and Linderman says Micah is elsewhere in the building. Before Jessica leaves the room, he tells D.L. that he'll be killed later anyway, because Jessica wants the money more than she wants D.L. and Micah, and Jessica agrees. Linderman pours out loads of money from a bag, trying to entice Jessica further. However, Jessica turns back into Niki, and runs to D.L.'s side. Linderman pulls out a loaded gun and tries to shoot Niki, but D.L. takes the bullet for her. In return, he uses his phasing powers to phase his fist through Linderman's skull, leaving a fistsized hole after removing it killing him. Linderman's death is later made public, and the Corinthian Hotel in Las Vegas is closed and demolished. In "Out of Time" Bob reveals that Linderman's belief that punishing humanity would help save the world stemmed from him being Adam Monroe's disciple. Mr. Linderman has the ability to heal living things, both plant and animal. Like Claire's regeneration powers, this allows him to heal injuries that would normally be untreatable, such as spinal cord damage. A flashback in the graphic novel "War Buddies" reveals that he was also able to cure his mother's illness. However, Linderman's power has limits; it appears to require conscious activation and is not able to revive the dead. Quantum 5; Quantum Pool 30 (Regenerate every 30 minutes); Willpower 7; Taint 3; Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 5, Manipulation 5, Charisma 4, Appearance 3, Perception 4, Intelligence 3, Wits 4; Abilities: Academics 4, Arts 4, Athletics 3, Awareness 3, Biz 5, Bureaucracy 4, Command 5, Computer 3, Drive 2, Endurance 4, Etiquette 3, Firearms 4, Interrogation 2, Investigation 3, Martial Arts 2, Medicine 2, Rapport 4, 247

Resistance 3, Science 3, Streetwise 3, Style 4, Subterfuge 4, Survival 3; Backgrounds: Allies 5, Cipher 3, Contacts 5, Followers 4, Influence 4, Node 5, Resources 5; Quantum Powers: Healing 4; Soak: Bashing 5 dice, Lethal 2 dice (Heals rates are doubled, Lifespan 150+ years). Magneto After witnessing the brutal murder of his family by the Nazis, the man known as Magnus was sent to the Auschwitz death camp where he served in the Sonderkommando, the squad of Jewish men forced to helped their Nazi masters operate the gas chambers, ovens, and fire pits of the camp. While in Auschwitz, Magnus met a gypsy girl named Magda. Magnus and Magda survived the Holocaust, and later were married. They had a daughter, Anya. Magnus first consciously used his mutant powers when his family was trapped in a burning house. Unable to rescue his daughter from the blaze due to his inexperience, coupled with interference from a mob of angry humans, he angrily unleashed his powers to vengefully slaughter the humans. Terrified, Magda left him, and months later discovered that she was pregnant. Magda presumably died after giving birth to mutant twins at Wundagore Mountain. To shake off his pursuers, Magnus had master forger George Odekirk create the identity of Sinte gypsy Erik Lehnsherr for him. Magnus eventually made his way to Israel where he worked as an orderly in a psychiatric hospital near Haifa. He befriended Charles Xavier, with whom he shared lengthy debates, hypothesizing what would happen if humanity were to be faced with a race of super-powered beings. The pair ultimately revealed their true natures to each other when they prevented Nazi war criminal Baron Wolfgang von Strucker from obtaining a large cache of Nazi gold. Causing a cave-in that seemingly killed Strucker, Magnus realized that his and Xaviers views on mutant/human relations were incompatible and left with the gold. Fearing another Holocaust, he took an aggressive and lethal stance against humanity. Magnus has often expressed the belief that mutants, whom he calls Homo sapiens superior, will eventually be the dominant life form on the planet, and has wavered between wanting to exist in harmony with humans, wanting a separate homeland for mutants, and wanting to enforce his superiority over all humanity. Calling himself Magneto, Magnus banded together a group he dubbed the Brotherhood of Mutants, later referred to as Evil by the media. Among the assembled members were his children, now the mutants Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch. Magneto soon found himself opposed by Xavier and his own group, the XMen. After a battle against the X-Men and the Avengers, Magneto was presumed dead, but managed to survive by using his powers to burrow through the ocean floor into a series of caverns that led him to the secluded Antarctic prehistoric jungle of the Savage Land. There, he used his knowledge of genetic engineering to mutate local savages into super-powered beings he dubbed the Savage Land Mutates. Soon after, Magneto was again opposed by the X-Men, and was once more presumed killed in an explosion. Yet again, Magneto survived, finding himself in the Savage Land city known as the Land of the Dead where he discovered a mind-numbing gas that he intended to use against mankind. He projected his astral self to the native peoples, manipulating them into building an airship filled with the gas. His plan was once again foiled by the X-Men, and he fled into the ocean. Rescued by the Mutate Amphibius, Magneto was taken to an island, where Sauron was working on a machine to tap the geothermal energies of the region. Magneto realized that the device could help restore his ailing powers, but was once again opposed by the X-Men and believed dead. Rescued by Namor the Sub-Mariner, Magneto was taken to Atlantis, where he quickly subjugated the Atlantean army and launched an attack on the surface world. He was opposed by the Fantastic Four, who used a feedback machine to trap him in a cone of his own power. Later freed, Magneto continued his genetic experiments and, using technology abandoned by the Inhumans Phaeder and Maelstrom, he created Alpha, whom he dubbed the Ultimate Mutant. Alpha turned on his creator, however, reducing Magneto and the Brotherhood to infancy. The baby Magneto was transferred to Muir Island, where geneticist Moira MacTaggert attempted to control Magneto's insane rages by manipulating his DNA so that his body would be better able to tolerate his powers. Magneto was later restored to adulthood by the Shiar alien Eric the Red, and initially his psychotic and destructive behavior seemed to return when he attacked the new team of X-Men off of Muir Island, and then kidnapped them, holding them prisoner under a volcano in Antarctica. After battling the X-Men in Antarctica, Magneto retreated to Asteroid M, where his mind began to heal, and MacTaggert's genetic changes began to restore his sanity. Magneto next tried to hold the world hostage to force world peace and disarmament, destroying a Russian city after warning the population to evacuate. He also sank a Russian submarine with all hands onboard after the vessel attacked him. The X-Men once more stopped Magneto, but during the battle Magneto almost killed the young mutant Kitty Pryde, an act that shocked him, and forced him to reevaluate his life. Following the inadvertent destruction of Asteroid M by the extraterrestrial Warlock, Magneto crashed to Earth and was rescued from the ocean by fishing boat captain Aletys "Lee" Forrester who took him to an island within the Bermuda Triangle to recuperate. There, Lee experienced Magnetos human side and the pair had a brief romance. A remorseful Magneto then turned himself over to the World Court to be tried for his crimes, and would have certainly been found guilty if not for the intervention of Fenris, the twin children of Baron Strucker, who sought revenge against Magneto and Xavier for their intervention in their fathers plans years earlier. The courthouse was destroyed, and Magneto and Xavier were left alone as Xaviers body deteriorated beyond repair. After Xaviers love Lilandra arrived with the space pirates the Starjammers to heal him with Shiar technology, Xavier made Magneto promise to protect their dream and take over as Headmaster of his School. Magneto reluctantly agreed, and came to supervise the fledgling New Mutants team while also joining the X-Men on missions. 248

Seeking an alliance with the Hellfire Club against ever-increasing threats to them both, Magneto and the X-Mens leader Storm briefly shared the position of White King within the Clubs Inner Circle before philosophical differences between Magneto and the Clubs Black King Sebastian Shaw resulted in Shaw deposed as leader and Magneto assuming the unique position of Grey King. Magneto later returned to the Savage Land to oppose the priestess Zaladane, who had usurped control of the Mutates. While preparing for the inevitable confrontation, Magneto saved the X-Man Rogue from a twisted version of Ms. Marvel, and then teamed up with her, the Savage Lands protector Ka-Zar, and the international law enforcement agency S.H.I.E.L.D. to defeat Zaladane. Despite protestations from Rogue, Magneto slew Zaladane before retreating to his rebuilt Asteroid M. There, he was approached by a group called the Acolytes, who begged him to intervene in the civil war between mutants and humans on the island nation of Genosha. Magneto agreed, and when the X-Men intervened, the Acolytes captured them and they were brought to Asteroid M to be reprogrammed. The process was a failure, however, and during the ensuing battle, Magneto was severely injured. The Acolyte Fabian Cortez, who claimed to be healing Magneto, was actually using his power-amplification ability to mask Magnetos pain, weakening him in the process. Cortez further betrayed his lord when he triggered the nuclear missiles Magneto had set up around the asteroid. It took all of Magneto's power to keep the base from blowing up, but the damage was too severe. While the X-Men escaped, Magneto and the remaining Acolytes crashed to Earth. Months later, the wreckage was discovered, but Magneto was missing. He later returned, stronger than ever, to a larger, more fanatical following of Acolytes, and co-opted the remains of Graymalkin, the space station belonging to the mutant future soldier Cable, into a new orbital base he called Avalon. When Magneto threatened the Earth once more, Xavier and the X-Men journeyed to Avalon where, after physically pulling all of the Adamantium out of Wolverine's body, his mind was wiped by Xavier and he remained on Avalon in a vegetative state. When a battle between the extra-dimensional Holocaust and the Acolytes new leader Exodus destroyed Avalon, then-Acolyte and former X-Man Colossus placed Magneto in an escape pod which crashed to Earth. For a time it was believed that the man called Joseph was a rejuvenated Magneto, but this theory was disproved when, after the X-Men were returning from an intergalactic mission, Magneto forced their spaceship to crash in Antarctica near his old base and, posing as Erik the Red, placed Gambit on trial for his role in the infamous mutant Morlock Massacre. Upon sentencing Gambit, Magneto destroyed his former base and left, leaving the X-Men to ponder the revelations about Gambit. He then went back into hiding, emerging only briefly to kill the forger Odekirk. After a few more weeks of preparation, Magneto launched his next offensive in the form of an electromagnetic pulse that spread across the globe. This time, he was attacked by Astra, a former member of the original Brotherhood and the creator of Joseph, who was revealed to be a clone created after Astra found and healed Magneto following the fall of Avalon so as to use his DNA. She intended for the clone to kill Magneto, but he proved too resourceful and was only injured while the clone became amnesiac. Astra had Joseph attack Magneto while he was controlling the Earths magnetosphere, which severely disrupted Earths magnetic field and forced Magneto to fight against becoming pure electromagnetic energy. The intervention of the X-Men distracted him, however, leaving Joseph to fix the magnetosphere. Magneto was briefly subdued by the X-Men as Joseph made the ultimate sacrifice to destroy his template's machines, but before the battle could resume, the United Nations offered Magneto sovereignty over Genosha in return for some security considerations and a promise never to initiate hostilities against the nations of the world. Magneto accepted, but subsequently discovered that his powers were again failing him. Magneto set about consolidating both his mutant and political power, but faced opposition from the renegade Mutate Zealot, his son Quicksilver, and Rogue. After Magneto defeated Zealots forces, Rogue left, and he had his Acolyte Voght manipulate Quicksilver into staying as a member of the cabinet, in the hope that he would at last learn to be a loyal son. Soon after, Magneto was revealed to be a member of the Twelve, a group of mutants supposedly destined to usher in a golden age for mutantkind. He and the others were captured by the eternal mutant Apocalypse, who sought to usurp the power of the Twelve for himself; however, Magnetos weakness short-circuited the machine. In the ensuing clash, Magneto discovered that he could commandeer the magnetic powers of the mutant heroine Polaris and use them as his own. When Apocalypse was defeated, Magneto returned to Genosha with Polaris, and began teaching her to expand her control, while using her as a front for his own power. Over the next six months, Magneto managed to rebuild much of the war-torn country, but a rebellion in Carrion Cove proved a thorn in his side. The rebels had discovered technology in the city that they felt could not be allowed to fall into Magnetos hands, namely a genetic manipulation chamber from the process once used to create the Genoshan Mutates which would allow Magneto to restore himself to full power. Though the U.N., rogue Acolytes, Cortez, the Avengers, and Polaris all opposed him, Magneto tore down the city as a distraction to allow him to access the chamber and restore his DNA, making him more powerful than ever before. With an army of mutants at his disposal following the deadly Legacy Virus being cured, Magneto declared war on mankind. Yet again, Magneto was opposed by the X-Men, and in the ensuing clash he was severely injured by Wolverine. Recuperating, Magneto was powerless to prevent Sentinels controlled by Xaviers genetic twin Cassandra Nova from decimating the island. Magneto was again believed dead, and after a recording purported to contain his last words was found, mutant supremacist ideals became widespread in the mutant community, with some adoring him as a martyr of the mutant cause. Magneto seemingly returned with a vengeance, infiltrating the Xavier Institute as the mutant healer Xorn, co-opting the Special Class as his new Brotherhood, and launching an attack on Manhattan. Killing Jean Grey before being killed in turn by Wolverine, it 249

was later revealed that this Magneto was an imposter. The true Magneto was still in Genosha, where he joined Xavier in rebuilding the shattered nation. Following the dissolution of the Avengers after the Scarlet Witch suffered an apparent breakdown, Magneto rushed to her aid. When the X-Men and a new Avengers team met to discuss her fate, it seemed as though Magneto coerced her into altering reality, creating a world where mutants were the dominant species and lived openly without fear with himself as ruler. It was later revealed that Magneto's son Quicksilver was the one who actually convinced the Scarlet Witch to alter reality, in an attempt to appease their father, as well as the X-Men and Avengers who threatened to put the Scarlet Witch down. Following the events of "M-Day," Magneto has apparently lost his mutant powers. Rather than kill him, Wolverine decided to let him live the rest of his life as the thing he hates the most... a human. Magneto possesses the power to control all forms of magnetism. He can shape and manipulate magnetic fields that exist naturally or artificially. It is unclear, however, whether he must draw magnetic force from outside himself (if so, then he can do so over vast distances), or whether he can also generate magnetic force from within himself. Nor is it clear whether Magneto's power is psionic or purely physiological in nature. Magneto's power is, for all practical purposes, limitless. Moreover, he can use his magnetic powers in more than one way simultaneously. He can completely assemble a complicated machine within seconds through his powers. He can erect magnetic force fields with a high degree of impenetrability around himself for protection. Although Magnetos primary power is control over magnetism, he can also project or manipulate any form of energy that is part of the electromagnetic spectrum, including visible light, radio waves, ultraviolet light, gamma rays, and x-rays. However, Magneto almost always uses only magnetism, since its more difficult for him to manipulate other forms of energy. Magneto has also exhibited powers of astral projection and telepathy, and has claimed to be able to control the minds of others, though his abilities along these lines appear to be minimal. Magnetos ability to wield his superhuman powers effectively is dependent upon his physical condition. When severely injured, his body is unable to withstand the strain of manipulating great amounts of magnetic forces. Magneto has mastered many technological fields, and is an expert on genetic manipulation and engineering, with knowledge far beyond that of contemporary science. He is considered to be a genius in these fields. He can mutate humans in order to give them superhuman powers, or create adult clones of human beings and then manipulate the genetic structures of these clones during their development. He has also learned how to create artificial living beings. Magneto is also an excellent strategist, both in actual battles and games of chess. Magneto's helmet is designed to prevent telepathic intrusion or psionic attacks. Magneto has designed such creations as magnetically-powered craft, complex robots and computers, and magnetically-powered generators. Real Name: Unrevealed; Aliases: Erik Magnus Lehnsherr, Erik the Red, Grey King, White King, Michael Xavier, "the Creator," White Pilgrim, Prisoner #214782, others; Identity: Secret; Occupation: Conqueror, former ruler, teacher, headmaster, secret agent, orderly; Citizenship: Unrevealed; Place of Birth: Unrevealed; Known Relatives: Unidentified parents (deceased), Magda (wife, presumed deceased), Anya (daughter, deceased), Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch, daughter), Pietro Maximoff (Quicksilver, son), Lorna Dane (Polaris, daughter), Vision (son-in-law), Thomas (grandson), William (Wiccan, grandson), Crystalia Maximoff (Crystal, daughter-inlaw), Luna Maximoff (granddaughter), Joseph (clone, deceased); Group Affiliation: Formerly Genoshan Excalibur, Acolytes (leader), the Twelve, Hellfire Club (Inner Circle), X-Men, New Mutants (headmaster), Savage Land Mutates (founder), Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (founder); Education: Unrevealed; Height: 6 2; Weight: 190 lbs.; Eyes: Bluish-grey; Hair: Silver Quantum 7; Quantum Pool 50 (Regenerate every 10 minutes); Willpower 8; Taint 5 (Megalomania); Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Manipulation 4, Charisma 3, Appearance 2, Perception 3, Intelligence 4, Wits 3; Abilities: Academics 3, Arts 1, Athletics 1, Awareness 4, Biz 2, Brawl 3, Bureaucracy 1, Command 4, Endurance 3, Engineering 4, Etiquette 4, Firearms 2, Interrogation 3, Intimidation 4, Investigation 4, Linguistics 3, Medicine (Genetics) 4, Melee 3, Perform 3, Rapport 2, Resistance 3, Science (Genetics) 4, Stealth 2, Streetwise 4, Subterfuge 3, Survival 3; Backgrounds: Allies 3, Backing 5, Cipher 4, Contacts 5, Followers 5, Influence 3, Node 4, Resources 4; Quantum Powers: Elemental Anima (Electromagnetic Energy, All Techniques) 1, Hypnosis 1, Magnetic Mastery (All Abilities) 8, Telepathy 1; Soak: Bashing 3 dice, Lethal 1 dice (Heals rates are two times normal, Lifespan 150+ years). Monroe, Adam Adam Monroe, also known as Takezo Kensei ( , Kensei Takez?) in feudal Japan, is a fictional character portrayed by David Anders in the NBC science fiction drama Heroes. His first appearance is in the second season episode "Four Months Later...", although the legend of Kensei is referenced several times during the first season. The name "Kensei" means "Sword Saint" and "Takezo" is the birthname of the historical swordmaster Miyamoto Musashi Kensei is based upon various legends of Japanese swordsmen, including Musashi. According to the legend, Kensei was a Japanese hero, well known for saving Japan from "White Beard" (, Shirohige?) in the 17th century. However, he proves to be an Englishman who came to Japan seeking to get rich. His regenerative ability has halted his aging, making him over 350 years old in the present of the series. He is the primary antagonist during the second season, especially to Hiro. 250

Hiro mentions the legend of Takezo Kensei many times in season one, though little is actually related until he trains in kendo with his father in the episode "Landslide". Previously, in "Godsend" and "The Fix", Hiro mentioned that the sword which he was working to steal from Mr. Linderman helped Kensei focus his power. He also said that his father used to tell him stories of Kensei, presumably including the many that Hiro tells Kensei in season two. When training with his father for his part in "saving the world" before the showdown with Sylar in New York, Hiro relates the story of "Kensei and the Dragon" and realizes that, if he wants to win, he must be strong enough to sacrifice himself. In the 17th century, civil war threatened Japan; behind it was the warlord "White Beard." Kensei found a sword frozen in the snow. He was not, however, a good enough fighter to wield it, so he went to see the dragon of Kiso Mountain, who could teach him the sword's secrets. The dragon agreed to do this in exchange for Kensei's love. Knowing that Japan would fall under the rule of "White Beard" unless he took action, he had to agree to the dragon's demands even though he loved a princess. After saving Japan in a great battle, the dragon came to Kensei to claim his end of the bargain. The dragon demanded the life of the swordsmith's daughter, the princess Kensei loved. Instead, Kensei cut out his own heart and handed it to the dragon, saying, "My love is in here. Take it," and he died. According to the mockumentary "Sword Saint", presented on the official Heroes 360 website, the dragon was touched by how much the warrior was willing to offer for his people and love, and restored Kensei's heart to him. Kensei then ran away with the princess. In "Out of Time", it is revealed that Hiro Nakamura is the Takezo Kensei portrayed in legends, or rather the source behind the tales, having used his own knowledge of the stories to inspire the real Kensei to create the legends. The real Kensei becomes a villain after Yaeko falls for Hiro, and after Kensei's defeat she spreads Hiro's tale under Kensei's name. After Hiro time travels to 1671 in Otsu, Japan, a swordsman rides alone against a larger unit of Japanese warriors before a solar eclipse occurs. Hiro stops time, and, believing the man to be Kensei, teleports the lone warrior and himself away. The man is startled, reveals that he's not really Kensei, and runs away. The real Kensei then emerges and confronts Hiro, explaining that he is actually from England. It appears that the real Kensei is far more interested in making money than being a hero to the people. Hiro tells Kensei that he is supposed to save the village of Otsu, just as it is made known that Otsu is on fire. At this point, a legendary sword smith's daughter from Otsu, Yaeko, takes Kensei's sword, which her father had made for him in return for the latter's promise to protect the village. She blames Kensei for betraying her father's trust and allowing the village to be robbed and burnt. In the episode "Lizards", Hiro, unable to convince Kensei to become a hero on his own, disguises himself as Kensei and creates one of the first stories himself by disarming twelve bandits. In doing so, he enamors Yaeko to Kensei, which in turn convinces Kensei that becoming the legend might be beneficial. When the bandits return for a sneak attack on Kensei, firing several arrows into his chest, it is revealed that Kensei possesses the power of cellular regeneration. Though he seems to die at first, his wounds heal and he revives as Hiro removes the arrows. Kensei is visibly surprised by the turn of events, suggesting that he had been unaware of it prior to his encounter with Hiro. Initially, Kensei is horrified by the discovery of his ability, believing Hiro to have cursed him. Once Hiro convinces him that it is a natural gift, he is delighted. Since he is functionally immortal, he can take on any challenge without having to worry about dying; in particular, the prospect of wagered duels seems profitable. Still dismayed that Kensei is unwilling to accept his destiny, Hiro forces Kensei to live out another story: retrieving the fire scroll from the 90 Angry Ronin (also called the 90 Hungry Ronin in Japanese folklore). All the while, Hiro reassures Yaeko that Kensei will return, which he does, now willing to fulfill his destiny. The three then set to work on freeing Otsu from White Beard, only to find that the conqueror's entire army has settled there. Having gathered a map of the camp, they are able to sneak in and rescue Yaeko's father, only to discover that, during his captivity, he taught them how to forge guns (illegal during this portion of Japan's history, and thus a significant advantage for White Beard). Hiro realizes that this is the thing he is here to fix, and convinces Kensei to destroy the cache of weapons. As the three evacuate Yaeko's father, Hiro is forced to teleport himself and Yaeko out of the path of a bullet. This reveals his earlier deception to her, and the two kiss. Kensei, having tracked Hiro down out of concern, feels betrayed. Despite Hiro's insistence that it's a one-time occurrence, Kensei apparently returns to his previous ways and allies himself with White Beard, knocking Hiro out and delivering him to the conqueror in exchange for whatever he wants he demands half the country and Yaeko as his princess. When Hiro claims that Kensei was supposed to be a hero, Kensei counters by saying that he will be once he conquers Japan, confidently stating that he will "change history." After Yaeko helps to free Hiro, Kensei anticipates Hiro's first move to destroy White Beard's guns. Takezo confronts Hiro as he is spreading gunpowder over the area and attacks him, despite Hiro's pleas that they should work together. Hiro refuses to use his powers to win the duel, and they have a brief battle, during which Kensei knocks over a lamp and starts a fire. As the fire spreads, Hiro knocks Kensei's sword out of his hands, and offers the defeated Kensei a chance to escape. Kensei, torn apart by Hiro's betrayal and the loss of his love, claims that he will destroy everything Hiro holds dear (starting with Yaeko) and so Hiro leaves him to die. He finds Kensei's helmet and mask amidst the debris, and returns to Yaeko. She says that it is really he who is the legendary Takezo Kensei. However, Hiro knows that the legend isn't over yet: he must cut out his heart 251

by leaving Yaeko behind. A tearful Yaeko promises to spread his tale. Hiro then leaves, thinking Kensei is dead and history restored. At some point between 1671 and the founding of the Company, Adam Monroe became a British mercenary during the Revolutionary War - not out of loyalty to the British, but simply to "escape boredom", and appears to think of himself as a god. At one point, he comes across a town in which the British regiment had been single-handedly slaughtered by a man named Evan, according to a survivor. Intrigued, Adam arrived at the scene to confront the man, and killed him. However, after killing him, an entire army of clones rushes at the regiment and caused them to retreat, leaving Adam behind. He realizes that Evan is a human replicator and pursues him across a number of years, trying to kill the original Evan. Eventually, a number of Evan clones confront and taunt Adam, saying that in numbers there is strength and he is alone and can not possibly defeat them, and pushes Adam over a cliff into a river. At this point, defeated, Adam realized the need for followers. Due to his regenerative ability, Kensei not only survives the explosion, but is made immortal by the constant regeneration of his cells. Taking on the name Adam Monroe, he helps to found the Company about three hundred years later. As shown in "Truth & Consequences", when the Company began research into the Shanti virus, he attempted to release a highly virulent strain, claiming that something needs to be done about the endless cycle of destruction humanity seems to go through. Adam is locked away by Kaito Nakamura, never to be released again. Victoria Pratt mentions that in order to know as much as he did, he would have needed the help of some of the other founders; Bob, another founder, mentions that Maury Parkman and Daniel Linderman were among those who believed in his theories of their superiority over humanity. As revealed in "Four Months Ago...", Adam escapes Company custody with the help of Peter Petrelli, a willing prisoner, by convincing him that the Company has no intention of helping him. Once free, Adam begins assassinating the Company's other founding members, using Maury Parkman as his agent. However, he is directly responsible for the death of Kaito Nakamura (as he promised that he would "lay waste to all that he (Hiro Nakamura) cared about"). In "Out of Time", Adam once again befriends a now amnesic Peter Petrelli, helping him to restore his memory through his absorbed regenerative abilities. Peter tells Adam about the effects of the virus in the future, and the two set out to destroy it, though Adam's true intentions remain to be seen. Adam leads Peter to Victoria Pratt, the creator of the immensely dangerous "Strain 138" that he attempted to release in 1977. Despite her lack of cooperation, Peter's telepathy allows him to retrieve the location of the virus. Adam un-ties Victoria, but kills her when she aims a shotgun at Peter's head, claiming to have been protecting Peter's life. As Peter walks out of the house, Adam looks at Victoria's lifeless body and says, "If anyone survivesI'll tell them I couldn't have done it without you". He dabs some of the blood from his healed chest wound, puts the Symbol on a picture of Victoria's face, and drops it on her corpse. The two then travel to Primatech Paper in Texas, where the virus is kept. Hiro intercepts them, freezing time and intending to kill Adam, but Peter remains unfrozen and refuses to let Hiro harm Adam. In the final episode of Volume 2, "Powerless", Adam and Peter make it to the vault where the virus is kept. While Adam goes to retrieve the virus, Peter is confronted by Nathan and Matt Parkman, who tell him that Adam is using him. Hiro teleports to the vault and confronts Adam. He claims that he "should have killed him long ago" before teleporting both of them away. When Ando asks Hiro if he killed Adam, Hiro responds that Adam can never harm anyone again. It is then shown that Adam has been buried alive in a Japanese cemetery near Kaito Nakamura. Series creator Tim Kring gave no indication that Adam could escape from his makeshift prison, saying "the fact that he can live forever makes this the most gruesome of internments." However, David Anders has suggested that his character will be returning in future episodes. Adam Monroe has the power of rapid cellular regeneration, allowing him to heal almost instantly from most injuries. He first displays it in "Lizards", where he is shot by three arrows. After the arrows are removed, his wounds heal and he revives. In "Kindred", he proceeds to repeatedly injure himself just to make sure it wasn't a trick played on him by Hiro. In the episode "Out of Time", he survives a massive gunpowder explosion. His blood temporarily grants others similar powers when injected into theirs. In addition to allowing him to heal from any injury, Adam's power has effectively made him immortal. This is explained in episode nine, "Cautionary Tales", by Angela Petrelli: his cells have regenerated so many times that they are now dying and regenerating in equilibrium, therefore halting his aging. Quantum 8; Quantum Pool 50 (Regenerate every 5 minutes); Willpower 7; Taint 7 (Mental Disorder (God Complex, Misanthropy); Strength 3, Dexterity 4, Stamina 5 (4, Durability, Health, Regeneration), Manipulation 3, Charisma 3, Appearance 3, Perception 3, Intelligence 4 (2, Enhanced Memory), Wits 4; Abilities: Academics 4, Athletics (Dodge) 3, Awareness 2, Biz 3, Bureaucracy 3, Command 4, Computer 2, Drive 2, Endurance 4, Engineering 3, Etiquette 2, Firearms 3, Interrogation 2, Intimidation 3, Intrusion 3, Investigation 3, Legerdemain 3, Linguistics 5, Martial Arts 4, Medicine 1, Melee 5, Might 2, Pilot 1, Resistance 4, Science 3, Stealth 2, Streetwise 4, Style 1, Subterfuge 3, Survival 2; Backgrounds: Allies 3, Backing 5, Cipher 5, Contacts 5, Followers 5, Influence 3, Node 5, Resources 5; Quantum Powers: Healing 5; Soak: Bashing 9 dice, Lethal 4 dice (Heals rates are six times normal, ignore four points of dice pool penalties due to injury, two extra Bruised health levels, Lifespan 200+ years). 252

Morbius, Michael Nobel Prize-winning biochemist Dr. Michael Morbius discovered he was dying, a rare disorder dissolving his blood cells. Not wanting to distress his fiance Martine, Morbius began secretly working on a cure. With the aid of his partner Emil Nikos, Morbius attempted using distilled fluids from bats to stay his disease. While experimenting with such serums on board his yacht, Morbius had Nikos run an electrical shock through his system. The combination profoundly changed Michael's body, transforming him into something resembling a vampire. Now driven by a blinding hunger for blood, Morbius slew Nikos, but stopped short of draining his friend's body. Fearful that he would strike at Martine next, Michael tried ending his life by jumping into the sea, but self-preservation led him to escape the water's embrace. Morbius' subsequent attacks on innocents brought him into conflicts with Spider-Man, the Lizard, and the Human Torch. His adventures led to other worlds and dimensions, including the dimension of the Cat People and a planet orbiting Arcturus. He traveled the country, foiling the plots of the coven Demon-Fire and its master, Apocalypse (Kazarian). He also encountered the otherworldly Caretakers, destroying their Children of the Comet, intended to replace humanity, as well as the Brotherhood of Judas vampire cult. Martine's search for her fianc had not ended, and she convinced him to return to her after he had encountered Jack Russell, the Werewolf. Using the last of his Nobel Prize monies, Martine purchased the Mason House, located just outside Boston. Though reputedly haunted, Martine felt that it would afford them privacy while Morbius sought a cure. CIA agent Simon Stroud, seeking a vampire killer in Boston, came to view Morbius as the prime suspect. While Morbius discovered that he had a psychological need to drink blood from living victims, Stroud invaded the Mason House and arrested Martine. While the police questioned his fiance, Morbius discovered his new home was a portal to a world ruled by the demonic entity Helleyes. Stroud, still in pursuit of Morbius, worked with him to escape Helleyes, discovering the demon's weakness and fleeing Mason House. During their time away, Martine had been attacked by the vampire killer and transformed into a pseudovampire like Morbius. She was eventually cured of her condition when Morbius created an antidote that was a derivative of his own blood. Frustrated at both his inability to cure himself and the perpetual danger to Martine, Morbius ended their relationship. Once more on his own, the Living Vampire had more confrontations with Spider-Man, and even a short-lived alliance with the Ghost Rider, Man-Thing and Werewolf. This "Legion of Monsters" unwittingly slew the benevolent Starseed before going their separate ways. Morbius later used the Living Eraser's palm bands to flee Earth entirely, hoping to avoid feeding on more innocents. He became the unwilling host to an extradimensional being known as the Empathoid, who forced him back to Earth and into conflict with Spider-Man once more. After being freed from the alien's control, Morbius resumed his search for a cure. Eventually, Morbius clashed with Spider-Man atop a Long Island mansion. He was struck by a bolt of lightning while draining Spider-Man's blood, catalyzing its radioactive elements and reversing much of his vampiric condition. He no longer required the blood of others to survive, but he retained a physiological need to drink it. Fleeing to Los Angeles, Morbius found work in a neuroradiology lab at the University of California. While working on a serum to cure himself of his continued craving for blood, Morbius met Jennifer Walters, the SheHulk. Morbius gave Walters his serum, curing her of a degenerative disease and allowing her to control her transformations into She-Hulk. Walters later served as Morbius' defense attorney during his trial for the murders he'd committed as a pseudo-vampire. The jury, convinced that Morbius had been unable to control his urges, convicted him only of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced him to five years in prison, to be served after completing his cure. After succeeding, Morbius went to prison willingly and was soon paroled for good behavior. Moving back to Los Angeles, Morbius aided Jack Russell in his attempts to control his Werewolf transformations. He also assisted the West Coast Avengers, who sought him out for information on the Cat People. Eventually, however, the urges returned and Morbius slowly regressed into pseudo-vampirism. Failing to get the help he desired from Doctor Strange, Morbius allowed himself to fall in with the Subhumans, a group of homeless people living in the Morlock Tunnels. These people brought him victims, which led to another confrontation with Spider-Man. Sickened to discover that the victims upon whom he'd fed were innocents, Morbius once more fled into the night. By this time, the Ghost Rider and John Blaze had begun pursuing Morbius, in preparation for the coming war with the Demon Queen, Lilith, and her children, the Lilin. He was reunited with Martine, who had also decided to help Michael once more. She had contacted Dr. David Langford, who had created a new serum from Morbius' notes. Unbeknownst to Martine, Langford was employed by Dr. Paine who wanted to kill Morbius so that he might lay claim to and profit from his research. One of Lilith's children, Fang, added his own blood to the serum, transformed it, and it altered Morbius on the cellular level. Blinded by pain, Morbius sought out an old friend, Dr. Jacob Weisenthal, for help. When Martine was slain by Langford after discovering his plans, Morbius went berserk and slew Langford in turn. Realizing that he felt no guilt for this murder, Morbius swore to Ghost Rider that he would only drink the blood of the guilty in the future. With Weisenthal's help, Morbius refined his serum, combining it with dialysis treatments and periods spent in a hyperbaric chamber. Now able to return himself to a normal appearance, Morbius adopted the identity of Dr. Morgan Michaels and worked in the hematology department of St. Jude's. He also began a relationship with a co-worker, Mandy Tyler. While some aspects of his life seemed to be stabilizing at last, Morbius found himself battling Dr. Paine, the Basilisk, Simon Stroud and his vampiric "son," Vic Slaughter. Blaming himself for Slaughter's transformation from mercenary to undead killer, Morbius fought him alone and alongside the Nightstalkers. Morbius asked Nightstalker Frank Drake to use his necrotechnology on him, hoping it would cure 253

his condition. Demoralized over this failure, Morbius was easy prey for Lilith's control during the so-called Midnight Massacre. He was slain by a Darkhold-empowered Blade, but was soon reborn. Bolstered by the return of his friend Jack Russell to his life, Morbius continued seeking a cure. Dr. Strange informed him that he was now a soulless being, which brought about further depression. Using a page of the Darkhold himself, Morbius revived Martine, but found she was now the host for a Lilin named Parasite. The dark part of his soul tainted by Fang's blood began to emerge, as well, calling itself Bloodthirst and attempting to alter Morbius in both body and mind. The Werewolf and the Ghost Rider (Ketch) both sought to capture him, but in the end it was Morbius himself who drove the demon out. Martine was slain yet again, but an immortal Blood named Embyrre resurrected her spirit. The couple was denied happiness, however, as Martine was now emotionless and increasingly frustrated with the fact that Morbius would not allow her the peace of death. After battles with Deathlok, the Wraith, and Bloodthirst (now in his own body), Morbius met the young Lena Ivana. Rescuing her from a life of forced prostitution, the two began a tumultuous romance. Still distraught over his failed relationship with Martine and his ongoing existence as a living vampire, Morbius killed himself, only to be revived by Weisenthal, who had created a serum to reanimate his friend. Morbius then began a period of wandering, leaving behind his life as Morgan Michaels. He crossed paths with Blade in New Orleans, during Ulysses Sojourner's plot to unite the East Coast vampires under his rule, and later fought X-Man and Spider-Man. A few weeks later, Morbius sought out Dr. Andrea Jansen's help in finding a cure, only to discover that she was in league with Hydra and the villain Crown. Morbius seemingly sacrificed himself to destroy Crown, but was actually taken prisoner and experimented upon. After Crown's transformation into the vampiric Hunger, Morbius was freed by Blade and Spider-Man. Nearly mindless with bloodlust, Morbius bit Blade and fled the scene. Months later, Morbius attempted to feed on a paralyzed young man named Joey Beal, but was foiled by Spider-Man. The Living Vampire continues to search for a cure, hoping to somehow regain the humanity he lost so long ago. Most recently, Morbius registered according to the Superhuman Registration Act and worked with S.H.I.E.L.D. to set up and capture Blade in Long Beach, California to use against the mutant Wolverine. Real Name: Doctor Michael Morbius; Aliases: The Living Vampire, formerly Morgan Michaels; Identity: Publicly known; Occupation: Former biochemist, former hematologist; Citizenship: Citizen of unknown European country; criminal record in the U.S.A.; Place of Birth: Unknown; Known Relatives: Martine Bancroft (ex-fiance); Group Affiliation: Midnight Sons, the Nine, Legion of Monsters; Education: Ph.D in Biochemistry; Height: 5'10"; Weight: 170 lbs.; Eyes: Blue; Hair: Black Quantum 6; Quantum Pool 32 (Regenerate every 10 minutes); Willpower 5; Taint 3 (Psychological Addiction to Human Blood); Strength 4 (1, Crush), Dexterity 3, Stamina 3 (3, Regeneration), Manipulation 3, Charisma 2, Appearance 1, Perception 3, Intelligence 4, Wits 3; Abilities: Academics 3, Awareness 1, Biz 2, Brawl 3, Computer 1, Drive 1, Endurance 4, Engineering 2, Etiquette 3, Intimidation 3, Linguistics 2, Medicine 3, Melee 1, Might 2, Rapport 1, Resistance 4, Science (Biochemistry) 3, Stealth 2, Streetwise 2, Subterfuge 1; Backgrounds: Allies 4, Cipher 4, Node 5, Resources 2; Quantum Powers: Body Modification (Hollow Bones allow gliding like Patagia), Claws (Bite) 2, Claws 3; Soak: Bashing 6 dice, Lethal 3 dice (Heals rates are five times normal, ignore three points of damage penalty, one extra Bruised health level, Lifespan 180+ years). Mystique Little is known about Mystique's past due to the fact that she can eliminate the outward signs of aging with her shape-changing power, and it's not known exactly how old she is. She apparently learned to use her shape-changing power at a very early age, for there is no evidence known to the public or the government that Raven Darkholme ever looked like anything but a normal human being. Years ago Mystique had an affair with Victor Creed and they had a son, Graydon Creed, the recently-assassinated presidential candidate and hater of mutants. Mystique has also claimed to be the mother of Nightcrawler. At some point in recent years Mystique became the protector of the young mutant named Rogue, and looked upon Rogue as if she where her own daughter. While Rogue was under her care, she maintained the false identity of Mallory Brickman, the wife of U.S. Senator Ralph Brickman and her adopted daughter, Gloria, was a result. Mystique had concealed her superhuman powers and criminal intentions so well over the years that, as Raven Darkholme, she was able to rise rapidly through the United States Civil Service to the trusted position of Deputy Director of the Defense Advanced Research Planning Agency (DARPA) in the United States Department of Defense, giving her access to military secrets and advanced weaponry, both of which she used for her own criminal and subversive purposes. Mystique organized the third incarnation of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, which originally consisted of herself, Avalanche, the Blob, Destiny, and Pyro. Mystique named her group after the original Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, an organization founded by Magneto. This Brotherhood first became known when it attempted to intimidate the public by assassinating Senator Robert Kelly, who was investigating what he perceived was the possible danger posed by the existence of any superhuman beings. The X-Men thwarted the assassination attempt, and the Brotherhood later clashed with the X-Men on other occasions, as well as the Avengers and other heroes. Rogue was a member of the Brotherhood for a time but finally left to join the X-Men in order to find help in learning how to deal with her superhuman powers.

254

Anti-mutant sentiment among normal human beings had greatly increased, and the federal government launched its own covert anti-mutant program, Project: Wideawake. Believing that the times had become too dangerous for the Brotherhood to continue its criminal activities, Mystique went to Dr. Valerie Cooper, special assistant to the head of the National Security Council, and offered the Brotherhood's services to the government. Cooper agreed to convey the offer to the President, on the condition that the Brotherhood pass a test she imposed: the capture of Magneto. The Brotherhood, now renamed Freedom Force, succeeded in bringing Magneto to the authorities (only because he voluntarily surrendered to them) and soon afterwards officially entered the government's employ. In return, and as Freedom Force's leader, Mystique received a Presidential pardon for all criminal charges against her, but the pardon would be revoked if any member of Freedom Force was found committing a crime. During her time with Freedom Force, Mystique faced many new opponents such as the Grip, Avengers West Coast, and several other foes. During this stint, her team was sent to Muir Island and were confronted by the Reavers, who killed her teammate Stonewall. During the battle, Mystique charged Forge with the duty of protecting Destiny, which he did until Destiny convinced him that Mystique needed more help. After Forge left to help Mystique, Destiny was slain by a mind-controlled Legion. Afterwards, Mystique swore vengeance on Forge for her friend's death, but a visit by a future version of herself convinced her to take some time off to mourn the death of Destiny. During her time off, she went on a cruise and scattered Destiny's ashes into the ocean. Raven recently made a deal with Professor Charles Xavier. Hunted by many countries for her acts of terrorism, Xavier offered her protection from being detected by them. In exchange, she was to act as Xavier's secret operative. If she was caught, Xavier would deny ever working with her. Former lover Forge aided her by providing technology while Shortpack acted as her handler. After completing quite a few missions, Mystique ended her working relationship with Xavier and infiltrated the Xavier Institute under the guise of Foxx, a student put in Gambit's squad. Her true identity revealed by Emma Frost, Raven claimed to want to join the X-Men and have a better relationship with her foster daughter. She has since gone working with a new associate, Pulse, who she thinks is a better fit for Rogue. Mystique's true motives, and who she was communicating with Real Name: Unrevealed; Aliases: Raven Darkhlme, Foxx, Helmut Stein, Mallory Brickman, B. Byron Biggs, Surge, Ronnie Lake, Holt Adler, Leni Zauber, Raven Wagner, Randy Green, others; Identity: Secret; Occupation: Mercenary, adventurer, former terrorist, government operative, private investigator, model, journalist; Citizenship: U.S.A., criminal record; Place of Birth: Unrevealed; Known Relatives: Christian Wagner (ex-husband, deceased), Kurt Wagner (Nightcrawler, son), Graydon Creed (son, deceased), Anna Marie (Rogue, foster daughter), Miles Ralph Brickman (husband), Gloria Brickman (adopted daughter), Talia Wagner (Nocturne, alternate timeline granddaughter); Group Affiliation: Formerly X-Men, Xavier Institute Student Body, X-Corps, Brotherhood Of Mutants, X-Factor, Freedom Force, DARPA; Education: Unrevealed; Height: 5'10" (variable); Weight: 120 lbs.; Eyes: Yellow, no visible pupils (variable); Hair: Red (variable) Quantum 1; Quantum Pool 35 (Regenerate every hour); Willpower 7; Taint 1; Strength 3, Dexterity 4, Stamina 4 (1, Durability, Health), Charisma 4, Manipulation 5, Appearance 4 (1, Appearance Alteration, Copycat), Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 3; Abilities: Awareness 4, Brawl 4, Bureaucracy 4, Demolitions 5, Drive 4, Firearms 4, Intrusion 5, Investigation 4, Perform 5, Politics 4, Rapport 5, Stealth 5, Streetwise 5, Style 5, Subterfuge 5; Backgrounds: Allies 3, Cipher 3, Contacts 4, Node 2, Resources 4; Merits: Iron will; Flaws: Compulsion (to double-cross); Quantum Powers: Claws 4, Extra Limbs (Can use his feet as well as his hands to grip things); Soak: Bashing 5 dice, Lethal 3 dice (Heals rates are tripled, dice pool penalties are reduced by 1, Lifespan 150+ years). Riddick, Richard B. Riddick was born to the Furyans, a race of warriors. When he was an infant, almost the entire Furyan population was massacred on the orders of a young warrior named Zhylaw who would later become known as the Lord Marshal of the Necromongers. The future Lord Marshal had heard a prophecy that he would one day be slain by a Furyan warrior, and sought to prevent this fate by killing them all first. He was merciless in his butchery, going so far as to have the babies strangled with their own umbilical chords. Despite the extent of his plans, however, the Lord Marshal had missed one Furyan baby - Riddick. He was found in in a liquor-store trash bin (presumably by visitors to the Furyan homeworld), an umbilical chord wrapped around his neck, but still alive nonetheless. He grew up with this knowledge, leaving him with the firm believe that God existed, and that Riddick hated him. As he grew, Riddick went all over the universe, committing an unknown number of murders, ending up being wanted on five different worlds in three different solar systems. He never killed for the thrill of it, but simply to overcome any obstacles standing in the way of his freedom. Despite all the advanced weaponry in his day, Riddick's traditional weapons were 'shivs', or daggers, with which he commonly gutted his opponents, although he certainly wasn't averse to guns if the need arose. During his stay in Butcher's Bay, a prison where then inmates never see the light of day, the surgeonpreacher Pope-Joe introduced an unidentified chemical to Riddick's bloodstream, allowing him to see in the dark. Over time, he became an especially cunning and dangerous character, regarded by many as the most lethal man alive, and those who knew him rarely underestimated him. Naturally, several bounty hunters made it their missions to track him down for the money, favouring bringing him in alive due to his value being worth twice as much if he was in that state. He was eventually captured by a bounty hunter known as Johns, who posed as a policeman to divert suspicion from himself, and was dumped on a passenger ship heading through 255

space. However, the ship was caught in an asteroid storm, killing the captain and most of the passengers, leaving the few survivors crashed on a desert planet with three suns - a definite problem for Riddick's nightvision. Using sun-filtering goggles, however, he managed to effect an escape, although he was then captured shortly after one of the survivors was killed, being a natural suspect. However, the survivors soon realised that there was something else on the planet besides them, and, despite the reluctance of Johns, Riddick was freed from the ship on condition that he didn't use shivs and followed Johns' orders. They eventually tracked down an abandoned mining base on the planet, which included an abandoned shuttle that they could use to get off the planet, but there were two problems. Firstly, the shuttle required five power cells from their vessel to work properly, which would take a while to transport across. Secondly, the creatures that were on the planet only came out in darkness- and the planet was approaching a period that only occurred every twenty-two years, when all the planets in the system were in a stright line from each other, depriving their world of any kind of sunlight. They tried to finish the job before the eclipse occurred, but they only managed to get one cell to the ship before the eclipse took place, and they had already lost three people by that time. However, they did manage to destroy one of the creatures, and discovered that light was actually harmful to them, which gave Fry, the ship's pilot and unofficial 'captain' the makings of a plan. They would collect together anything they could find that produced light, gather the four remaining necessary fuel cells onto some metal plates, along with a power source for some of the lights, and then head for the ship, with Riddick leading the way to the ship with his night-vision. However, even with this plan, the journey didn't go all that smoothly. Three more people were killed by the creatures, and Imam and Jack, two of the other survivors, were left trapped in a cave while Riddick headed off to the ship on his own, with Fry in hot pursuit. However, on the bright side, Johns was killed when Riddick threw him in front of one of the creatures after Johns suggested he kill Jack to buy them time to get away; even Riddick's criminal conscience didn't like the idea of killing someone for no real reason. He nearly left Imam and Jack to die on the planet, but Fry made it clear she wouldn't leave them to die, and that she'd die for them if she had to. This convinced Riddick to help her, and he got Jack and Imam into the shuttle, although Fry sacrificed herself returning to help an injured Riddick reach the shuttle. Affected by the death, maybe more than even he knew, Riddick took off in the shuttle with Jack and Imam, but only after hitting the creatures with a large burst of light from the ship's engines. Five years after that, Riddick was living on an ice planet, having left Jack and Imam to make lives of their own, when he was attacked by a bounty hunter called Toombs. Since Imam was the only person who knew where he might have gone, Riddick instantly tracked Imam to the planet Helion Prime, where Imam revealed why he had given away Riddick's location. The whole universe was being threatened by the Necromongers, a dark army making a pilgrimage to their promised land, 'Underverse', a collection of dark stars and planets, who either killed everyone on the planets they found, or turned them into Necromongers themselves. Their leader was the Holy Half-Dead Lord Marshal Zhylaw, the only person alive to have gone to the Underverse and returned, stronger, stranger, half-alive, and half... something else. The full extent of his powers beside enhanced strength was unknown, but he was capable of extracting other's souls, and also moving at superhuman speeds, although his soul briefly left his body during that time. At first Riddick was unwilling to get involved, stating that it wasn't his fight. However, he started to get a bit more interested in fighting them after Imam was killed by a Necromonger; Riddick rarely met people in the universe who he didn't end up killing, and he didn't like it when someone killed what few friends he did have. He managed to take out a few of the Necromongers, but was still captured and scanned by the Lord Marshall, who ordered his death upon discovering that he was a Furyan. As always, Riddick managed to escape, but was captured by Toombs, who had escaped the ice planet, and taken to the Slam, a prison on the planet Crematoria, where the twilight was tolerable, but where otherwise the surface was lethal, with night falling to -300 degrees Celsius and the sunrise always measuring over 700 degrees Celsius. The prison, fortunately, was underground, so the sun wouldn't be an issue for Riddick at the immediate moment, but it would still pose a problem for when he tried to escape. While there, Riddick met up with Jack, now a grown woman called Kyra, who was angry at him for leaving her behind all those years ago, as well as unintentionally leading her on a false trail while trying to acquire nightvision like his. Fortunately, things managed to work out a bit better between them after Riddick saved Kyra from an attacking guard, impaling the man on a damaged teacup. Toombs and his crew then got into a fight with the prison governors after they learned the Necromongers were after Riddick, this allowing Riddick, Kyra, and a few other convicts the chance to escape. However, the cart that would have taken them to the only remaining spaceship was damaged, and with the prison wardens already some way ahead on the underground path, there was only one alternative; race along the surface, ahead of the sunrise and behind the night, and hope they'd be in time. They managed to get to the ship, but then had to deal with a large number of Necromongers who'd gotten there first. Despite their managing to take down several of them before the sun hit, Riddick was knocked out and assumed dead, and Kyra was taken back to Helion by the Necromongers. Fortunately, Riddick was rescued by the Necromonger 'purifier'- the man mainly in charge of converting new Necromongers - who revealed that he himself was a Furyan, who had been waiting for the chance to direct the last of his race against the Lord Marshall. The Purifier then walked out in the deadly sunlight, leaving Riddick alone to take the ship back to Helion and try to save Kyra. 256

However, upon arriving on Helion, Riddick swiftly discovered he was too late; Kyra had become a Necromonger. The Lord Marshall gave Riddick his choices; if Riddick fought the Lord Marshall and fell, he would die there and then, never to rise again, but if Riddick converted to a Necromonger, he would live, and be united with Kyra again. Riddick, shaken and enraged at the Lord Marshall for destroying the only people in the universe he could call friends, threw a knife at the Lord Marshall's head, but only cut his ear and a cheek. The battle began, but Riddick was clearly at a disadvantage; he got in a few good hits, but the Lord Marshall's superior strength and speed gave him a distinct advantage. He even attempted to take Riddick's soul at one point, but Riddick vowed that the Lord Marshall would never claim that prize, and threw him off again. Eventually, the Lord Marshall got him in a headlock, and would have strangled him if Kyra - still loyal to Riddick - hadn't impaled the Lord Marshall on a spear at the cost of her own life. Weakened by Kyra's blow, Lord Marshal asked his aide Vaako for help. Vaako instead picked up an axe and prepared to kill the Marshal so he could become the next Necromonger Lord, spurred by his wife's scheming. Lord Marshal used his astral abilities to dodge Vaako's swing... only to run right into Riddick's waiting knife. Riddick drove the blade deep into the Lord Marshall's brain, killing him once and for all. After Kyra died in his arms, revealing that she had always been on his side, Riddick realised something he hadn't been expecting; according to the Necromonger belief of 'You keep what you kill', having killed the Lord Marshall, Riddick was now in charge of the entire dark army. Eyeshine (Tapetum lucidum): According to Riddick, while in Butcher Bay he received an eye surgery, or a "surgical shine job," as he calls it, from a doctor that gave him superlative night vision, but, in turn, made his eyes more sensitive to light. This is the reason he wears tinted welding goggles to protect his eyes. His eyes seem to be less sensitive to light in The Chronicles of Riddick than they were in Pitch Black. According to Riddick, the surgery cost him twenty menthol Kools. However, in The Chronicles of Riddick, it is implied that the story may have been made up. At one point in the film, Kyra (or Jack, as credited in Pitch Black, now with a more mature, feminine appearance) says, after recounting the many prisons she's been to, "...only there wasn't any doctor here who could shine my eyes, not even for twenty menthol Kools. Was there anything you said that was true?" In the flash movie on the Pitchblack.com website, Riddick gets the eyeshine to avoid disadvantage following an encounter with humanoids called "shiners" (who refer to Riddick as darkeye) who already have the same operation to see in the dark bowels of the Ursa Luna prison where the guards do not tend to go. The eyeshine surgical procedure is performed by a bovine veterinarian onboard a prison facility at which Riddick arrived only a few hours before and which he is already in the process of escaping. Riddick elects to have no anaesthetic despite the procedure involving cutting the cornea and drilling through the eye to inject a reflective substance behind the retina. The cost quoted to Riddick is 1000 creds. Having no cash, Riddick offers downpayment of a pack of Kool cigarettes which he earlier took from a guard. He also takes welders goggles from the facility. Riddick escapes the facility, including time for the operation, in, "exactly 11 hours 22 minutes." The movie closes with Johns being given the job to hunt Riddick and take him straight to Hubble Bay. As the movie is called a classified "re-enactment of events" of Riddick's escape from the Ursa Luna Slamcity Facility (indicating this is an official record with a medical procedure known to the prison authorities and not a story told by Riddick) and as the credits to the flash movie list David Twohy (director and co-writer of Pitch Black) as the writer it is likely that this version was intended to be canonical. The video game (which serves as a prequel to Pitch Black), clarifies that Riddick's eyeshine is more than just something he picked up in a prison. After helping a character called "Pope Joe" retrieve his "blessed voice box," a radio that picks up religious programming, Riddick goes into a den to get stitches for an injury. After he is finished receiving stitches, Joe tells him how to escape, and, perhaps coincidentally, warns Riddick not to "trust his eyes"; at that moment, a ghostly voice informs him that Riddick has "been blind for far too long... so I'm going to give you a gift ..." It is at this moment that Riddick receives his eyeshine. The mysterious voice belongs to a character named "Shirah", who serves as a sort-of "spiritual" guide to Riddick. She is featured in the video game and in the director's cut of The Chronicles of Riddick, helping Riddick to awaken the Furyan abilities that lie dormant within him. In a sequence from The Chronicles of Riddick, there is a scene sequence which features scaly canine creatures, called Hell Hounds, with shiny silvery eyes surprisingly similar to Riddick's. The creatures are released into the Crematoria penitentiary at "feeding time," during which they attack inmates indiscriminately. Riddick is found by one whilst hiding behind a waterfall and confronts the creature with a stare. Incredibly, the creature is seemingly tamed by Riddick to which he offered the explanation, "It's an animal thing." The similarities between the Hell Hounds' corneas and Riddick's eyeshine is unexplained. In the flash movie of the escape from Ursa Luna, Riddick encounters a trained German Shepherd guard dog called Max which he similarly stares down and befriends. He later successfully commands Max to attack the guard who is presumably Max's handler. Wrath of the Furyans: Aside from helping Riddick unlock his eyeshine, the character Shirah also allows Riddick to unleash a sort of energy blast. It is shown in the director's cut of The Chronicles of Riddick after she lays her hand on Riddick's chest, leaving a glowing blue hand print that never disappears, and says, "This mark carries the anger of an entire race... but it's going to hurt." Immediately, a large blast of blue energy explodes out of Riddick's body, sending the group of surrounding Necromongers out in every direction. This ability is also displayed off screen in Escape from Butcher Bay, although it appears he did this on his own, as opposed to Shirah "unlocking" it as she did in the director's cut of the movie. It is therefore debatable if the director's cut 257

scene can be considered canonical; that is, it cannot be determined if the incident in Butcher Bay is the first time he does this or if the creators intended the director's cut scene to be the first time it is done. Real Name: Richard B. Riddick; Identity/Class: Human subspecies (Furyan); Occupation: Escaped convict, murderer; Affiliations: Imam, 'Jack' (a.k.a. Kyra), Aereon, Caroline Fry, Paris P Ogilvie, Sharon 'Shazza' Montgomery; Enemies: Johns, Toombs, Night-creatures, Necromongers (specifically Lord Marshal, Vaako); Known Relatives: None; Aliases: None; Base of Operations: mobile across interstellar space, some centuries in the future- around 26th century; First Appearance: Pitch Black (2000); Height: around 6.1; Weight: 200+ (varies between movies); Eyes: Brown; Hair: Before shaving, dark and curly Quantum 1; Quantum Pool 25 (Regenerate every hour); Willpower 6; Strength 5 (1, Crush), Dexterity 4 (Accuracy, Enhanced Movement), Stamina 5, Manipulation 4, Charisma 4, Appearance 3, Perception 4, Intelligence 3, Wits 5; Abilities: Athletics 4, Awareness 3, Command 4, Computer 2, Drive 4, Endurance 5, Engineering 3, Firearms 3, Interrogation 4, Intimidation 4, Intrusion 5, Investigation 2, Legerdemain 3, Linguistics 3, Martial Arts 4, Medicine 2, Melee (Blades) 5, Might 4, Pilot 3, Rapport 1, Resistance 4, Science 1, Stealth 4, Streetwise 4, Subterfuge 3, Survival 5; Backgrounds: Cipher 5; Quantum Powers: Animal Mastery 5, Body Modification Eyeshine (add 3 dice to Perception rolls in low light or darkness, reduce rolls while in bright light / daylight by the same amount), Body Modification Extra Health Levels, Quantum Bolt 5 (Area Effect 30 yards, 3 levels + 20 dice of bashing damage, Wrath of the Furyans); Equipment: Welding Goggles (wears these when in bright light, reducing his penalties to -1 die); Soak: Bashing 5 dice, Lethal 2 dice (Heals rates are two times normal, four extra Bruised health levels, Lifespan 150+ years). Toynbee, Mortimer (Toad) British-born Mortimer Toynbee was abandoned by his parents so early in childhood that he cannot remember them. He was placed in an orphanage where the other children, who regarded him as a freak due to his ugliness, his unusual physique, and his leaping ability, continually tormented him. Toynbee was so traumatized by his loneliness and the continual abuse he received that it affected his learning abilities. The teachers and administrators in the orphanage therefore regarded Toynbee as mentally retarded, even though, in actuality, he was of normal intelligence. So desperate did Toynbee become for affection that he developed a pathetically subservient personality, and would unquestioningly obey anyone he thought sincerely cared about him. Mortimer Toynbee is a former subject of the Alamogordo Project, which observed the development of genetically flawed mutants. Due to his flawed genetic make-up, Toynbee experienced extreme physical changes and mental instability throughout his life, at one point requiring him to ingest a prescription drug Ridilin to remain stable. At some point after achieving adulthood, Toynbee was discovered by Magneto and recruited for his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Magneto gave Toynbee the alias of the Toad because of Toynbee's powers, appearance, and personality. The Toad blinded himself to Magneto's continual verbal and physical abuse because Magneto was out to conquer the human race that had rejected the Toad. As a member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, the Toad met the Scarlet Witch and became infatuated with her, though she did not reciprocate the feeling. The team's nefarious schemes would often be confronted and defeated by the mutant heroes known collectively as the X-Men. After one such confrontation with the X-Men, Magneto and the Toad were captured by the alien called the Stranger and imprisoned on the alien's distant world. When Magneto first escaped, he callously left the Toad behind, and the Toad's attitude toward his master began to change. After being recaptured, Magneto escaped a second time and took the Toad with him, but his continued bullying caused the Toad's resentment to increase until it flared into murderous hatred. The Toad abandoned Magneto to die in an explosion that followed an encounter with the Avengers. (Although it was later discovered that Magneto survived.) Toad was once captured with Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch on the world of Arkon, but after their adventure there, he elected to stay instead of returning to Earth. Eventually, the Toad built a dimensional breach/space ship that allowed him to return to the Stranger's homeworld, where he studied and stole the Stranger's technology and equipment in an effort to become more powerful and thus more appealing to the Scarlet Witch. However, just as he prepared to return to Earth, he learned that the Scarlet Witch had married the Vision. Enraged, he planned to strike out at her, attacked the Avengers to learn her whereabouts, and was defeated. He served a short prison term and was released, at which time he commissioned the criminal Arcade to construct a sort-of "toad kingdom," complete with a series of deadly traps, in a seemingly deserted castle in upstate New York. Renaming himself the Terrible Toad King, he planned to entrap everyone who he felt had abused him, placing them in the palace where they would be killed in the attempt to escape. His first victim was the X-Mens Angel, but the Toad accidentally kidnapped the Thing, too. Just as the two were about to escape, Arcade stepped in and demanded immediate payment for his services. Unable to pay and fearful for his own life, the Toad fell into a panic. The Angel took pity on Toynbee and formulated an agreement with him to convert the castle into an amusement park, paying the debt in the process. The endeavor was a success until it was discovered that the castle's original owner was the villain Victor von Doom. Doctor Doom sent a robot of himself and a security force to remove the Toad and restore the structure to its original state.

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Toynbee again fell into despondency and decided to commit suicide, an attempt which was interrupted by Spider-Man. Hoping to make Spider-Man his friend, he hired a group of criminals to attack Spider-Man, but in the process he met Frog-Man and Spider-Kid. The three formed a partnership of their own called the Misfits. Though seeking the help of a psychiatrist during this period, Toynbee was still obsessed with the Scarlet Witch. He used some robot doppelgangers of the original Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, but was stopped by Quicksilver. Toynbee and his automatons were removed to a government research facility (Project: PEGASUS) for study, but one of the robots reactivated on a timed program and freed its builder. Ultimately he again came into conflict with Spider-Man, whose approval he still valued. The Toad defeated Spider-Man and the Vision using a powerful robotic exoskeleton. Forcing his way into the New Jersey home owned by the Scarlet Witch and the Vision, he found the Scarlet Witch eight months pregnant. Finding her repulsive, he attacked her. She defeated him, but he escaped. Months later, Toad resurfaced again with new powers, a heightened intelligence, and a vicious mean streak. He tried to form his own Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (simply called "the Brotherhood,) and revived a long-dormant Sauron. This brought him into conflict with the fledgling team X-Force, who forced the team to escape. Another time, he sought an ally in the villain Gideon, and the two played a game which pit several groups of mutants against Harness, Piecemeal, and the scientific criminal organization A.I.M. who attempted to resurrect the mutant Proteus. Eventually, however, Toad's Brotherhood simply went their separate ways. At this point, Toad tried to join the Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club, but was soundly rejected. Feeling sorry for him, Hellfire Club member Emma Frost let Toad live on her estate in Canada, where, with fellowmutant the Surgeon, he built himself head of an army of frogs. When Frost's team of young mutants, Generation X, took temporary residence at the estate, they ended up battling the Toad in a misunderstanding. Later, the Toad was recruited by former teammate Blob to join a new version of the Brotherhood of Mutants, this time in order to help safeguard X-Men leader Professor X from the artificial intelligence, Cerebro. Afterwards, the Toad was recruited into yet another Brotherhood of Mutants, led by Mystique. The team was hired by an unknown source to recover the parts of the android Machine Man, which were believed destroyed after a battle between the Red Skull, S.H.I.E.L.D. and the X-Men. The Brotherhood was forced to retreat by Machine Man, however. At a time when the High Evolutionary stripped all mutants of their powers, the Toad's DNA mutated further when the world's mutants reverted to normal. He since possessed a more normal-looking appearance as well as strange new powers. Afterwards, the Toad was abducted by the sentient space ship Prosh along with others associated with the X-Men, in order to stop a cosmic threat. During this time-traveling adventure, the Toad discovered that, as an infant, he and thousands of other mutant babies were experimented upon and studied by a clandestine facility known as Black Womb, a facility that hoped to track the evolution of mutantkind. Ultimately, in a battle with the alien Stranger, the Toad was wounded to the point of death, but Prosh healed him, resulting in an altered appearance and strange new powers. Prosh then returned the Toad and the others to the present day. The Toad appeared in several disparate areas over the next few months. He briefly joined Mystique's new Brotherhood, he later entered the Blood Sport (an ultimate fighting tournament based in Madripoor) where he killed the villain Eel (although the Eel has since reappeared.) He also turned up in Magneto's nation of Genosha, which had just been destroyed by Sentinels, and the Toad helped construct a monument to Magneto's legacy. When Magneto later reappeared, attempting to take over the world once more, the Toad joined him as an aide-de-camp, often speaking to the masses on behalf of Magneto, until they were defeated by the X-Men. (This Magneto was later revealed to have been Kuan-Yin Xorn in masquerade.) Toynbee has appeared more lucid and reflective of his actions of late, such as when he recently used his abilities to help another mutant in need. Since then, Toynbee has joined the band of mutant refugees that have come to be called the 198. Originally, Mortimer Toynbee's mutant power was the sole ability of leaping. His leg muscles are incredibly strong, allowing him to deliver powerful kicks, to jump to great heights, and to rapidly move via jumping. Later, after gaining access to some of the Stranger's technology, he genetically altered himself to be able to secrete a poisonous resin, as well as gain minor super-strength and a malicious evil mind. He had later returned to his previous state, although he appeared able to gain control over a group of sentient carnivorous frogs that he used as spies. Currently, Toynbee has mutated further, and now possesses tongue which can elongate like a whip as well as deliver venomous pheromones that sink through the skin directly into the bloodstream. These pheromones cause any exposed to them to have their will become subservient to the Toynbee's. Despite his social awkwardness and seeming lack of intelligence early on, Toynbee proved capable of understanding and utilizing advanced, even alien, technology. Real Name: Mortimer Toynbee; Aliases: The Terrible Toad-King; Identity: Secret; Occupation: Former criminal; Citizenship: U.K. (international criminal record); Place of Birth: York, England; Known Relatives: Unrevealed; Group Affiliation: 198; (formerly) Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Misfits; (formerly) associate of Gideon, Frost, Emma; Education: Unrevealed; Height: 5' 9"; Weight: 169 lbs.; Eyes: Brown; Hair: Brown Quantum 3; Quantum Pool 30 (Regenerate every hour); Willpower 6; Strength 4 (1, Crush Kick, Quantum Leap), Dexterity 5 (1, Flexibility), Stamina 3, Manipulation 2, Charisma 2, Appearance 1, Perception 3, Intelligence 2 (1, Engineering Prodigy), Wits 4; Abilities: Athletics 4, Awareness 3, Endurance 3, Engineering 4, 259

Firearms 2, Interrogation 2, Intimidation 3, Intrusion 4, Legerdemain 3, Linguistics 2, Martial Arts 4, Melee 3, Might 3, Pilot 2, Resistance 3, Science 2, Stealth 3, Streetwise 2, Subterfuge 3; Backgrounds: Allies 3, Backing 3, Cipher 2, Contacts 2, Mentor 4, Node 2, Resources 2; Quantum Powers: Animal Mastery (Amphibians Only) 4, Body Modification: Tendril Tongue (8 yards), Domination (Tongue Touch) 4; Soak: Bashing 3 dice, Lethal 1 dice (Heals rates are two times normal, Lifespan 150+ years).

XAVIERS SCHOOL

FOR THE

GIFTED

Braddock, Betsy (Psylocke / Kwannon) Betsy Braddock was Sir James Braddock's second child, and like her twin brother Brian, her life was secretly manipulated by Merlyn. The twins shared a close connection, but as they matured the adventurous Betsy also grew close to their elder brother Jamie. By the time their parents died, apparently in a lab accident but really murdered by the computer Mastermind, Betsy had become a charter pilot. When Mastermind's agent Doctor Synne tried to kill Jamie, a concerned Betsy fetched Brian, but as she flew them home, Synne's psychic attack caused her to crash. When she awoke, Synne's illusions made Betsy attack her brothers, seeing them as monsters. After Synne was defeated she and Jamie were taken hostage by the Red Skull's agents. Freed by Captains America and Britain, Betsy learned the latter was her brother Brian. Perhaps because of Synne's mental intrusions, Betsy began to develop precognitive powers. She took up modeling, while her powers grew to include telepathy. Agent Matthew recruited Betsy into S.T.R.I.K.E.'s Psi Division, and she became fellow psi Tom Lennox's lover. Because her father had been a member, she was sent to infiltrate the Hellfire Club, but was warned off by Tessa for her own protection. When the crimelord Vixen secretly usurped S.T.R.I.K.E., she hired Slaymaster to eliminate the PsiDivision before they could expose this. The telepaths fled, but Slaymaster continued to pick them off; only a handful were left when Betsy sensed Brian's return and called on his help. He defeated Slaymaster and the three surviving psi's (Betsy, Tom and Alison Double) moved into the holographically hidden Braddock Manor. In short succession this hideout was found by the Special Executive, Captain U.K. and the Fury; as the last of these battled Brian and the Executive, Betsy foresaw a future where superhumans were imprisoned in concentration camps. Soon the U.K. became a fascist state ruled by the insane reality warper Sir James Jaspers, with S.T.R.I.K.E. "Beetle" squads rounding up those with powers. While Brian confronted Jaspers, the Beetles found the others' hideout. Tom died trying to buy his friends time to escape; Betsy was in Tom's mind when he died, and was captured. After being freed, she was nursed back to health by fellow camp inmate Victoria Bentley, who taught her to use her experiences to strengthen her powers. When Kaptain Briton, Brian's Earth-794 counterpart, tried to rape her, Betsy fried his mind, killing him. The same night, Mastermind informed the twins of their father's non-terrestrial origins, and the Resources Control Executive (R.C.X.) asked them to billet Warpies, children transformed by Jaspers' warp, at the Manor. One of the R.C.X. agents was Matthew, now codenamed Gabriel. Betsy overruled Brian and let R.C.X. and the Warpies move in. When Brian went overseas, Gabriel convinced Betsy to become the new Captain Britain, wearing Kaptain Briton's modified costume. Working with Captain U.K. (Linda McQuillan), the duo became public sensations, but after several months Betsy went solo. Vixen lured her into a showdown with Slaymaster, who brutally beat her, then gouged her eyes out. Brian felt her pain, flew to her rescue and killed Slaymaster. Betsy refused R.C.X.'s offer of cybernetic eyes, preferring to rely on her psychic abilities; she and Gabriel got engaged, and went to Switzerland for Betsy to recuperate. Betsy was kidnapped from the Alps by Mojo, brainwashed, given cybernetic eyes, and, as "Psylocke," became the star of his new show "Wildways." Brian and the New Mutants rescued her, after which Betsy moved to the X-Men's mansion to recover, exactly where Roma (Merlyn's daughter) needed her to be. When the Marauders attacked the Morlocks, and Sabretooth invaded the mansion, she used herself as bait to lead him away from the injured until Wolverine got there. Impressed by her bravery, Wolverine nominated her to join the X-Men, beside whom she met Mephisto, Dr. Doom, the Fantastic Four, and Horde. The X-Men later battled Freedom Force and the Adversary in Dallas, and, in a televised battle, sacrificed themselves to allow Forge to bind the Adversary; Roma secretly restored them to life, and gave Betsy the Siege Perilous, which they could use if they ever wanted to start new lives. The X-Men moved to the Reavers' Australian Outback base, from where they took on the Brood Boys, Genoshan Magistrates, M Squad, Mr. Jip, the Serpent Society, the Abomination, Master Mold, Nimrod, Nanny, the Orphan-Maker, Zaladane and the Savage Land Mutates. As they were about to depart the Savage Land, Betsy had a precognitive flash of the Reavers killing the team. To prevent this, she sent them through the Siege Perilous. Betsy reappeared amnesiac on an island near China, where the Hand found her. Matsu'o Tsurayaba, their leader, saw a chance to save his brain-dead lover, Kwannon, and had Spiral's Body Shoppe swap their souls. This inadvertently blended their minds, leaving each with the same memories and telepathic powers. Tsurayaba brainwashed Psylocke and gave her to the Mandarin as his assassin, Lady Mandarin, until Wolverine restored her memories. Back with the X-Men Betsy took on Cameron Hodge, Warskrulls, the Shadow King and cosmic cleaner Edifice Rex; she also informed Brian she was alive. The next few months saw battles against Magneto, Fenris, Mys-Tech (alongside new ally Dark Angel), and a Brood-infected Ghost Rider. Visiting Brian, Betsy helped Excalibur fight Sat-Yr-9 and the now insane Jamie, whom Betsy struck comatose. Encounters followed with the Troll Associates, the Mutant Liberation Front, Stryfe, Omega Red, and the Soul Skinner.

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Then Kwannon arrived at the Mansion in Betsy's original body, claiming to be the real Psylocke. Unable to discern which was truly Betsy, both stayed with the X-Men, maintaining an uneasy coexistence, with Kwannon taking the name Revanche. Learning she had the Legacy Virus, Revanche had Matsu'o kill her, after which Betsy regained her soul's missing piece. Having become involved with her teammate Angel, the following months saw her fight the Phalanx, try to reach Jamie's comatose mind, battle Legion in Israel, and combat Gene Nation. When Sabretooth gutted Psylocke, Angel, Wolverine, Doctor Strange and Gomurr the Ancient retrieved a magical liquid from the Crimson Dawn dimension which healed her and gave her new powers, but also marked her with a red tattoo over her left eye. Kuragari, Proctor of the Crimson Dawn, tried to claim Betsy as his bride, but was thwarted with Gomurr and Angel's aid, freeing Betsy of the Dawn's influence. Subsequently she aided Storm against the Shadow King, who tricked Psylocke into initiating a psychic shockwave which disabled all other telepaths, leaving him unchallenged on the astral plane. Her own astral form was destroyed, but her exposure to the Crimson Dawn gave her a new shadow form with temporarily enhanced powers, which she used to trap the Shadow King's core. To keep him trapped she was forced to constantly focus her telepathy on him, effectively rendering herself powerless. After attending Brian's wedding, she was kidnapped to take part in the Coterie's contest of champions. When Apocalypse and his Horsemen sought to gather the Twelve, Psylocke used Cerebro to boost her powers, so that she could use them and still keep the Shadow King imprisoned, allowing her to free the brainwashed Wolverine. Jean Grey's attempt to help Betsy deal with the Shadow King somehow swapped their powers, leaving Betsy telekinetic. With her new abilities Betsy fought Belasco, the Neo, the Goth, and the Prime Sentinels, then aided her brother freeing Otherworld from Mastermind's Warpie army. After ending her relationship with Archangel, Betsy joined Storm's X-Men team in the search for Destiny's Diaries. In Valencia, Spain, they encountered the enigmatic Vargas who killed her. Later, in a dream, Bishop saw Betsy's spirit being snatched by a skulled figure. Much later, Betsy was returned alive to the site of her death. Reunited with the X-Men, she helped them against the Saurian Hauk'ka, Mojo and Spiral. She has also been reunited with Brian during a recent reality storm. It is now known that her brother, Jamie, had brought her back to life to fight a great evil and had reconstructed her to be immune to attacks meant to control her mind, reshape her body, or affect her basic quantum structure. Real Name: Elizabeth "Betsy" Braddock; Aliases: Bee, Betsy, Captain Britain, Lady Mandarin; Identity: Secret; Occupation: Adventurer; former charter pilot, super model, government agent, assassin; Citizenship: U.K.; Place of Birth: Braddock Manor, England; Known Relatives: James Braddock Sr. (father, deceased), Elizabeth Braddock (mother, deceased), James "Jamie" Jr. (brother), Brian Braddock (Captain Britain, brother), Meggan Braddock (sister-in-law); Group Affiliation: Exiles; formerly X-Men, Excalibur, Crimson Dawn, the Corps, S.T.R.I.K.E. Psi-division, ally of R.C.X., partner of Captain U.K.; Education: University graduate; Height: 5'11" (both bodies); Weight: 155 lbs. (both bodies); Eyes: (originally) Blue; (cybernetic) purple; (currently) purple; Hair: (originally) Blonde, dyed purple; (currently) black, often dyed purple Quantum 1; Quantum Pool 25 (Regenerate every hour); Willpower 8; Taint 1; Strength 3, Dexterity 5, Stamina 3, Manipulation 2, Charisma 2, Appearance 5, Perception 2, Intelligence 2, Wits 4; Abilities: Athletics 5, Awareness 5, Endurance 3, Etiquette 5, Intimidation 4, Intrusion 4, Linguistics 3, Martial Arts 5, Melee 5, Occult 3, Rapport 4, Resistance 3, Stealth 5, Style 5; Backgrounds: Allies 2, Backing 2, Dormancy 3, Followers 3, Node 3, Resources 2; Merits: Catlike Balance, Danger Sense, True Love; Flaws: Overconfident; Quantum Powers: Claws (Energy Field or Katana) 5, Psychic Shield 5; Soak: Bashing 3 dice, Lethal 1 dice (Heals rates are doubled, Lifespan 150+ years). Drake, Robert (Iceman) Bobby Drake discovered his mutant power to create ice while in his early teens, yet kept his condition hidden from everyone but his parents. Initially, Bobby was unable to stop feeling cold and shivering, but soon managed to keep it under control. When a bully named Rocky Beasely and his friends attacked Bobby and his then-girlfriend, Judy Harmon, the youngster panicked. To save Harmon, Bobby temporarily encased Rocky in ice, thus revealing his abilities for all to see. Believing the boy to be a menace, the townspeople organized a lynch mob. They broke into Bobby's home and overpowered him, but the local sheriff took the teenager into custody for his own protection. Meanwhile, the situation had come to the attention of Professor Charles Xavier, the telepathic mentor of the team of teenage mutant super heroes the X-Men. Professor X dispatched his first X-Man, Cyclops, to contact Bobby. Cyclops stole into the jailhouse as planned, but the two began fighting when Bobby refused to accompany him. Caught by the lynch mob, Cyclops and Bobby were about to be hanged when they broke free. Professor X used his mental powers to halt the townspeople in their tracks and erase their memories of Bobby's powers. A grateful Bobby then accepted Xavier's invitation to enroll at his School for Gifted Youngsters and took the codename Iceman. Though initially granting him a snow-like form, Bobby soon learned to increase his degree of cold control resulting in an ice-like, almost transparent form. Hated and feared by humanity, the X-Men honed their amazing abilities while standing in defense of a world pushed to the brink of genetic war by a handful of mutant terrorists. Iceman, the team's youngest founding member, became known as the comedian of the group. Regardless, he pulled his weight and worked well with rest of the team. Following a short break-up after believing their mentor was dead, the X-Men reformed with two new members - the magnetism-manipulating Polaris and the plasma-charged Havok. Bobby had a brief romantic 261

relationship with Polaris until she realized that her heart belonged to Havok. Bobby had trouble accepting her decision, which led to increased tension between himself and Havok. Eventually, Bobby quit the team for a short time to sort out his feelings. Later, when the sentient island-being known as Krakoa took Bobby and his team mates captive, Professor X assembled a second team of X-Men to rescue them. Soon after, most of the founding members left the team and Bobby began attending college on a scholarship. Eventually, he helped his former team mate Angel form the Champions of Los Angeles. When the Champions disbanded, Bobby went missing, and Angel teamed up with the costumed adventurer Spider-Man to find him. Bobby had been hypnotized by the Champions' enemy Rampage into donning his battle suit, and Angel and Spider-Man were forced to battle him. After Rampage was defeated, Bobby quit his life as a costumed adventurer and returned to college full time to study accounting. Later, Bobby was contacted by Professor X to assist in rescuing friends and family of the X-Men from the assassin known as Arcade. Along with other former X-Men Banshee, Polaris, and Havok, the ad-hoc team managed to free the hostages and Bobby finally came to accept Polaris' love for Havok. During a summer break from college Bobby went to visit his former X-Men teammate Beast and soon became involved with the loose-knit collection of costumed heroes known as the Defenders. Along with Beast and Angel, Bobby helped reorganize the team into a more formal and cohesive unit. The Defenders eventually disbanded when several of their members appeared to perish during a climactic battle. Soon after, Bobby joined the other founding X-Men to form X-Factor, an organization that intended to seek out and aid other mutants under the pretense of hunting down those perceived menaces to society. During his time with the team, the Asgardian trickster god Loki captured Bobby, hoping to use him to gain control over the Frost Giants. Loki enhanced Bobby's powers to such an extent that he was forced to wear a powerdampening belt that was originally created by the subversive organization known as The Right to cancel out his powers. Once able only to sheathe his own body in a protective coating of ice, Bobby found he could encase the entirety of the Empire State Building. With time, Bobby gained sufficient control over his augmented powers that he was able to stop using the inhibitor belt. Believing he had achieved his full potential, Bobby never attempted to push himself beyond his perceived limits. When Professor Xavier returned to Earth following an extended absence in outer space, Bobby and the other members of X-Factor rejoined the X-Men. Shortly thereafter, Bobby confronted former Cosmonaut Mikhail Rasputin, the reality-warping mutant brother of Bobbys steel-skinned teammate Colossus. Rasputin forced Bobby into a form composed entirely of ice, affording the young mutant a glimpse into his true nature. Subsequently, Bobby began experimenting with his abilities - using ice to add mass to his slight frame, or lift himself high into the air without the benefit of his usual slides. Months later, the psychically incapacitated mutant telepath Emma Frost took mental possession of Bobby's body. Frost was able to activate the full extent of his powers, using his powers in ways Bobby had not thought possible until she was coaxed back into her own body by Professor X. With Frost's prodding, Iceman later learned to completely transform his body into its full ice state on his own. Frost later also showed Bobby that he could safely revert back to his human form after his ice form's chest had been shattered in battle. Bobby later took a leave of absence from the X-Men to spend more time with his father who had been injured by the grass roots anti-mutant movement the Friends of Humanity. He returned briefly to the X-Men to rescue mutant doctor Cecilia Reyes during the government-sponsored anti-mutant Operation: Zero Tolerance, after which he returned to his father's side. Two subsequent events served to shed further light on Iceman's untapped potential. To secure a new host body, the would-be conqueror Apocalypse sought to siphon the awesome energies of "The Twelve" mutants of incredible power, destined to alter the course of human history. Among their number was Iceman, who survived the ordeal thanks only to the apparent sacrifice of Cyclops. A second defining event occurred when the sentient spaceship Prosh escaped the confines of a Celestial prison, returned to Earth and dispatched a group of disparate beings on a journey through time to uncover the keys to preserving human evolution. Their mission: Save the human race from a threat that might not manifest itself for millions of years. When Prosh reassembled the members of his team in the present, they fought and defeated the enigmatic alien entity known as the Stranger, who sought to control the natural evolution of humans and mutants. These experiences forced Iceman into the realization that he no longer need fear the evolution of his abilities, and he returned to the X-Men to explore his mutant powers to the fullest. After suffering a chest injury, Bobby was unable to prevent his body from transforming into solid ice due to the manifestation of a secondary mutation. After the House of M incident Iceman was believed to be among the mutants who lost their powers, but this apparent loss of powers was quickly revealed to be a subconscious reaction to the trauma of that reality warp. Since recovering his powers, his ice form has taken on a much more jagged appearance. Recently, Iceman has been using his powers in innovative ways, including the ability to exist as a sentient gas. He discovered this ability while fighting the Children of the Vault when they attacked the Mansion. After the fight with the Children, he joined Rogue's team of X-Men. Real Name: Robert "Bobby" Louis Drake; Aliases: Formerly Mister Friese, Drake Roberts, Rampage; Identity: Secret, known to certain government officials; Occupation: Adventurer, formerly teacher, accountant, 262

student; Citizenship: U.S.A.; Place of Birth: Port Washington, Long Island, New York; Known Relatives: William Robert Drake (father), Madeline Beatrice Bass Drake (mother), Mary (cousin), Joel (cousin), Anne (aunt); Group Affiliation: X-Men, formerly Twelve, X-Factor/X-Terminators, Defenders, Champions; Education: College degree, Certified Practicing Accountant accreditation; Height: 5'8"; Weight: 145 lbs.; Eyes: Brown; Hair: Brown Quantum 6; Quantum Pool 45 (Regenerate every 10 minutes); Willpower 5; Taint 4; Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Manipulation 2, Charisma 4, Appearance 2, Perception 2, Intelligence 2, Wits 4; Abilities: Arts 1, Awareness 3, Athletics 2, Biz 4, Brawl 3, Bureaucracy 2, Drive 3, Endurance 3, Etiquette 3, Investigation 3, Perform 2, Rapport 4, Resistance 3, Subterfuge 3; Backgrounds: Allies 3, Backing 2, Contacts 3, Node 4, Resource 3; Merits: Calm Heart; Flaws: Susceptible to Heat; Quantum Powers: Bodymorph (Ice) 5, Elemental Mastery (Cold Blast, Imprison, Lethal Blast, Propel, Shield, Sphere, Storm) 7; Soak: Bashing 3 dice, Lethal 1 dice (Heals rates are doubled, Lifespan 150+ years). Howlett, James (Weapon X) Born the second son of wealthy landowners John and Elizabeth Howlett in Alberta, Canada during the late 19th Century, James Howlett was a frail boy of poor health. James was largely neglected by his mother, who was institutionalized for a time following the death of her first son, John Jr., in 1897. He spent most of his early years on the estate grounds and had two playmates that lived on the Howlett estate with him: Rose, a redheaded girl who was brought in from town to be a companion to young James, and a boy nicknamed "Dog" who was the son of the groundskeeper, Thomas Logan. Thomas Logan was an alcoholic and was extremely abusive to his son. The children were close friends but as they reached young adulthood, the abuse inflicted upon Dog warped his mind. His actions would lead to a tragic chain of events. that started as the three neared their adolescent years when Dog made unwanted advances toward Rose and James reported it to his father. In retaliation Dog killed James's pet dog. This in turn resulted in the expulsion of Thomas Logan and Dog Logan from the estate. Thomas Logan, in a drunken stupor, invaded the Howlett estate with his son and attempted to take Elizabeth Howlett (implied to be his former lover) with him. John attempted to stop him and Thomas Logan shot him down in cold blood. James Howlett had just entered the room when this occurred and for the first time his mutation manifested; his claws extended from the backs of his hands and he attacked the intruders with uncharacteristic ferocity, killing Thomas Logan, and scarring Dog's face with three claw marks. Elizabeth Howlett, who was already an emotionally disturbed woman, took her life immediately afterward with a blast from Thomas's gun. Fearing for their safety, Rose fled the estate with James, who appeared to have been deeply traumatized and had somehow repressed or forgotten most of the memories of life back at the estate. Dog falsely reported to the police and James's grandfather that Rose had murdered John Howlett II and Thomas Logan. The eldest Howlett, shunned James and with no family left, took Dog in as his ward. However, Dog was already a burgeoning psychopath and it was too late for his character to evolve down any other path. In the years that followed, James and Rose took refuge in a British Colombia mining colony under the guise of being cousins. James also assumed the name of "Logan" in order to hide his identity. As the hard work of mining toughened his body, and his mutant powers developed, he grew to be unusually strong and ferocious. He was immune to the elements and even ran with the wolves in the forest, learning to hunt as an animal hunts. "Logan" became a valuable and admirable figure amongst the small community of miners due to his hard work and strong ethics, earning him the respect of his peers, including the foreman Smitty, who became a surrogate father figure to James. During this period, James developed strong feelings for Rose, but could not act on them for the sake of their guise as cousins. Smitty, who had been mentoring James all these years, had also grown close to Rose, and the two eventually fell in love and became engaged, much to the scorn and surprise of James, who later accepted the situation for the sake of Rose's happiness. Meanwhile, the elder John Howlett was in failing health and asked Dog to find Rose and his grandson so he could make peace with them before he died. Dog agreed. However, Dog (who has become a physically formidable man himself) decides to track them down so he can kill James. Dog hunted James and Rose down so easily that it seemed he had a preternatural skill for tracking. On then night that Smitty was due to leave the mining town with Rose, Dog (who bears an uncanny resemblance to Logan's future nemesis, Sabretooth) finally found and confronted James. Dog reminded James of his past, and that faithful night back on the estate that had changed all their lives so. The two fiercely fought in the middle of the street and despite being the physically stronger of the two Dog was eventually overpowered by the enraged James. As Dog laid unconscious, James unsheathed his claws for the first time in public, to the shock of everyone watching, and was about to deal the deathblow until Rose leapt in to stop him but was accidentally was impaled by his claws. Horrified, "Logan" held her in his arms as she died. He then fled into the woods where he lived in self-imposed exile with a pack of wolves, presumably for many years. Logan possesses memories of being a Samurai in Japan, a mercenary operative for the Central Intelligence Agency, and a "wild man" in the Canadian wilderness. Due to extensive memory implants given to Logan through the Weapon X program, any or all of these memories are suspect. Logan has at least one memory of meeting Captain America (Steve Rogers) in World War II while he was in the Canadian Army which has been verified as true. Sometime after World War II, Logan was taken by a group of scientists led by Dr. Cornelius as part of the Weapon X program. Cornelius was hired to perfect and use a technique that would bond

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the indestructible element adamantium to human bone cells. Logan's skeleton was bonded to the adamantium, and he was indoctrinated into the Weapon X assassin program. Wolverine was conscripted by Department H, and for his first mission was sent against the incredible Hulk. Wolverine was subsequently approached by Professor Charles Xavier, who was looking for mutants to help his students, the X-Men, escape from the island-being known as Krakoa, which had captured them. Wolverine left Alpha Flight to accompany Xavier and rescue the captured X-Men. After Krakoa was defeated, Wolverine decided to stay with the X-Men, for reasons which included that he had fallen for Marvel Girl (Jean Grey). Logan remained with the X-Men for quite some time, at one time being their field commander, and encountered adversaries such as Proteus (Kevin MacTaggart), Magneto (Magnus), the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, the Brood, the Reavers, demons from the dimension of Limbo, the Marauders, the Morlocks, and even Dracula on one occasion. After his encounter with the mutant assassin Omega Red, Logan began to question the memories he possessed, but his searches to find his true identity and memories proved fruitless. During an encounter with the mutant Magneto on his space station called Avalon, Wolverine slashed Magneto with his claws. Magneto retaliated, using his powers of the magnetic field to tear the adamantium out of Wolverine's skeleton, causing extensive injuries. These injuries shorted out Wolverine's healing factor for a time, and Logan also discovered that the claws that he believed a result of the Weapon X project were in fact part of his actual bone structure due to his mutation. These bone claws became Wolverine's main weapons until his skeleton later became grafted to adamantium again. As a result of his injuries, Logan left the X-Men for a time. He visited Muir Island at the request of Kitty Pryde, and was also attacked by Cyber. During the Phalanx invasion, Logan and Cable were asked by Charles Xavier to find and rescue the captured X-Men. They joined with Cyclops (Scott Summers) and Jean Grey returning from their honeymoon (and secretly the future) and freed their teammates in Tibet. Later, Logan was kidnapped by Tyler Dayspring, calling himself Genesis, who wanted to make Wolverine one of his new Horsemen. Genesis had acquired adamantium by destroying the body of the mercenary known as Cyber, and had planned to recreate the bonding process used on Logan years ago. This time, however, Logan's body rejected the adamantium, and he regressed for a time to a feral-like state. Logan regained his lucidity and rejoined the X-Men. Logan was subsequently kidnapped by the would-be conqueror Apocalypse (En Sabah Nur) and forced to fight the savage assassin Sabretooth for the mantle of the Horseman Death. Knowing that he might be able to resist Apocalypse's programming and that Sabretooth would be a very dangerous villain with the support of Apocalypse, Logan fought and defeated his nemesis. As a result, his skeleton again was laced with Adamantium. Under the control of Apocalypse, Wolverine fought the X-Men ferociously in his Death persona. But with the help of his teammates, he eventually broke free from Apocalypse's control. While on the Weapon Plus satellite, Logan was able to access detailed files on his past. However, it was a trap, and only Jean's manifestation of the Phoenix was able to save them. Wolverine greatly mourns Jean's loss, was not pleased with Cyclops and Emma Frost's relationship, but has remained a valued member of the XMen, serving on as many missions as he can while also doing solo operations. Wolverine was ambushed by the Hand and Hydra. Transformed into a killing machine and outfitted with several devices, he battled various other heroes and killed both Hornet and Northstar. S.H.I.E.L.D. was eventually able to deprogram Logan, and he was sent to oppose Northstar, who also had been resurrected by Hydra. While on a mission in the Savage Land, he met the recently reformed Avengers and eventually accepted membership. Recently, Wolverine unnerved many high level officials, including those of S.H.I.E.L.D., by his sporadic movements in and out of the grid, with the tensions mounting in what seemed to be Wolverine's attempted assassination of the prime minister of Japan. Eventually it was revealed that Wolverine's true target was not the prime minister, but his bodyguard, the Silver Samurai. During an interrogation that began during their battle, and ended shortly after Logan severed the samurai's arm, Wolverine received some more information that led him back to Department H. Despite what he had originally thought, it was not the carelessness of his captors that allowed him to escape; rather, the Winter Soldier seemingly interfered with the operation in such a way that allowed Logan's escape. Wolverine tracked down the Winter Soldier in Serbia for information, but was rendered unconscious after a struggle after which the Winter Soldier revealed that he had earlier murdered Logan's pregnant wife. Real Name: James Howlett; Aliases: Logan, formerly Weapon Ten, Death, Mutate #9601, Jim Logan, Patch, Canucklehead, Emilio Garra, Weapon Chi, Weapon X, Experiment X, Agent Ten, Canada, Wildboy, Peter Richards, many others; Identity: Secret, known to certain government agencies; Occupation: Adventurer, instructor, former bartender, bouncer, spy, government operative, mercenary, soldier, sailor, miner; Citizenship: Canada, possible dual citizenship in Japan and/or Madripoor; Place of Birth: Alberta, Canada; Known Relatives: Unidentified grandfather (deceased), John Howlett Sr. (father, deceased), Elizabeth Howlett (mother, deceased), John Howlett Jr. (brother, deceased), Viper (Madame Hydra, ex-wife), Amiko Kobayashi (foster daughter), Erista (son), Laura Kinney (X-23, clone), Daken (son), Itsu (wife, deceased); Group Affiliation: X-Men, Avengers, formerly Horsemen of Apocalypse, Fantastic Four, Secret Defenders, Clan Yashida, Department H, Alpha Flight, Department K, Team X, Team Weapon X, Devil's Brigade, Canadian Army; Education: Privately tutored as a child; Height: 5'3"; Weight: (Without Adamantium skeleton) 195 lbs., (with Adamantium skeleton) 300 lbs.; Eyes: Blue; Hair: Black 264

Quantum 5; Quantum Pool 75 (Regenerate every 15 minutes); Willpower 9; Taint 4; Strength 4, Dexterity 5, Stamina 5 (5, Durability, Hardbody, Regeneration), Perception 5 (1, Bloodhound, Hyper Enhanced Hearing), Intelligence 3, Wits 5 (1, Quickness), Appearance 2, Manipulation 3, Charisma 3; Skills: Athletics 4, Awareness 5, Brawl 5, Bureaucracy 2, Command 4, Drive 4, Endurance 5, Etiquette 3, Firearms 4, Intimidation 5, Intrusion 4, Investigation 4, Linguistics 5, Medicine 3, Melee 5, Pilot 3, Rapport 3, Resistance 5, Stealth 4, Streetwise 3, Subterfuge 2, Survival 5; Backgrounds: Allies 5, Backing 3, Cipher 4, Contacts 5, Influence 1, Node 3, Resources 3; Merits: Quantum Recovery 3, Taint Resistant; Flaws: Vengeful; Quantum Powers: Armor 5 (Primium Skeleton), Claws 5 (Strength +7 Damage aggravated due to Primium coating), Innate CounterMagick (Primium Skeleton) 2 dice, Quantum Regeneration 5; Soak: Bashing 25, Lethal 20 (Healing rates are seven times better than any normal humans. Lifespan 250+ years. Dice pool penalties reduced by five. Three Extra Bruised Health.) Kinney, Laura (X-23, Reluctant Daughter) When a top-secret program attempted to recreate the original Weapon X experiment that involved the feral mutant Wolverine, they failed to secure a test subject that could survive the bonding of the virtually unbreakable metal Primium to their skeleton. Seeking to take the project in a new direction, the project's director, Doctor Martin Sutter, recruited renowned mutant geneticist Doctor Sarah Kinney and tasked her with creating a clone. Using the only available genetic sample from Weapon X, which was damaged, they were unable to salvage the Y chromosome after 22 attempts. Kinney then proposed they create a female clone, and though her request was initially denied, she still went ahead and produced a viable female subject, prompting Sutter to reconsider. Despite resistance from his protg Doctor Zander Rice, whom he had raised after Rice's father was killed by a bestial Wolverine at the original Weapon X Project, Sutter allowed Kinney to proceed. As revenge for her insubordination, Rice forced Kinney to act as the surrogate mother for the clone, and she gave birth to "X23." Raised in captivity, X-23 was trained to be a weapon. Kinney did her best to ensure the child retained some semblance of humanity, but her efforts appeared to be in vain. After seven years, Rice had X-23 subjected to radiation poisoning in order to accelerate the activation of her mutant gene, then forcibly extracted her claws and coated them with Primium. Next, Rice created a chemical compound he called "trigger scent" that sent X-23 into an involuntary berserker rage upon smelling its presence. Three years later, X-23 was sent on her first field mission to kill Presidential candidate Greg Johnson. Numerous other missions followed, as X-23's services were sold to the highest bidder, and she was left emotionally stunted as a result. Rice, in an attempt to avenge his father's murder, abandoned X-23 on a particularly dangerous mission, but she survived against overwhelming odds and managed to return to the facility. Ultimately, Rice persuaded Sutter to hand over control of the program to him, then secretly ordered X23 to kill Sutter and his family. Later, Rice revealed to Kinney a chamber with dozens of incubation pods containing female clones before he fired her. Before fleeing the facility with X-23, Kinney gave her one last mission - destroy the pods and kill Rice. However, Rice was able to exact revenge on Kinney from beyond the grave, as he had earlier exposed her to the trigger scent, sending X-23 into a rage that caused her to kill her mother. As she lay dying, Kinney named X-23 Laura. X-23 surfaced in New York two years later and was found living on the streets by a pimp named Zebra Daddy, who took her in and employed her as a prostitute. During her time as a prostitute, X-23 seemed to suffer from a self-mutilative disorder. She superficially cut herself with her own claws whenever she was in a threatening situation. She also seemed to suffer some personality issues which left her mostly mute and unable to free herself from the grip of Zebra Daddy. X-23 started to come to her senses after she met Kiden Nixon, a young mutant with the ability to freeze time when in danger, and together with Kiden's teacher, they rescued another young mutant, the feral Catiana, from an angry mob. Zebra Daddy tracked X-23 down, but with the aid of her newfound friends and the mutant named Felon, Zebra Daddy's thugs were defeated. X-23 then killed him to save the lives of her friends. X-23 later took a job at the mutant-themed Wannabee's nightclub in the Mutant Town district of New York. It was there that she saved the life of the daughter of mob boss Don Parisi from a gang of thugs, whom she killed. The deaths inadvertently implicated Wolverine, prompting his teammates in the X-Men to investigate. X-23 instinctually attacked Wolverine on sight, but he was eventually able to calm her down, and she led the X-Men to Parisi's daughter. After aiding the X-Men against Parisi's super-strong mutant enforcer Geech, X-23 fled the scene. She later returned to help the X-Men save victims of a car accident, after which she was enrolled at the X-Men's Xavier Institute. X-23 quickly became very protective of Wolverine, attacking his teammate Bishop after he felled Wolverine during a training session. She also took to observing Wolverine on the mansion's security monitors. During one such viewing, an anomalous energy spike prompted X-23 to investigate. Encountering Spider-Man at the source of the signal, X-23 initially mistook him for an enemy and attacked. The pair ultimately teamed up to save the young mutant Paul Patterson from an alternate reality version of the armored Avenger Iron Man. The arrival of the heroic Captain America and the super-spy Black Widow helped turn the tide. X-23 then secretly followed Wolverine on his investigation of strange activity in the Canadian Rockies. Ambushed by the Hauk'ka, evolved Saurians from the Savage Land, X-23 managed to escape and alert the X-Men. Traveling to the Savage Land, X-23 and the X-Men teamed with the Land's lord Ka-Zar and his circumstantial allies, the Savage Land

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Mutates, to prevent the Hauk'ka from destroying human civilization by controlling the weather-manipulating XMan Storm. Sometime later, X-23 turned up in the in two other X-titles, without her friends. She was accused of the murders of four humans that were investigated by Wolverine and his fellow X-Men. (While she was responsible for the murders, she committed them because the victims were brutally attacking a young woman.) After a brief conflict with the mutant heroes, X-23 came to live with them at the Xavier Institute. She has nearly no social skills, so Wolverine is helping her adjust to her new life,She seems to be making friends with Shadowcat, Psylocke, and Rachel Summers. X-23 was approached by the cosmic Uni-Power in hopes of making specific use of her healing ability. Although she initially resisted its attempts to bond with her, and she remained reluctant even though it pleaded with her, she ultimately agreed to aid it and became Captain Universe for a brief time. After the effects of "M-Day", X-23 was one of the few students who didn't lose their powers. The depowered students and staff were sent home; however their bus was bombed by anti-mutant religious zealot Reverend William Stryker. Subsequently, Emma Frost had the surviving students engage in an all-in brawl, with those deemed to be the best performers assigned to a new team of trainee X-Men. Despite Frost's attempts to omit her, X-23 was among those students who made the grade. Shortly afterwards, following Stryker's attack on the ex-mutant students, X-23 heard Dust talking to Icarus, who had fled the Mansion. Dust intended to meet Jay, but Laura told her it was a trap, and had to knock out her roommate to keep her safe. Donning Dust's burkha X-23 came to Stryker's compound and was shot. After a few minutes spent healing and playing possum, Laura returned to the Mansion to help fend off Stryker and his goons. The team gave more respect to Laura following her part in stopping Stryker's attack, in which she single-handedly killed three Purifiers. Following that she started to bond with her friends, using her enhanced hearing to find out what happened to Icarus for them, learning that Stryker killed him. After Surge received a distress call from Forge, X-23 followed the team along to Dallas to rescue him from the sentinel Nimrod. At the height of the desperate battle she managed to cut through to the interior of the machine with her claws, allowing the sentinel to be defeated. She was wounded during the battle and was unable to heal herself. In order to save X-23, Julian supercharged his telekinetic powers with the help of Emma Frost in order to rush her back to the mansion where she was healed by Elixir.As Hellion recovered his strength, and found that his power levels were enhanced, Laura kept watch over him. Emma Frost confronted Laura, asking her to leave the school because of the trigger scent saying that she was a danger to everyone at the istitute even julian, Their conversation is cut short by Cessily coming to Laura's Defense. Mercury (Cessily Kincade) persuades laura to go for coffee and discuss Laura's crush on Julian. However, the cafe is attacked by Kimura and her minions. though laura thought that Kimura was after her, she was really after Cessily. Laura goes back to the Xavier Institute when Hellion interrupts her as she is gearing up to attack against the facility. He informs her that he is coming with her. The two find a hide out where Laura interrogates a man at gun point. Upon securing the information she needs, X-23 shoots him in the head. Julian is shocked and tells her that killing will no longer be a part of their interrogation technique, X-23 remains silent and the two continue their search for the facility. Real Name: Laura Kinney; Aliases: Formerly Captain Universe, Laura X, Talon; Identity: Secret; Occupation: Adventurer, student, former assassin, prostitute; Citizenship: None; Place of Birth: The Facility, location unrevealed; Known Relatives: Sarah Kinney (surrogate mother, deceased), James Howlett (Wolverine, genetic progenitor); Group Affiliation: New X-Men, formerly Xavier Institute Student Body, The Facility; Education: Home schooled; Height: 5'6"; Weight: 147 lbs.; Eyes: Green; Hair: Black Quantum 5; Quantum Pool 55 (Regenerate every 15 minutes); Willpower 9; Taint 4; Strength 4, Dexterity 5 (1, Catfooted), Stamina 5 (5, Durability, Hardbody, Regeneration), Appearance 3, Manipulation 3, Charisma 2, Perception 5 (1, Bloodhound, Hyper Enhanced Hearing), Intelligence 3, Wits 5 (1, Quickness); Skills: Athletics 4, Awareness 5, Bureaucracy 2, Drive 4, Endurance 5, Etiquette 3, Firearms 4, Intimidation 5, Intrusion 4, Investigation 4, Linguistics 5, Martial Arts 5, Medicine 3, Melee 5, Pilot 3, Resistance 5, Stealth 4, Streetwise 3, Survival 5; Backgrounds: Allies 2, Cipher 5, Contacts 2, Node 3, Resources 1; Merits: Quantum Recovery 3, Taint Resistant; Quantum Powers: Armor 5 (Primium Skeleton), Claws 5 (Strength +7 Damage to hands, Strength +8 to kicks aggravated due to Primium coating), Innate CounterMagick (Primium Skeleton) 2 dice, Quantum Regeneration 5; Soak: Bashing 25, Lethal 20 (Healing rates are seven times better than any normal humans. Lifespan 250+ years. Dice pool penalties reduced by five. Three Extra Bruised Health.) Lee, Jubilation (Jubilee) Born the daughter of prosperous Chinese immigrants, young Jubilation "Jubilee" Lee was sent to an exclusive Beverly Hills school, where her talent for gymnastics was discovered. Jubilee spent much of her time rollerblading with friends at the local mall, but ultimately ran afoul of mall security. Facing juvenile detention if caught, Jubilee panicked and first manifested her mutant ability to generate explosive energy. Soon after, her parents were mistakenly killed by hitmen. Jubilee fled to the only home she had left - the mall. She survived as a petty thief and street performer, but mall security eventually tired of her eluding capture and called in a team of novice mutant hunters, the M-Squad. That same day, the mall was visited by the female members of the XMen. When the M-Squad attacked Jubilee, the X-Men came to her aid and then left via a portal created by Gateway. Intrigued, Jubilee followed them through and arrived at the X-Men's base in outback Australia. She 266

lived in the tunnels beneath the town until the X-Men disbanded, after which their former member Wolverine returned to the town and was ambushed by the cyborg Reavers, who crucified him. Jubilee helped him to escape and stayed by his side while he recovered from his ordeal, forming a close bond. After rescuing another former X-Man, Psylocke, from the Mandarin's control in Madripoor, the trio traveled to Genosha to aid in opposing Cameron Hodge. Jubilee accompanied them back to the U.S., where she joined a reformed X-Men. Eventually, Jubilee learned the truth about her parents' deaths and managed to exact revenge on the assassins, though she stopped short of killing them. Jubilee then joined the Generation X training team that was formed by Professor Xavier. As one of the founding members, Jubilee learned to further control her explosive powers and improve upon her field leadership skills. During her stay with Generation X, Jubilee managed to aid her teammates in battles against Emplate, Sentinels, and the Juggernaut, among others. During Operation: Zero Tolerance, Bastion captured Jubilation Lee in order to get information on the X-Men. She resisted his mental probes for a considerable amount of time and also made a few escape attempts. After triggering a switch that freed the captured X-Men, she befriended Bastion's assistant, Daria, who helped her escape successfully. Jubilee was then confronted by a Prime Sentinel in the desert, but defeated it with the help of Wolverine who tracked her scent. She stayed with the X-Men for a brief stint, and then returned to her Generation X teammates. While training at the Massachusetts Academy, Jubilee discovered that Hunter Brawn was behind the death of her parents. Outraged, she took justice into her own hands and ended up throwing him in jail. After Generation X disbanded, Jubilee returned home to try an acting career, which was ultimately short-lived due to an unscrupulous agent exploiting her. Jubilee then briefly joined her former headmaster Banshee's paramilitary X-Corps. After that team was dissolved, Jubilee was one of several mutants captured by the mutant-hating Church of Humanity, who crucified them on the grounds of the Xavier Institute. Jubilee was one of the few to survive, thanks to the X-Man Archangel's newfound healing ability, and she rejoined the XMen, adventuring with them against the threat of Nightcrawler's father, Azazel. When Cyclops and Emma Frost took on the shared duty of headmaster of the Institute, the X-Men were restructured into three teams, and Jubilee was taken off the active roster. She went home to live with her Aunt Hope and returned to school, becoming a student counselor before being caught up in her Aunt's secret life as a spy. Soon after, Jubilee returned to the Institute. Real Name: Jubilation Lee; Aliases: Wondra, "Jubes"; Identity: Secret; Occupation: Adventurer, student, former student counselor, actress, street performer, thief, ex-mutant clinic assistant; Citizenship: U.S.; Place of Birth: Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California; Known Relatives: Mr & Mrs Lee (parents, deceased), Hope (paternal aunt); Group Affiliation: New Warriors, Formerly Xavier Institute Student Body, X-Men, X-Corps, Generation X; Education: Various courses at Xavier Institute, Massachusetts Academy, and Payton-Noble High School; Height: 5'5"; Weight: 115 lbs.; Eyes: Brown; Hair: Black Quantum 1; Quantum Pool 15 (Regenerate every hour); Willpower 7; Taint 2; Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2, Manipulation 2, Charisma 4, Appearance 4, Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 3; Abilities: Awareness 3, Athletics 3, Drive 2, Endurance 3, Intrusion 3, Investigation 3, Linguistics 2, Perform 2, Rapport 3, Resistance 3, Science 2, Stealth 5, Subterfuge 4; Backgrounds: Allies 2, Contacts 3, Node 4; Merits: Self confident; Flaws: Curiosity, Child; Quantum Powers: Quantum Bolt (Plasma Balls) 5; Soak: Bashing 2 dice, Lethal 1 dice (Heals rates are doubled, Lifespan 150+ years). McCoy, Hank (Beast) While working at a nuclear power plant, Norton McCoy was exposed to massive amounts of radiation that affected his genes. As a result, Norton's son, Henry "Hank" McCoy, was born a mutant who showed the signs of his being different from birth with his unusually large hands and feet. As a youth, Hank's freakish appearance was the subject of much ridicule from his classmates, earning him the nickname of "Beast". However, one classmate named Jennifer came to know the real Hank after he began tutoring her in biology. On the night of the junior prom, Jennifer insisted that Hank accompany her as her date, and stood up for him after he was teased. In his senior year, Hank's superhuman agility and athletic prowess earned him recognition as a star football player. During one game, Hank easily stopped a trio of robbers who were attempting to escape across the football field. His efforts were noticed by the villain named the Conquistador who kidnapped Hank's parents in an effort to coerce the young mutant into working for him. The X-Men soon arrived and defeated the villain, and Hank was invited by Professor Charles Xavier to join the team of teenage mutant heroes and enroll in the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters. Unable to resist the temptation of a private institution that could offer him limitless academic opportunities, Hank accepted. Hank's days were rich with differential equations, Proust and workouts in the Danger Room. A brilliant student, Hank completed his doctoral studies under Xavier's tutelage, and finally graduated from the Xavier School to take a position at the Brand Corporation as a genetic researcher under Doctor Carl Maddicks. During one of his experiments, Hank discovered the hormonal extract that causes genetic mutation and went to inform Maddicks of his findings. However, Maddicks was secretly plotting to steal top secret government documents, and Hank took it upon himself to stop Maddicks. In order to disguise his appearance, Hank took the extract and underwent radical physical changes that enhanced his agility and strength, as well as causing him to grow fangs, pointed ears, and fur all over his body. When he stayed too long in this state, Hank 267

found he could not return to his original form. He was now a beast in fact as well as in name. At first, he tried to hide his mutation with a latex mask and gloves, but later learned to accept his new appearance. After receiving his doctorate in genetics and being considered one of the world's experts on mutations and evolutionary human biology, despite never having earned a Nobel Prize or been invited to join the National Academy of Sciences, Hank left Brand and applied to join the ranks of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, the Avengers. Initially accepted as a probationary member, Hank soon proved his worth and was granted full membership. During his time with the team he revealed his identity to the public in the hope that his status as an Avenger would help ease human/mutant tensions. Following a restructuring of the Avengers, Hank left and became involved with the team of adventurers known as the Defenders which he soon reorganized into a more formal and cohesive unit, bringing in his former X-Men teammates Iceman and Angel. Following the apparent death of several of the Defenders, Hank reunited with the other four original X-Men to form X-Factor, an organization that intended to seek out and aid other mutants under the pretense of hunting them down. Shortly after the formation of X-Factor, Hank was captured by Maddicks who sought to experiment on Hank in an attempt to find a "cure" for his son's own mutancy. However, the serum Hank was given caused him to revert to his original human appearance. Soon after, Hank first met television anchorwoman Trish Tilby, who was investigating X-Factor. During an attack on New York by the eternal mutant Apocalypse and his Four Horsemen, Hank was stricken with a virus that sapped his intellect and increased his strength every time he exerted himself physically. The more Hank used his strength, the stronger he got, but the less intelligent he became. Finally, to save his friend Iceman from the deadly kiss of the mutant named Infectia, Hank intervened and was himself affected, the result of which returned him to his blue-furred form and restored his intellect. Soon after, Hank and Trish began seeing each other romantically, however her work often intruded on their relationship and the pair ultimately called it off. After X-Factor disbanded, Hank returned to the ranks of the X-Men and became the team's resident technological and medical genius, working on everything from advanced alien technology to the deadly mutantkilling Legacy Virus. Hank also continued his on/off relationship with Trish until she released information on the Virus to the public, which caused hysteria that culminated in the beating to death of a young mutant. During this tenure with the X-Men, Hank was lured into a trap and replaced in the ranks of the X-Men by the Dark Beast, an alternate-reality version of himself. Sealed behind a brick wall, Hank was nearly about to give up and let fate win when his water tube broke and spurted, revealing the grooves of a trap door in his cell. Energized by hope, Hank broke his restraints and escaped with the aid of the new government-sponsored X-Factor team. Hank returned to the X-Men, and soon after met with Trish to apologize for his previous harsh treatment of her. She forgave him and the pair renewed their relationship. Hank eventually took an extended leave of absence from the X-Men to work on a cure for the Legacy Virus, which he ultimately found thanks to his implementing the work of his former colleague, the late Moira MacTaggert. Soon after, Hank joined Storm's team of X-Treme X-Men in their quest for the diaries of the late mutant seer Destiny. Almost killed in the team's first battle with the villainous Vargas, Hank's life was saved by his teammate Tessa who used a heretofore-unseen power to accelerate the Beast's mutation to a new level. Hank returned to Xavier's mansion to recuperate and mutated further, becoming bulkier, heavier, and taking on a more leonine appearance. Forced to relearn fine motor control over his body, Hank once again served as the team's resident genius, as well as an active teacher of dozens of young mutants at the renamed Xavier Institute of Higher Learning. Unable to deal with his latest mutation, Trish called Hank and ended their relationship over the phone. Soon after, Hank was beaten into a coma by Beak, who was possessed by Professor Xavier's malevolent twin Cassandra Nova, who herself had possessed Xavier's body. Hank recovered in time to expose her plans and Cassandra was ultimately defeated, but not before she had exposed her brother Charles to the world as a mutant, forever changing life at the Xavier mansion for the X-Men. Real Name: Henry "Hank" P. McCoy; Aliases: Formerly Kreature, Mutate #666; Identity: Publicly known; Occupation: Adventurer, geneticist; former biochemist, college lecturer; Citizenship: U.S.A.; Place of Birth: Dundee, Illinois; Known Relatives: Sadie McCoy (grandmother), Edna McCoy (mother), Norton McCoy (father), Robert McCoy (uncle); Group Affiliation: X-Men, formerly X-Treme X-Men, Acolytes (while mind-controlled), XFactor/X-Terminators, Defenders, Avengers, Rejects; Education: Ph. D. Biochemistry; Height: 5'11"; Weight: 402 lbs.; Eyes: Blue; Hair: (Originally) Brown; (currently) Bluish-black Quantum 1; Quantum Pool 15 (Regenerate every hour); Willpower 9; Taint 1; Nature: Judge Demeanor: Bon Vivant; Strength 5 (1, Precision), Dexterity 5 (1, Flexibility, Physical Prodigy), Stamina 5 (1, Regeneration), Charisma 4, Manipulation 2, Appearance 2, Perception 5 (1, Electromagnetic Vision), Intelligence 5 (1, Enhanced Memory), Wits 5; Abilities: Academics (Literature) 4, Athletics 5, Awareness 3, Brawl 4, Command 3, Engineering 5, Etiquette 4, Intrusion 3, Investigation 5, Linguistics 5, Medicine 5, Rapport 4, Science 5; Backgrounds: Allies 5, Cipher 1, Contacts 5, Node 2, Resources 3; Merits: Calm Heart, Catlike Balance, Computer Aptitude, Huge Size; Flaws: Strange Appearance; Quantum Powers: Claws 4, Extra Limbs (Can use his feet as well as his hands to grip things); Soak: Bashing 6 dice, Lethal 3 dice (Heals rates are tripled, Dice pool penalties reduced by one, Lifespan 150+ years).

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Munroe, Ororo (Storm) Ororo Monroe is the descendant of an ancient line of African priestesses, all of whom have white hair, blue eyes, and the potential to wield magic. Her mother, N'dare, was an African princess who married American photojournalist David Monroe and moved with him to Manhattan, where Ororo was born. When Ororo was six months old, she and her parents moved to Cairo, Egypt. Five years later, during the Arab-Israeli conflict, a plane crashed into their home. Ororo's parents were killed, but she survived, buried under rubble near her mother's body. The resultant trauma left Ororo with severe claustrophobia that still affects her today. Ororo managed to escape the rubble of her shattered home with nothing but the tattered clothes on her back and her mother's ancestral ruby. Homeless and orphaned, Ororo was found by a gang of street urchins who took her to their master, Achmed el-Gibar. Achmed trained Ororo in the arts of thievery and she soon became his prize pupil, excelling in picking both pockets and locks. During her time in Cairo, Ororo picked the pocket of an American tourist. The man proved no easy mark, however, as he was Charles Xavier, a powerful mutant telepath who used his abilities to stop the theft. At that moment, Xavier was psionically attacked by another mutant and Ororo used the opportunity to escape. Years later, feeling a strong urge to wander south, Ororo left Cairo. During her travels, Ororo navely accepted a ride from a complete stranger and was almost raped by him. Forced to defend herself, Ororo killed the man. From that moment, she swore never to take another human life. Ororo wandered for thousands of miles, almost dying during her trek across the Sahara Desert. Her mutant ability to psionically control the weather emerged soon after, and she was able to use them to rescue T'Challa, a prince of the African nation of Wakanda, from his would-be kidnappers. The pair spent much time together, however T'Challa's duties as a prince prevented them from further exploring their burgeoning mutual attraction. Finally, Ororo reached her ancestors' homeland on the Serengeti Plain in Kenya. She was taken in by an elderly tribal woman named Ainet who taught her to be responsible with her powers. Ororo soon came to be the object of worship of the local tribes who believed her to be a goddess due to her gift. Years later, Ororo was forced to battle the threat of a fellow mutant weather manipulator known as Deluge, who sought revenge against humanity. With the help of several members of the team of mutant heroes known as the X-Men, Deluge was seemingly destroyed and Ororo returned to her life amongst the tribal people. The X-Men subsequently told their founder, Professor Xavier, about Storm but he declined to contact her at this point, not wanting to shock the young woman with the true nature of her powers. Months later, however, Xavier was left with no choice but to recruit Storm and other mutants from around the world into the X-Men in order to rescue his original students from the threat of the sentient island being known as Krakoa. Xavier explained to Ororo that she was not a "goddess", but a mutant, and as such she had a responsibility to use her abilities to help the world just as she had helped the local tribes. Curious, Ororo accepted Xavier's offer, and was given the codename "Storm". Storm was initially very nave when it came to the customs of the modern world, but her team mate Jean Grey helped educate her in the ways of society and the pair formed a lasting friendship. Jean was also one of the first X-Men to learn of Storm's claustrophobia after the two women chased a thief into the subway. After serving with the team for many years, Storm was appointed leader of the team following the departure of former leader Cyclops after the apparent death of Jean. Storm was initially unsure about her new role, but with the support of her team mates she soon became a capable leader. When Cyclops eventually returned to the team, Storm found herself doubting her leadership abilities once more after a mission she led went wrong. However, she soon asserted her position, reminding Cyclops that she was now team leader. Later, after the X-Men were captured and taken into space by the insectoid alien race known as the Brood, Storm fought back but her powers flared out of control. She discovered that she had been implanted with a Brood egg that would hatch and transform her into one of the aliens. Now wanting to unleash such an evil into the world, Storm attempted to commit suicide by channelling all of the surrounding stellar energy into her own body, destroying the Brood embryo but leaving her drifting unprotected in space. She would have died in the vacuum had it not been for a member of the Acanti, a race of space faring whale-like creatures that had been enslaved by the Brood. The Acanti that saved Storm was revealed to be the caretaker of the soul of his entire race who had lost his mother to the Brood and needed guidance. Storm agreed to let her consciousness guide the young Acanti whilst it healed her damaged body, and, after the Brood were defeated, a restored Storm returned home with the X-Men. Soon after, the X-Men encountered the underground community of mutants known as the Morlocks who had kidnapped one of their former members, Angel. To save her friends, Storm challenged the Morlock leader Callisto to a duel and bested her in hand-to-hand combat. As a result, Storm became leader of the Morlocks and she ordered them to cease their hostilities against the surface-dwelling humans. When the X-Men later travelled to Japan to attend the wedding of their team member Wolverine, Storm first met the ninja named Yukio. A friend of Wolverine's, Yukio was the most care free spirit that Ororo had ever met and the two became fast friends. Yukio influenced a major rebellious change in Storm's attitude towards life, and she took to wearing leather and shaved her hair into a Mohawk. Storm later had her powers accidentally neutralized by a gun invented by the mutant machinesmith named Forge, who took it upon himself to nurse Storm back to health. During her convalescence, Storm and Forge fell in love but their relationship was cut short after Storm learned Forge had created the device that stripped her of her powers. 269

Storm subsequently quit the X-Men and returned to Africa where she finally came to terms with losing her mutant ability. Returning to Cairo, Storm joined Xavier's newest team of young mutants, the New Mutants, in an adventure into the past during which Storm met one of her ancestors who helped the heroes return to their own time. Storm and the New Mutants were subsequently captured by the Asgardian trickster god Loki who sought to use Storm in one of his schemes to discredit his half-brother, the thunder god Thor, by restoring her abilities and brainwashing her into believing she was a goddess. With the aid of the X-Men, Storm was able to reject Loki's gifts, thus thwarting his plan. Storm returned to the X-Men to find herself being challenged to a duel for leadership of the team by Cyclops. Despite her still being powerless, she won and Cyclops quit the team. Soon after, the X-Men and the Hellfire Club formed an alliance to combat the growing threats against mutants that saw Storm share the position of White King with a reformed Magneto. The alliance was to be short-lived, however, after Storm decided that in order to safeguard their friends and families from their many enemies, the X-Men must fake their deaths and become an underground proactive strikeforce. Soon Storm realized that she needed her powers restored and so she sought out Forge for his help. She found Forge's old mentor Naz instead, who informed her that Forge had been corrupted by his nemesis, the Adversary, and was seeking to destroy the world. Unbeknownst to Storm, the Adversary had actually corrupted Naz. When Storm finally located Forge, she found him atop a mountain seemingly opening a dimensional portal filled with demons. Storm struck Forge down, and only then realized he had been attempting to close the portal, not open it. The Adversary then trapped Storm and Forge in the other dimension and seized control of Dallas, warping time and space in order to foment chaos on Earth. Storm and Forge spent a year on an alternate Earth, during which time they made peace and admitted their love for one another. Forge used components from his cybernetic leg to fashion a new device that restored Storm's powers which she then used to energize a portal back to their own world. They rejoined the X-Men in time to defeat the Adversary, imprisoning him at the cost of their own lives. However, the Omniversal Guardian named Roma restored the X-Men to life, freeing the Adversary under the notion that there could be no order without chaos. Soon after, Storm was captured by the crazed scientist known as Nanny who sought to use Storm's abilities in her quest to liberate the world's super-powered children by making orphans of them. Nanny used her technology to de-age Storm to her pre-teens and strip her memories so as to better sway the mutant to her cause. However, Storm fought back and overloaded Nanny's device. Once more a child with no memories of her life as an X-Man, the young Storm returned to her life as a thief. On one caper, she found herself the target of the psychic being known as the Shadow King but was saved by a fellow mutant and thief named Gambit. The pair formed a partnership and, after Storm regained her memories, she took Gambit to meet the X-Men. Storm was eventually restored to adulthood after the X-Men were captured by agents of the island nation of Genosha who used mutants as slaves. Storm underwent the mutate transformation process, however the Genoshan Genegineer and Chief Magistrate were members of a rebel faction. They restored Storm's body and mind, and the X-Men were able to defeat their aggressors. Soon after, the X-Men were reformed into two separate strike teams, with Cyclops and Storm as coleaders. Forge aided both teams as their resident technician, however this left little time for them to rekindle their relationship. Forge still asked Storm to marry him, but she hesitated on giving a reply. Forge was left thinking she did not truly love him and he left before she could respond with a "yes". Months later, the eternal mutant Apocalypse made a bid for power by gathering together the Twelve, a group of mutants prophesied to usher in a golden age for their kind that counted Storm amongst their number. Apocalypse was defeated, but not before the ultimate extent of Storm's mutant power was revealed in an alternate future wherein she had evolved into a wholly elemental being. Not long after, Storm and five of her team mates formed a splinter group of X-Men, cutting all ties with the rest of the team to search for the diaries of the blind mutant seer Destiny that mapped the future of mutants. During a mission in Australia, Storm was reunited with Gambit who sought to obtain her mother's ruby. It was revealed that the ruby was part of a set that, when empowered, could open a portal between dimensions. Several of the gems had already gone missing, and Gambit wished to ensure that Storm's ruby remained safe. At that moment, the other-dimensional warrior named Shaitan attacked, capturing Gambit and stealing the ruby. Shaitan used the gems and Gambit's mutant ability to empower them, thus opening a portal allowing the armies of his master, Khan, to pass through and invade Earth. Storm's X-Men opposed the invaders, but she was seriously injured by Madripoor's ruling crimelord Viper and was subsequently taken prisoner by Khan himself. The warlord intended for Storm to be his queen, and commanded his physicians to heal her. Storm attempted to seduce Khan into calling off his invasion whilst her team mates fought to close the portal. Khan's other concubines grew jealous of Storm's advances and attempted to kill her. Despite her injuries, Storm prevailed and escaped, rejoining her team mates as they destroyed the portal. During her subsequent recuperation, which required her to undertake physical therapy to heal her back and legs, Storm and her team were asked back to the mansion to rejoin the core X-Men team. Storm declined, however, believing that there was still work for her team to do. During a world summit to address the increasing hostilities between humans and mutants, Storm offered her X-Men team's services to the United Nations as a global mutant police force, the X-Treme Sanctions Executive. 270

Storm's first mission would be a solo one as she was charged with infiltrating and exposing an underground slave trading network that forced mutants to fight in gladiator-style arenas. Soon after, Storm and her team returned to Westchester to help rebuild the mansion following an attack by Magneto and stayed on to continue their new direction. With the XSE, Ororo and her teammates opposed such threats as the Weaponeers and the extradimensional Fury, as well as aiding the Hellfire Club against an attack by rogue member Donald Pierce. Ororo was captured by the saurian Haukka who amplified her powers with the intent of creating a global hyper-storm to destroy human civilization, but she was freed by her teammate Rachel. Later, Ororo accompanied Havoks X-Men team to Africa to investigate animal mutations. Alongside the Black Panther, Ororo and the X-Men opposed Genoshan scientist Doctor Paine and the Russian criminal the Red Ghost, after which Ororo opted to leave the X-Men and remain in Africa. Following the restoration of reality after it was warped by the Scarlet Witch, the majority of the worlds mutants lost their powers and Ororo sought to safeguard those mutants remaining in Africa. During her efforts, Ororo was proposed to by the Black Panther. Returning to Wakanda with him, Ororo met his mother and, while contemplating TChallas proposal, learned that her uncle Shetani was responsible for the attacks on African mutants. After confronting him, Ororo met her maternal grandmother and learned more of her familys history. Subsequently, she accepted TChallas proposal and the pair were married in Wakanda. After their honeymoon, the royal couple embarked on a world tour, meeting with global leaders such as Doctor Doom and Namor the Sub-Mariner before deciding to form a global alliance to oppose the U.S. Superhuman Registration Act. Arriving in the U.S., TChalla and Ororo sought a meeting with the President; however, Ororo was required to register as a superhuman before the meeting could proceed. Refusing, Ororo was subsequently targeted for arrest, and alongside her husband opposed Sentinels and Iron Man sent to apprehend her. After Iron Man stood down, Ororo and TChalla opted to remain in the U.S. on a fact-finding mission prior to taking action against the Registration Act. Real Name: Ororo Munroe; Aliases: "Beauty," Wind-Rider, "Stormy," Mutate #20, White King, "Goddess of the Plains", 'Ro; Identity: Publicly known; Occupation: Queen of Wakanda, adventurer; former gladiator, student, thief, tribal patron; Citizenship: Dual U.S./Wakandan citizenship; Place of Birth: New York City, New York; Known Relatives: Ashake (ancestor, deceased), unidentified paternal grandfather, Harriet Munroe (paternal grandmother), unidentified maternal grandmother, David Munroe (father, deceased), Ndare Munroe (mother, deceased), unidentified paternal aunt (deceased), Colonel Shetani (maternal uncle), David Munroe Jr. (nephew), T'Challa (Black Panther, husband), extended in-law family via marriage; Group Affiliation: X-Men, Fantastic Four; formerly X-Treme Sanctions Executive, X-Treme X-Men, Tokyo Arena, Twelve, Brides of Set, Hellfire Club (Inner Circle), Morlocks (leader); Education: College-level courses at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, Westchester, New York; Height: 5'11"; Weight: 127 lbs.; Eyes: Blue, glowing white when using powers; Hair: White Quantum 4; Quantum Pool 45 (Regenerate every hour); Willpower 9; Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Charisma 4, Manipulation 3, Appearance 5, Perception 4, Intelligence 3, Wits 4; Abilities: Awareness 4, Athletics 3, Brawl 4, Etiquette 4, Intrusion 4, Linguistics 3, Occult 3, Rapport 4, Science 3, Stealth 4, Subterfuge 4, Streetwise 5, Style 4; Backgrounds: Allies 5, Contacts 5, Node 3, Resources 4; Merits: Natural Leader; Flaws: Claustrophobia; Quantum Powers: Weather Manipulation (All Techniques) 7; Soak: Bashing 3, Lethal 1 (Healing rates are doubled. Lifespan 150+ years.) Rasputin, Piotr (Colossus) Growing up on his parents' farm, Piotr Rasputin saw his older brother Mikhail become a Cosmonaut. Mikhail was later discovered to be a latent mutant with energy warping powers, and to keep him secret the government faked his death. In later years, Piotr learned that he too was a mutant, and could transform his flesh into steel, but he was content to use his powers to help his fellow farmers. When a transformed Piotr rescued his sister Illyana from a runaway tractor, he was approached by Professor Charles Xavier, who was recruiting mutants for a new team of X-Men to help save his original students from the sentient island Krakoa. Dubbed Colossus by Xavier, Piotr reluctantly joined this new team, which freed the original X-Men and helped defeat Krakoa. After the battle, Piotr remained with the X-Men in America, though he found it difficult to adjust to living in a different culture. When the X-Men visited the prehistoric Savage Land in Antarctica, Colossus saved some native women from a dinosaur. In return, the two surviving women, Nereel and Shakani, bade him join in a ritual to honor their fallen friend. Said ritual involved the creation of a new life, and though Piotr was initially reluctant, the two women persisted until he surrendered himself to their affections. Later, the X-Men were captured by the assassin Arcade, who brainwashed Colossus into believing he was the Proletarian, workers' hero of communist Russia, and turned him against his teammates. Colossus overcame this conditioning, and the X-Men soon faced the reality-manipulating mutant Proteus, who proved to be vulnerable to metal. Seizing upon this weakness, Colossus plunged his metal fists into the heart of Proteus' energy form, seemingly destroying him and taking Colossus' innocence along with him. Soon after, the X-Men recruited young mutant Kitty Pryde. Despite their initial shyness, a romance blossomed between her and Colossus. Later, Arcade's assistant Miss Locke kidnapped the X-Men's loved ones, including Illyana, to coerce the team into rescuing Arcade from the despotic Doctor Doom. The X-Men rescued them, and Illyana remained with her brother at Xavier's mansion. Eventually, Illyana

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was trapped in the demon-filled realm Limbo by its then-master, Belasco. She remained his captive for many years, though only moments had elapsed on Earth, and returned as the adolescent sorceress Magik. Colossus and Kitty grew closer, finally admitting their feelings for one another. Colossus was among the X-Men forced by the godlike Beyonder to fight on his Battleworld. There, he fell in love with the healer Zsaji. After Colossus was killed by a cosmic-powered Doom, Zsaji gave her life to resurrect him. A heartbroken Colossus returned to Earth, ending his relationship with Kitty, though they remained friends. Colossus was later forced to take another life when the Marauders attacked the subterranean Morlocks. To save his teammate Nightcrawler, Colossus killed the Marauder Riptide; however, Riptide's attacks caused Colossus' bio-energy to leak from his metallic form like blood from a flesh wound. The X-Men's then-ally Magneto attempted to heal Colossus with his magnetic powers, but was only able to close the wounds, trapping Colossus in his metal state. Recuperating on Muir Isle, Colossus later rejoined the X-Men in opposing the mystic Adversary in Dallas. When the X-Men returned to the Savage Land after it had been razed by the giant alien Terminus, Colossus was reunited with Nereel. He met her son, Peter, unaware that the boy was the result of his earlier union with Nereel. After a failed demonic invasion of New York, Illyana regressed in age. Colossus believed she would be safer away from the X-Men and sent her home to Russia while he returned to Australia with the team. Weary of seemingly endless battles, the X-Men entered the Siege Perilous, a mystic gateway that judged all who entered it and sent them to new lives. Colossus emerged virtually amnesiac, establishing a new identity as Peter Nicholas, a building superintendent who became a renowned artist. While in this identity, he would encounter the Morlock ex-leader Callisto, whose appearance was altered into that of a beautiful woman by the skincontrolling Morlock, Masque. His idyllic existence ended when he was possessed by the psychic Shadow King and sent to kill Xavier. He was freed when Xavier erased the Peter Nicholas persona, restoring Colossus' true self, and he rejoined the X-Men. Soon after, the X-Men were pulled into a dimensional void where Colossus was reunited with Mikhail. The X-Men returned to Earth, bringing Mikhail with them; however, Mikhail's sanity had suffered due to his long years of isolation and he snapped, leading the Morlocks in an apparent mass suicide. Unknown to Colossus, Mikhail had actually teleported the Morlocks to an alternate dimension known as "the Hill." Meanwhile, the Russian government invaded the Rasputin home, killing Colossus' parents and capturing Illyana, whom they sought to genetically accelerate to combat the threat of the mutant Soul Skinner. She was soon rescued by Colossus and came to live with him in America. Eventually, Illyana fell victim to the mutantkilling Legacy Virus, and a disillusioned Colossus abandoned Xavier's dream, joining Magneto's disciples, the Acolytes. Peter would care for the mindwiped Magneto after Professor X avenged Wolverine's injuries at the master of magnetism's hands. After the destruction of Magneto's orbital base Avalon, at the hands of Holocaust, a mutant from a reality where Apocalypse was master of most of the world, Colossus would be reunited with Callisto, who he had feelings from while suffering from amnesia under the influence of the Siege Perilous. Later on, Piotr searched for Kitty, then a member of the British super-team Excalibur. When he found Kitty kissing her then-boyfriend Pete Wisdom, Colossus nearly beat Wisdom to death in a jealous rage. Excalibur took responsibility for Colossus, and he came to accept his role with the team, serving as a valued member until they disbanded, after which Colossus rejoined the X-Men. When Xavier temporarily disbanded the X-Men in an effort to flush out an alien imposter, Colossus and his teammate Marrow set off on vacation, but were instead teleported to the Hill. There, Colossus freed Mikhail from the corrupting influence of a sentient energy being and took him back to Earth. Soon after, during a clash between the X-Men and the forces of Apocalypse, Mikhail used his powers to teleport Apocalypse's Horsemen to parts unknown. Following the death of renowned geneticist Moira MacTaggert, the X-Men's resident scientist the Beast used her work to create a cure for the Legacy Virus; however, it could not be activated without emulating the manner in which the plague had first been discharged: through the death of an infected mutant. Having stood by, powerless, as his sister succumbed to the virus, Colossus injected himself with the formula. The serum caused his powers to flare, spreading the cure into Earth's atmosphere, claiming his life in the process. Colossus' body was supposedly cremated, and Kitty scattered the ashes over his Russian farmland home; however, his body had secretly been stolen by Ord, an alien who had learned that an Earthly mutant would be responsible for destroying his world. Ord had come to Earth to declare war, but the spy agency S.W.O.R.D., a sub-division of S.H.I.E.L.D. handling extraterrestrial matters, was able to settle diplomatically with him. Ord had Colossus restored to life and imprisoned him for years while experimenting on him. Ultimately, Ord discovered the Legacy Virus cure still in Colossus' system and presented his findings to Benetech geneticist Doctor Kavita Rao, who modified it to create a "cure" for the "mutant condition." Learning of the cure, the X-Men went to Benetech to investigate. There, Kitty found Colossus alive and, after overcoming her initial shock, took him to aid the X-Men against Ord. Defeated, Ord was taken into custody, and Colossus returned home with the X-Men to adjust to his new lease on life. Soon after, Colossus became involved in a mystery involving the deaths of several of his cousins, all of whom (like himself) were descended from the doom of Old Russia, Grigory Rasputin. After going back home to protect what was left of his family, Colossus was able to locate his cousin and uncle. They all brought to light the problems with the family and insanity only to later find out that Grigory was attempting to return through his descendants. Grigory had been part of a master plan that was centuries in the working. Grigory and Mr. Sinister 272

had been working towards the return of Apacolypse and the destruction of humanity. Believing this Colossus found that his Mister Sinister had teamed with his brother Mikhail to hasten the process. Colossus and Mikhail began to fight with each other over who would be the last Rasputin left to inherit Grigory's soul. Ultimately, Mikhail sought to protect Colossus by exiling himself to ensure Grigori could never return. After breaking out of custody, Ord once again attacked Colossus and the X-Men. In the midst of battle, the X-Men were pulled from Earth by S.W.O.R.D. in order to deal with the increasingly hostile situation with Breakworld. Aboard the S.W.O.R.D. ship, it was revealed that Colossus is the mutant destined to destroy Breakworld. Real Name: Piotr Nikolaievitch Rasputin; Aliases: Peter Rasputin, formerly Peter Nicholas, the Proletarian; Identity: Secret; Occupation: Adventurer, former artist, superintendent, student, farmer; Citizenship: U.S.A. (naturalized), formerly Russian; Place of Birth: Ust-Ordynski Collective, near Lake Baikal, Siberia, Russia; Known Relatives: Grigory Efimovich Rasputin (great-grandfather, deceased), Elena (greatgrandmother, deceased), Ivan Rasputin (great-grand uncle, deceased), Grigory Rasputin (grandfather, deceased), Nikolai Rasputin (father, deceased), Alexandra Rasputina (mother, deceased), Vladimir Rasputin (uncle, deceased), unidentified aunt & uncle (deceased), Illyana Nikolievna Rasputina (Magik, sister, deceased), Mikhail Rasputin (brother), Peter Jr. (son), Larissa Mishchenko (cousin, deceased), Konstantin (cousin, deceased), Klara (cousin, deceased), Dimitriy (cousin, deceased); Group Affiliation: X-Men, formerly Excalibur, Acolytes; Education: College level courses taken at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, no degree; Height: 6'6"; (transformed) 7'5"; Weight: 250 lbs., (transformed) 500 lbs.; Eyes: Blue, (transformed) Silver; Hair: Black; Nature: Martyr, Demeanor: Penitent; Strength 4 (3), Dexterity 3, Stamina 4 (3), Charisma 2, Manipulation 2, Appearance 3, Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 4; Abilities: Athletics 5, Brawl 5, Command 3, Endurance 3, Engineering 4, Etiquette 4, Firearms 3, Intrusion 3, Investigation 3, Linguistics 2, Medicine 2, Melee 4, Occult 4, Resistance 3, Science 2, Stealth 4, Streetwise 2; Willpower 7; Merits: Iron Will, Berserker; Flaws: Soft hearted, Ward; Special Powers: (Note: Dormancy 4 or 5 for alternate form), Armor 3 Rogue (Freedom Fighter) Raised by her Aunt Carrie after tragedy befell her parents, young Anna Marie ran away from home and was taken in by Mystique and Destiny (Irene Adler), whom Rogue came to regard as her surrogate parents. Rogue's mutant power first manifested in her early teens when she kissed Cody Robbins. Her mind filled with his memories, and he fell into a permanent coma. Eventually realizing she could never safely live among normal people, Rogue began participating in her foster mother's criminal endeavors and came to join Mystique's terrorist Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. On her first mission, the inexperienced Rogue clashed with Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers) and permanently absorbed the hero's memories and powers, including super-strength and flight. Distraught over her lack of control, Rogue turned to her enemies, the X-Men. Convinced of her sincerity, Professor Xavier accepted her onto the team; however, it wasn't until Rogue risked her own life to save Wolverine's fiance Mariko Yashida that she began to gain her teammates' trust. Rogue and teammate Gambit fell in love despite her inability to safely touch him. Eventually, he and Rogue formed a splinter group with four other X-Men to search for Destiny's diaries, which predicted the future of mutant kind. During their quest, Rogue and Gambit were rendered powerless, and the pair seized the opportunity to pursue living a normal life together in the mutant-friendly community of Valle Soleada in California. Soon after, they came to the X-Men's aid against the mutant predator Elias Bogan and subsequently rejoined the team. Regaining her power of absorption thanks to the jumpstarting ability of her teammate Sage, Rogue set out on a personal quest to rediscover her past. Rogue learned that her parents, Owen and Priscilla, had sought out the Far Banks, a world of dreams that required a state of heightened consciousness to enter. With the help of Campbell, who was in fact a mutant dream, she journeyed into a dream world and stopped her mother from breaching the barriers between that place and our world. However, in his desperation to reach it, Owen selfishly betrayed Priscilla and, as a result, Priscilla sacrificed herself to protect the Far Banks from people like him. Traveling to the Far Banks herself, Rogue was able to make peace with her mother's spirit. Soon after, a woman named Blindspot revealed her shared past with Rogue, dating from before the formation of Mystique's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, when they were a team, and Blindspot was the only one who could touch Rogue, due to the similar nature of their powers. Rogue and Sunfire were later defeated and captured by Mystique. In captivity, Sunfire forced Rogue to take his remaining power to avenge his immanent death. She has absorbed his powers, perhaps permanently. Returning to Xavier's mansion, Rogue and Gambit began telepathic therapy sessions with Emma Frost to try to find a solution to their inability to touch, without success. A student of Gambit named Foxx tried to seduce him and was revealed to be Mystique. Mystique wanted to break up the couple so that Rogue could finally have a normal relationship with someone else. Mystique brought along her protg Pulse for this purpose, but this backfired when Pulse didn't want to be used. Rogue stayed with Gambit until he was transformed by Apocalypse into Death, one of his four Horsemen. Rogue refused to believe her love had turned, but after Death tried to kill her a few times she started to let go. She still holds on to the hope that he will eventually return, but that seems like a slim chance, even to her.

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Following the breakup, Rogue worked with Cyclops and Emma Frost to rescue mutants being experimented on by a clinic. Afterwards, she was offered a role as a strike team leader by Cyclops. With the luxury to choose her own team, Rogue put together a motley crew of X-Men and former villains, including Mystique, to stop the Children of the Vault, advanced humans who had attacked the mansion. After her and her team defeated the Children Of The Vault, rogue announced her teams departure from the mansion. Recently Rogue and her squad had to take down a villain named Pandemic, pandemic's goal was to take Rogue's power and add it to his collection of powers that he had absorbed already, he infected her with a disease called strain 88 and it took a very bad effect on her. When her squad of X-men took Pandemic down they freed Rogue but she was too weak to do anything and had to be hospitalized on Cable's island,Providence. While on Providence a new threat was released within the mind of Lady Mastermind, called the Hecatomb.With the other X-men having a very hard time defeating the Hecatomb, Cable with his mind merged with an alien species that wanted to destroy the hecatomb had no other choice but to wake Rogue from her comatose state of mind. She easily defeated the alien by absorbing it's powers and memories since the hecatomb had already taken in so many lives and alien species beforehand. Although she has recovered, she now seems to have a hunger to absorb the people around her. Real Name: Anna Marie (full name unrevealed); Aliases: Anna Raven, Doctor Kellogg, Mutate #9602, Irene Adler, Miss Smith; Identity: Secret; Occupation: Adventurer, former mechanic, waitress, terrorist; Citizenship: U.S.A.; Place of Birth: Caldecott County, Mississippi; Known Relatives: Owen (father), Priscilla (mother), Carrie (aunt), Raven Darkhlme (Mystique, foster mother), Irene Adler (Destiny, foster mother), Graydon Creed (foster brother, deceased); Group Affiliation: X-Men, formerly X-Treme Sanctions Executive, XTreme X-Men, Brotherhood of Evil Mutants; Education: College-level courses at Xavier's School, partial law degree; Height: 5'8"; Weight: 120 lbs.; Eyes: Green; Hair: Brown with white streak Quantum 5; Quantum Pool 100 (Regenerate every 15 minutes); Willpower 7; Taint 4; Strength 5 (1, Crush), Dexterity 4, Stamina 5 (1, Durability), Appearance 5, Manipulation 2, Charisma 5, Perception 2 (1, Electromagnetic Vision), Intelligence 2, Wits 3; Skills: Athletics 5, Brawl 5, Drive 3, Endurance 3, Engineering 4, Intimidation 4, Intrusion 4, Investigation 2, Linguistics (French and Japanese) 2, Martial Arts 5, Melee 5, Might 3, Occult 2, Resistance 3, Subterfuge 3; Backgrounds: Allies 3, Backing 2, Cipher 3, Contacts 3, Node 3, Resources 2; Quantum Powers: Flight 5 (196 / action, 310 mph), Hyperflight 2 (393 / action, 620 mph), Quantum Bolt 5 (Plasma, Range 490, Damage 10 + 20 dice lethal, Supercharge 10 + 30 dice lethal) , Quantum Imprint 10 (Does not affect Peter Petrelli); Merits: Iron Will; Flaws: Secret (3), Obsession (to avoid closeness); Soak: Bashing 6(+ 5 + Stamina), Lethal 20 (+ 5 + Stamina), (Dice pool penalties reduced by one, Healing rates are tripled, Lifespan 150+ years) Summers, Scott (Cyclops) Scott Summers was the first of two sons born to Major Christopher Summers, a test pilot for the U.S. Air Force, and his wife Katherine. Christopher was flying his family home from vacation when their plane was attacked by a spacecraft from the interstellar Shi'ar Empire. To save their lives, Katherine pushed Scott and his brother Alex out of the plane with the only available parachute. Scott suffered a head injury upon landing, thus forever preventing him from controlling his mutant power by himself. With their parents presumed dead, the authorities separated the two boys. Alex was adopted, but Scott remained comatose in a hospital for a year. On recovering, he was placed in an orphanage in Omaha, Nebraska that was secretly controlled by his future enemy, the evil geneticist Mister Sinister. As a teenager, Scott came into the foster care of Jack Winters, a mutant criminal known as the Jack O'Diamonds. After Scott began to suffer from severe headaches he was sent to a specialist who discovered that lenses made of ruby quartz corrected the problem. Soon after, Scott's mutant power first erupted from his eyes as an uncontrollable blast of optic force. The blast demolished a crane, causing it to drop its payload toward a terrified crowd. Scott saved lives by obliterating the object with another blast, but the bystanders believed that he had tried to kill them and rallied into an angry mob. Scott fled, escaping on a freight train. Winters sought to use Scott's newfound talent in his crimes, and physically abused the young boy when he initially refused. However, Scott's display of power had attracted the attention of the mutant telepath Professor Charles Xavier, who teamed up with F.B.I. agent Fred Duncan in their mutual attempt to find Scott. Scott was rescued from Winters' clutches and was enlisted by Xavier as the first member of the X-Men, a team of young mutants who trained to use their powers in the fight for human/mutant equality. As Cyclops, Scott became deputy leader of the X-Men. While he was a skilled tactician, his social skills were lacking. Scott had fallen in love with his teammate Jean Grey, but his reserved demeanor prevented him from expressing his feelings for her for years. When Xavier's other original recruits left the fold following an encounter with the sentient island-being Krakoa, Cyclops stayed on as deputy leader of the new team. Shortly thereafter, the cosmic entity known as the Phoenix Force took Jean's place. When it committed suicide, Scott believed the love of his life had died and he left the X-Men. During his time away from the team, Scott met fishing boat captain Lee Forrester who helped him work through his grief. Scott eventually returned to the X-Men whereupon he met Madelyne Pryor, a woman who bore an uncanny resemblance to Jean. Unaware that Madelyne was a clone of Jean created by Sinister, Scott fell in love with Madelyne and they were soon married. Madelyne fell pregnant and bore Scott a son named Nathan Christopher.

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When the real Jean emerged from suspended animation, Scott abandoned his wife and son and rejoined the other original X-Men in establishing a new team, X-Factor. During a demonic invasion of New York City, XFactor and the X-Men fought against a super-powered and insane Madelyne. The invasion was thwarted after Madelyne perished in combat with Jean. Later, the mutant warlord named Apocalypse infected baby Nathan with a techno-organic virus. To save his son's life, Scott had to allow a member of the Clan Askani to transport Nathan two millennia into the future, where it had been foreseen that he would deliver the world from Apocalypses clutches. X-Factor disbanded soon after, and its members returned to the ranks of the X-Men. Scott and his long-time love Jean were married, and whilst on their honeymoon their spirits were taken into the timestream by the Clan Askanis matriarch. Arriving in the future, they inhabited new bodies and raised Nathan for twelve years. When they returned to their own time and bodies, Nathan remained in the future and ultimately matured into his time's greatest hero: Cable. Following Professor X's arrest for crimes committed as the evil psionic entity Onslaught, Scott assumed the role of leadership of the X-Men once more. Soon after, the government sponsored mutant-hunting operation known as "Zero Tolerance" took effect, and the villainous Bastion captured the X-Men. In his attempt to destroy mutantkind, Bastion placed a nanotech bomb inside Scotts body. The X-Men escaped, and the mutant doctor named Cecilia Reyes saved Scotts life. Scott and his wife soon took a leave of absence from the X-Men for a period of recuperation. Not long after returning to the team, Scott and Jean soon found themselves embroiled in Apocalypse's bid for cosmic power by assembling "The Twelve" - a group of mutants who would determine the fate of their kind that included Scott, Jean, and Cable. They were wired to a machine that would channel their awesome energies into Apocalypse, allowing him to absorb the body of the time-tossed powerful mutant teenager known as X-Man. As his teammates fell around him, a powerless Scott saved X-Man and merged with the would-be conqueror to create a new evil entity. Jean detected Scott's psyche inside Apocalypse and prevented the X-Men from destroying him, however he was presumed dead by most of his teammates. Only Jean and Cable refused to believe Scott had perished. Investigating rumors he was alive, the pair found him in the birthplace of Apocalypse in Akkaba, Egypt, struggling to reassert his mind over the villain's psyche. Ultimately, Jean was able to physically rip Apocalypse's essence from Scott's body using her mental powers, and Cable destroyed it with his own powers. Scott left for a small period of recuperation, during which he met and reconciled with his father. Afterwards, Scott returned to the X-Men, but his association with Apocalypse had given him a grimmer, more serious personality than ever before. As a result, many of his relationships became strained, including his marriage to Jean. Scott sought the counsel of his teammate Emma Frost and the pair began a psychic affair. When Jean discovered Scott's betrayal, he left the X-Men in order to sort out the mess his life had become. Following the outing of Professor X as a mutant to the world, his school was rechristened the Xavier Institute of Higher Learning and opened its doors to the mutant population at large, training and educating dozens of young new students to help them cope with their burgeoning abilities. After the death of his wife, Scott assumed the position of co-headmaster of the School alongside his new love, Emma. Cyclops's world was further upset when a mysterious mutant attacked and brought him and Marvel Girl to a secret abandoned facility. Cyclops eventually discovered that the mutant was none other than his brother Gabriel, who had been a student of Moira's that Professor X had sent to rescue Scott from Krakoa. Scott had witnessed the apparent deaths of Gabriel and his teammates; Xavier had mind-wiped him to alleviate the psychic trauma of the event. Shaken to the core, Cyclops expelled the then powerless Xavier from the Institute. The mask Cyclops wears to prevent random discharge is lined with powdered ruby quartz crystal. It incorporates two longitudinally mounted flat lenses that can lever inward providing a constantly variable exit slot. The inverted clamshell mechanism is operated by a twin system of miniature electrical motors. As a safety factor there is a constant positive closing pressure provided by springs. The mask itself is made of high-impact cycolac plastic. There is an overriding finger-operated control mechanism on either side of the mask, and normal operation is through a flat micro-switch installed in the thumb of either glove. Real Name: Scott Summers; Aliases: "Slim," formerly Slym Dayspring, Mutate #007, Erik the Red; Identity: Publicly known; Occupation: Co-headmaster of Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, adventurer, former student, former radio announcer; Citizenship: U.S.A.; Place of Birth: Anchorage, Alaska; Known Relatives: Philip Summers (grandfather), Deborah Summers (grandmother), Christopher Summers (Corsair, father), Katherine Anne Summers (mother, deceased), Alexander Summers (Havok, brother), Gabriel Summers (Vulcan, brother), Jack Winters (Jack O'Diamonds, former foster father), Jean Grey-Summers (Phoenix, wife), Madelyne PryorSummers (ex-wife, deceased), Nathan Christopher Summers (Cable, son), John Grey (father-in-law, deceased), Elaine Grey (mother-in-law, deceased), Sarah Grey-Bailey (sister-in-law, deceased), Aliya Jenskot (daughter-inlaw, deceased), Tyler Dayspring (Genesis, grandson, deceased), Stryfe (clone son, deceased), Rachel Summers (Marvel Girl, alternate timeline daughter); Group Affiliation: X-Men, formerly Twelve, X-Factor/X-Terminators; Education: College degree from Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, post-graduate courses; Height: 6 3; Weight: 195 lbs.; Eyes: Brown, glowing red when using powers; Hair: Brown Quantum 4 (Pool 55, Regenerate every 30 minutes); Willpower 9; Taint 1; Strength 4, Dexterity 4, Stamina 4, Charisma 3, Manipulation 3, Appearance 3, Perception 4, Intelligence 3, Wits 5; Abilities: Academics 4, Awareness 5, Athletics 1, Command 5, Drive 4, Endurance 3, Engineering 4, Investigation 4, Martial Arts 4, Medicine 3, Might 1, Pilot 5, Rapport 3, Resistance 3, Science 1, Subterfuge 2; Backgrounds: Allies 5, Backing 4, 275

Cipher 2, Contacts 5, Mentor 5, Node 3, Resources 4; Merits: Self Confident, Natural Leader, True Love; Flaws: Overconfident; Powers: Optic Blasts (Force, Permanent, Controlled by Machinery, 135 yard range, 12 Levels + 20 Dice Bashing) 5; Soak: Bashing 4, Lethal 2 (Healing rates are doubled. Lifespan 150+ years.) Wagner, Kurt (Nightcrawler) Born in Bavaria to the blue-skinned shapeshifting mutant later known as Mystique, Kurt Wagner was shunned at birth due to his having blue skin, pointed ears, fangs, and a long pointed tail. At the time disguised as the Baroness Wagner, Mystique's true identity was revealed after she gave birth to Kurt, and the pair were chased by an angry mob. Fleeing to the nearby falls, Mystique threw the infant Kurt over the edge and fled. Kurt was saved by his natural father, the enigmatic being known as Azazel, and given into the care of Margali Szardos, a sorceress and gypsy queen. Margali took baby Kurt to the small Bavarian circus where she worked as a fortune teller as a cover for her activities as a sorceress. Kurt was never legally adopted by anyone, but was raised by all the members of the circus, who had no prejudices against "freaks". Kurt grew up happily in the circus with his two closest friends, Margali's natural children Stefan and Jimaine. Stefan feared that his magical heritage may one day corrupt him, and so he had Kurt promise that if he ever killed without reason for Kurt to stop him. During his formative years Kurt exhibited tremendous natural agility, and quickly became the circus's star acrobat and trapeze artist with audiences assuming that he was simply a normal human dressed in a demon costume. Kurt worked closely with Jimaine, and the pair soon became involved in a romantic relationship. Years later, the Texas millionaire Amos Jardine, who ran a large circus based in Florida, heard of the circus Kurt worked for and bought it. Jardine intended to move its best acts into his American circus. However, he demanded that Kurt be placed in the circus's freak show, where he was imprisoned against his will and drugged in order to remain complacent. Eventually, a young boy would free Nightcrawler, who would threaten Jardine in order to make him remain a better owner to his circus friends. Nightcrawler then ran away and made his way back to Germany where he discovered that Stefan had gone mad and had brutally slain several members of a lost race of half-human creatures. Kurt found Stefan and fought him, hoping to stop his rampage, but in the course of the struggle Kurt unintentionally broke Stefan's neck. The villagers of the nearby town of Winzeldorf discovered Kurt and assumed him to be a demon who was responsible for the killings. They cornered Kurt in the town and were about to kill him when they were all psionically paralyzed by Professor Charles Xavier, who had come to recruit Kurt into his team of mutant super-heroes known as the X-Men. Kurt agreed to join the group, but before they left for America, he and Xavier went to the Bavarian circus so that Kurt could explain to Margali about Stefan's death. However, Margali was not there, and for years she held Kurt responsible for murdering Stefan. Later, she learned the truth and she and Kurt were reconciled. Kurt was also happily reunited with Jimaine, who had been living in the United States under the assumed name of Amanda Sefton. After many adventures with the X-Men, including a clash with the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants during which Kurt first met his mother Mystique (although he didn't know it at the time), discovering his ability to be invisible in shadow, traveling through dimensions with Kitty Pryde's dragon Lockheed, and more, Kurt was finally severely wounded during the attack on the underground colony of mutants known as the Morlocks by Riptide, a member of a team of mutant assassins named the Marauders. Kurt was taken to the mutant research facility on Muir Island off the coast of Scotland where he recuperated, but discovered that he could no longer teleport as he originally could, and that teleporting others caused a great strain. After hearing of the apparent "death" of the X-Men in Dallas when the team fought the Adversary, Kurt, Pryde, Rachel Summers, Captain Britain, and Meggan became the founding members of the British super-team Excalibur. After an encounter with the monarch of Latveria, the armored despot Dr. Doom, Kurt's powers were fully restored after Doom used an electromagnetic scrambler in an attempt to disrupt Kurt's teleportating abilities which instead accidentally realigned them. Following a misunderstanding with Captain Britain over his relationship with Meggan that resulted in a broken leg, Kurt reformed the team of alien bounty hunters known as the Technet into a team of costumed superhuman adventurers dubbed the N-Men. Following the Technet's departure, Kurt became Excalibur's leader after the team gained several new members, including the alien Shi'ar named Cerise. Kurt helped Cerise become accustomed to her new life on Earth, which led to the pair forming a romantic relationship. This was to be shortlived, however, after Cerise was found guilty of war crimes and returned to the Shi'ar Empire. After Captain Britain and Meggan were married, Kurt along with Shadowcat and Colossus decided it was time to return to the X-Men. Kurt once more served as a dedicated member of the team until after the battle with the mutant despot Apocalypse that resulted in the seemed death of the first X-Man, Cyclops. Soon after, the ever-devout catholic Kurt left the team to pursue aspirations of becoming a priest. During his studies, Kurt was attacked and wounded by Rax, the hunter of the group of evolved mutants known as the Neo. Fleeing, Kurt encountered mutant doctor Cecilia Reyes, and together the two faced the Neo until the X-Men arrived to swing the tide of battle. Kurt subsequently rejoined the X-Men while continuing his priesthood studies, but soon after took a leave of absence to mourn the death of his friend and team mate, Colossus. When he returned to the X-Men, it was as a fully ordained priest after apparently undertaking a ceremony at St. Michael's Church in Brooklyn which

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was overseen by Kurt's mentor, Father Whitney. Kurt even took to wearing a priest's collar as part of his X-Men uniform. Feeling uncomfortable after his longstanding Catholic training as a result of Kurt's feelings of unrest due to molestations by Catholic leaders, which were only exacerbated after the mutant ex-prostitute Stacy X joined the team and made advances towards him which he could not reciprocate due to his vocation. Ultimately it came to light that Kurt had never been fully ordained, rather he had been telepathically coerced into believing so as part of a plan by the Church of Humanity's Supreme Pontiff to bring down the Catholic Church by installing Kurt as the next Pope then revealing to the world that he was "satan". The X-Men subsequently defeated the Church of Humanity and prevented their plan for world domination. Soon after, Kurt found himself unable to resist the compulsion to travel to the Isla des Demonas off the coast of Florida. There, Kurt was manipulated into a ceremony with other teleporters like himself that opened a dimensional portal through which came an army of mutant demons. The X-Men arrived to recover their teammate and clashed with the army. During the battle, Kurt was forcibly removed from the ceremony which collapsed the portal, trapping all present into the other dimension. There, Kurt learned that the leader of the army, Azazel, was his natural father and the father of the other teleporters present. A mutant from biblical times, Azazel sought to use his children's combined powers to return to Earth and enslave humanity. However, Kurt rejected him and, with the aid of his newly-found half-brothers Abyss and Kiwi Black, Azazel was defeated. Nightcrawler has since gone on several missions of an occult nature, culminating in a battle against the demonic Hive who was revealed to be responsible for Stefan's rampage. Nightcrawler would be visited by Mephisto on his birthday shortly after that event, who told Nightcrawler that a war was brewing, and if Nightcrawler would take Mephisto's side, he could have any reward he wanted. Kurt rejected the offer, however. Recently, Nightcrawler has also met the dimensionally-stranded Nocturne, daughter of a Nightcrawler from an alternate timeline, who has taken to calling him "dad." Real Name: Kurt Wagner; Aliases: "Fuzzy Elf", formerly Gainsborough; Identity: Secret (known to British authorities); Occupation: Adventurer; former priest, circus performer; Citizenship: Germany; Place of Birth: Bavaria, Germany; Known Relatives: Azazel (father), Raven Darkholme (Mystique, mother), Graydon Creed (half-brother, deceased), Nils Styger (Abyss, half-brother), Kiwi Black (half-brother), other half-siblings (deceased), Margali Szardos (foster mother), Rogue (foster sister), Jimaine Szardos (Magik, Amanda Sefton, foster sister), Stefan Szardos (foster brother, deceased), Talia Wagner (Nocturne, alternate timeline daughter); Group Affiliation: X-Men; formerly Neyaphem, Excalibur, N-Men; Education: College-level courses at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters; Height: 5'9"; Weight: 161 lbs.; Eyes: Shining yellow, no visible pupils; Hair: Indigo Quantum 2; Quantum Pool 23 (Regenerate every hour); Willpower 8; Taint 1; Strength 3, Dexterity 5 (1, Flexibility), Stamina 3, Manipulation 2, Charisma 4, Appearance 1, Perception 4, Intelligence 3, Wits 5; Abilities: Athletics (Dodge) 5, Awareness 4, Brawl 4, Command 4, Endurance 3, Etiquette 5, Intrusion 4, Investigation 3, Linguistics 3, Melee 5, Occult 3, Resistance 3, Science 2, Stealth 5; Backgrounds: Allies 2, Attunement 5, Contacts 3, Node 3, Resources 1; Merits: Catlike balance, Heightened Senses; Flaws: Twisted Upbringing, Weird Appearance; Quantum Powers: Body Modification (Adhesive Grip), Shroud 1, Teleport (Safe Blind Teleport) 1; Soak: Bashing 3 dice, Lethal 1 dice (Heals rates are doubled, Lifespan 150+ years). Xavier, Charles (Mutant Activist) Charles Francis Xavier was born the son of nuclear researcher Brian Xavier and his wife, Sharon. Following her husband's accidental death, Sharon married Brian's colleague, Kurt Marko. Cain, Kurt's son by a previous marriage, came to live at the Xaviers Westchester mansion shortly thereafter. A cruel and spiteful boy, he bullied his new stepbrother. As punishment, his father secretly beat him - and young Charles felt his sibling's pain firsthand thanks to the emergence of his mutant telepathic powers. Following their mothers death, a fire in the family home took Kurts life, leaving the stepbrothers alone. By the time he graduated high school, Charles was completely bald as a side effect of his mutant nature. He entered Bard College in New York at age 16 and earned his bachelor's degree in biology within two years. He was then accepted into the graduate-studies program at England's prestigious Oxford University, where he earned degrees in genetics and biophysics. There, Charles met and fell in love with a young Scotswoman named Moira Kinross. Their passionate discussions on the subject of genetic mutation gave way to romance, and they planned to marry. Their only obstacle was Moira's former boyfriend, Joe MacTaggert, a lance corporal in the Royal Marines and a bully, just like Cain. In Joe's eyes, Charles was a good-for-nothing intellectual, so Charles enlisted in the military after completing his studies at Oxford to validate himself in terms his rival would understand. Charles quickly became something of a legend in the area of search and rescue thanks to his mutant abilities. Attached to the same unit as his stepbrother, Charles was present when Cain deserted under fire during a mission in Asia. Following him in the hope of convincing him to return to their unit, Charles witnessed Cain's discovery of the mystical Ruby of Cyttorak and his transformation into the superhuman Juggernaut. Charles escaped the subsequent cave-in, mistakenly believing his stepbrother was dead. Later, Charles was devastated when Moira broke off their engagement without explanation. He left the Army and began traveling the world. In Cairo, Egypt, he encountered Amahl Farouk, a mutant capable of

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summoning forth the darkness in the souls of others. This confrontation led to Charles' decision to devote his life to protecting humanity from evil mutants and saving innocent mutants from human oppression. Charles next traveled to Israel, where he fell in love with Israeli diplomat Gabrielle Haller. He also befriended a fellow drifter named Erik Magnus Lehnsherr, a fellow mutant who would become his greatest enemy: Magneto, self-styled master of magnetism. Whilst Charles optimistically believed that humans and mutants could coexist, the Jewish Magnus foresaw mutants as the new minority to be persecuted and hunted because of their differences. Together, the pair prevented the nefarious Baron Von Strucker from launching his terrorist group Hydra on an unsuspecting world. Magnus departed with Strucker's gold, and upon departing Israel himself, Charles was unaware that Haller was pregnant with his son, David. En route to the United States, Charles encountered the alien scout Lucifer in the Himalayas. To prevent any interference in his races planned invasion of Earth, Lucifer dropped a massive stone block on Charles, crippling his legs. In desperation, Charles called out with his mental powers and touched the mind of a young mutant named Tessa who was operating as a mercenary in the neighboring Hindu Kush mountains. Tessa came to his aid and Charles was airlifted to safety. During his convalescence in an Indian hospital, Charles met Amelia Voght, a young nurse who fell in love with him and renewed his will to live. Charles resumed graduate work at Columbia University in New York, and after receiving a Ph.D. in anthropology he spent several years in London earning a M.D. in psychiatry. There, Charles renewed his friendship with Moira, who had married Joe MacTaggert and was now a renowned geneticist. The two began discussing the idea of founding a school for mutants. Charles returned to America and resumed his studies of mutation, working alongside Doctor Karl Lykos, a mutant whom would one day become the creature named Sauron. During this time, Professor John Grey, a friend of Charles' from Bard College, brought his young daughter Jean to Charles for help. Jean had been traumatized when she telepathically experienced the death of a friend. Charles aided in her recovery, and in the ensuing years trained her to use her mental powers. Charles later met with Fred Duncan, an F.B.I. agent investigating the growing number of mutants. Charles told Duncan of his plan to locate young mutants and enroll them in a school using his ancestral mansion home as a base to train them to use their powers for humanity's benefit. Amelia remained with Charles until the young mutant Scott Summers joined the school. She left, fearing an escalating genetic arms race between Charles and Magnus. Over the following months, Charles used the mutant-locating computer Cerebro to assemble his original group of students: Cyclops, Iceman, Angel, Beast, and Jean, who took the name Marvel Girl. He dubbed his students the "X-Men," because each possessed an "extra" ability that normal humans lacked. Charles also recruited Tessa at this time, but kept her presence at the mansion a secret from his other students as he planned to use her talents as a spy. Soon after, Charles learned of a planned invasion of Earth by the alien Z'nox, and theorized that he would have to link the minds of the majority of morally upright people on Earth to stop the invaders. However, he needed time in virtual isolation to prepare his mind for such an awesome task. To that end, Charles had the mutant shape-changer named Changeling impersonate him so that his students, except for Jean to whom he entrusted his plan, would remain none the wiser. After Changeling died on a mission with the team, Charles allowed the X-Men to believe he was dead. Months later, Charles revealed his deception to his students and repelled the invaders. The X-Men and the superhuman adventurers known as the Fantastic Four then traveled into space and defeated the aliens. Years later, when his original students were captured by the sentient island-being Krakoa, Charles recruited Banshee, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Storm, Sunfire, and Wolverine as a new team to rescue them. Afterwards, Cyclops was the only original member to remain and help Charles train the new recruits. Before long, Charles began to experience psychic nightmares from an alien world. These images were sent by Lilandra, princess of the intergalactic Shi'ar Empire, who was seeking assistance to defeat her mad brother D'Ken. In the course of the ensuing struggle, Charles and Lilandra fell in love, and for a time he lived on Chandilar, the Shi'ar throneworld, as her consort. Charles and Lilandra spent much time together on Earth before her coronation, and during this time the X-Men fought Magneto in Antarctica. After the battle, most of the team made it to the hidden jungle in the icy wasteland known as the Savage Land. Phoenix and Beast returned to Westchester, believing the rest of the team had died. Heartbroken, Charles accompanied Lilandra to the Shi'ar homeworld for her coronation. When he learned that the rest of the X-Men were actually alive, he returned to Earth. Some time later, Lilandra faced a coup by her sister Deathbird and the insectoid alien Brood race. The XMen and the space pirates known as the Starjammers helped defeat them, but Charles had been implanted with a Brood egg which would ultimately hatch and transform him into the Brood's new queen. When Charles tried to probe the implant he was sent into a coma, and after he awoke he learned the X-Men had been captured by the Brood and taken into space. Fearing his students dead, and under subconscious commands from the larval Brood within him, Charles gathered a new group of young superhuman students he named the New Mutants. Following the X-Mens return, the queen hatched and transformed Charles into a Brood. Although his body was destroyed, with the X-Men's help, Charles was able to retain mental control of the Brood Queen long enough for the Starjammers' physician Sikorsky to clone him a new body with no disabilities. It was some time before Charles could walk again due to the psychosomatic pain of being crippled for so long. Eventually, Charles began to take his most active role ever with the X-Men by accompanying them on missions. During this time, Gabrielle requested Charles help in treating her son David, the powerful psionic 278

mutant known as Legion who suffered from multiple personality disorder. Charles learned that David was his child, and helped him emerge from his autistic condition. Charles' cloned body eventually began to deteriorate, and he was forced to leave Earth with Lilandra and the Starjammers to heal. He left the school in the seemingly reformed Magneto's care, joining Lilandra in the fight to regain her rightful place on the Shi'ar throne. After an extended sojourn in space, Charles returned to Earth and both the original and second teams of X-Men reassembled under his leadership to battle his old enemy Farouk, now calling himself the Shadow King. Charles spine was broken in the ensuing battle, leaving him crippled and confined to a wheelchair once more. Since the X-Men were all now highly trained adults, Charles renamed his school as the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. He also assumed control of a private institution, the Massachusetts Academy, and transformed it into a new School for Gifted Youngsters. There, yet another new crop of young mutants, Generation X, learned to use their budding superhuman abilities, with Banshee and Emma Frost as headmasters. Charles' next major confrontation came when Magneto initiated a lethal electromagnetic pulse inside Earth's atmosphere. Charles and his X-Men took the fight to Magneto's orbital base and, in the ensuing battle, Magneto viciously attacked Wolverine, forcibly extracting the metal that had been bonded to his skeleton from his body. Seeing no other alternative, Charles used his mental powers to shut down Magneto's conscious mind. During this desperate act, the evil portion of Magneto's psyche implanted itself within Charles' mind. This evil aspect, combined with the darkest part of Charles' soul, gained sentience as the powerful psionic being known as Onslaught. After a pitched battle, America's greatest super heroes narrowly defeated Onslaught. To ensure that Charles never again spawned such a being, the United States government took him into custody. Although Charles was willing to pay the price for his folly, he was appalled when the government turned him over to the custody of Bastion, head of the anti-mutant Operation: Zero Tolerance. After Zero Tolerance was shut down, the X-Men set out to search for their missing founder. When they finally located him, Charles was leading a new incarnation of the Brotherhood of Mutants in an attempt to defeat a now-sentient Cerebro. Charles ultimately defeated Cerebro by showing him the unique importance of each living individual. Charles subsequently returned to the X-Men, but soon after disbanded the team over fears a member of the shape-shifting alien race known as the Skrulls had infiltrated them. After Wolverine was seemingly killed in battle, it was revealed that it was actually a Skrull impersonating him who had died, thus proving Charles' theory correct. The X-Men reformed in time to foil the plans of the eternal mutant Apocalypse, who sought to rule the world by using the power of the Twelve -- a fabled team of mutants, including Charles and Magneto, who were destined to usher in a new golden age for their kind. After Apocalypse was defeated, Charles departed Earth with Cadre K, a team of adolescent mutant Skrulls, to help them find a new home. Charles returned to the X-Men to lead them once more, but was captured by Magneto who had been amassing an army on the island nation of Genosha in preparation for an all-out war against humanity. The XMen rescued their founder, and Magneto was himself crippled by Wolverine. Soon after, Genoshas population was obliterated by giant mutant-hunting robotic Sentinels sent by Charles malevolent genetic twin sister, Cassandra Nova. Charles found himself powerless against his sister after she switched bodies with him, trapping his mind in her own dying form. In Charles body, Nova publicly outed him as a mutant and then left Earth with Lilandra whom she convinced to order the Shi'ar's superhuman Imperial Guard to destroy all mutants on Earth. After a pitched battle with the X-Men during which Nova's deception was revealed, Jean Grey absorbed Charles consciousness into her own mind, then used the new mutant-locating Cerebra device to hide pieces of it in the minds of every mutant on Earth. When Nova went to use Cerebra to kill all of Earth's mutants, she unwittingly reformed Charles consciousness and he forced her out of his body. Once Nova was defeated, Xorn, the X-Mens newest member, healed Charles body. Free of having to hide behind a veil of secrecy, Charles took to his now public role as a mutant rights activist with vigor. He opened his school to mutants everywhere, and the X-Men became the new faculty. It was not long, however, before Charles world came crashing down around him after it was revealed that Xorn was seemingly Magneto in disguise. His old nemesis had survived the Genoshan holocaust and infiltrated the X-Men, gathering together a class of students to use as his new soldiers for the war against mankind. Xorn crippled Charles once more and took control of New York City, rechristening it New Genosha. Using a neuro-toxic drug known as Kick to boost his powers, Xorn planned to reverse the magnetic poles of the Earth, destroying humanity and ushering in a new age for mutantkind. However, his students rebelled, and the timely arrival of the X-Men saw a permanent end to his plans after Wolverine decapitated him. Disillusioned, Charles left the Institute in the care of the X-Men and traveled to Genosha to supposedly give Magneto a proper burial. Wolverine accompanied Charles, and the two argued over their differing opinions of Magneto. Wolverine left on less than friendly terms, leaving Charles to help rebuild the shattered mutant nation alongside the true Magneto, who was revealed to be alive and well and living on the island. Shortly thereafter, Wanda Maximoff went insane and killed several of the Avengers. Magneto retrieved her and begged Xavier to treat her. He tried, but even with the help of Doctor Strange, Xavier was unable to expel her insanity. While the X-men and the Avengers met with Xavier to discuss her fate, Quicksilver convinced Wanda to alter reality with her powers. Wanda did, altered reality into the House of M, a world where mutants were the majority, humans the minority and Magneto was their ruler. In this alternate reality, Magneto and the others believed that Xavier died years ago helping free Genosha from the homo sapiens fascists. Eventually, the plot 279

was unveiled, and Wanda used her magic once more, reverting the world as it had been, with one major exception: ninety-eight percent of the mutant population had lost their powers, leaving the mutant race on the brink of extinction. With reality restored, Xavier was still missing and the X-Men were unable to locate him with Cerebro. Many assumed the worst. Xavier returned when Vulcan attacked the X-Men, revealing that Wanda had given him control of his legs, with the exchange being that he was no longer a mutant. Under Vulcan's orders, Xavier revealed that he had sent a team of young mutants to their deaths to Krakoa when his original X-Men were captured. After Vulcan was dispatched of, Cyclops told Xavier that he was no longer welcome at the Xavier Mansion. Xavier still remained at the mansion disregarding Cyclops' orders only to aid in assisting Beast in his analysis of Darwin, though the tension between him and Cyclops was palpable. He started to try contacting the Shi'ar Empire, to see if Vulcan had arrived, but got only dead air. The best they could do was make a machine that would send them a message every 30 minutes. To help him deal with the results of his years-old misjudgment, he asked Havok, Polaris, Warpath, Nightcrawler and Marvel Girl to join him on a quest to the Shi'ar Galaxy to stop Vulcan. In spite of Cyclops' feelings, Xavier traveled to space to confront Vulcan before he could enact his vengeance against the Shi'ar empire. While en route to the Shi'ar homeworld, he was abducted by agents of the Shi'ar Vice Chancellor K'Tor. Real Name: Charles Francis Xavier; Aliases: Doctor X, Professor Xavier, formerly Prisoner M-13; Identity: Publicly known; Occupation: Mutant rights activist, geneticist, teacher, formerly adventurer, soldier; Citizenship: U.S.A.; Place of Birth: New York City, New York; Known Relatives: Brian Xavier (father, deceased), Sharon Xavier (mother, deceased), Cassandra Nova (sister), Kurt Marko (stepfather, deceased), Cain Marko (Juggernaut, stepbrother), Lilandra (ex-wife), David Charles Haller (Legion, son, deceased); Group Affiliation: XMen (founder); formerly Illuminati, Cadre K (founder), the Twelve, Starjammers, New Mutants (founder), U.S. Army; Education: Ph.Ds in genetics, biophysics, psychology, and anthropology, and an M.D. in psychiatry; Height: 6'0"; Weight: 190 lbs.; Eyes: Blue; Hair: Bald (blond during childhood) Quantum 7; Quantum Pool 80 (Regenerate every hour); Willpower 10; Taint 6; Nature: Architect, Demeanor: Judge; Strength 3, Dexterity 4, Stamina 5, Manipulation 5 (1, The Voice), Charisma 5, Appearance 3, Perception 5, Intelligence 5, Wits 5; Abilities: Awareness 5, Bureaucracy 5, Command 5, Drive 4, Engineering 4, Endurance 3, Etiquette 5, Firearms 3, Intimidation 4, Intrusion 4, Investigation 5, Linguistics 5, Medicine 4, Occult 5, Pilot 4, Politics 5, Rapport 5, Resistance 3, Science 5, Subterfuge 5, Streetwise 3; Backgrounds: Allies 5, Cipher 4, Contacts 5, Node 5, Resources 5; Merits: Self Confident, Higher Purpose (mutant / human harmony); Flaws: Paraplegic; Quantum Powers: Domination 8, Invisibility (Mental) 8, Mirage 8, Psychic Shield 8, Stun Attack (Mental Bolt) 8, Telepathy 8 (Surreptitious, Telepathic Channeling); Soak: Bashing 5 dice, Lethal 2 dice (Heals rates are doubled, Lifespan 150+ years).

280

INDEX
Allerdyce, St. John.........................................229 Ashlocke, Gabriel...........................................229 Attack Beast....................................................89 Austin, Steve.................................................193 Banner, Bruce................................................231 Banzai, Buckaroo.............................................91 Baracus, Bosco Albert.......................................92 Bassett, Earl....................................................36 Bennet, Claire...................................................4 Bennet, Noah....................................................7 Bishop, Elle.....................................................52 Bishop, Robert.................................................53 Black, Frank....................................................11 Bodine, Jethro.................................................94 Braddock, Betsy.............................................260 Brooks, Eric.....................................................94 Bukowski, John................................................97 Calvin, Theodore..............................................36 Chase, Jonathon..............................................97 Claude............................................................97 Creed, Victor.................................................233 Dante.............................................................89 deLauro, Emma...............................................12 Department of Interior Report..........................205 Dinallo, Gloria..................................................98 Domino...........................................................89 Drake, Robert................................................261 Eckhart, Mason................................................54 F.L.A.G. Mobile Unit..........................................87 Fisk, Wilson.....................................................37 Fox, Shalimar..................................................14 Graboid.........................................................199 Graham, Will...................................................99 Gray, Gabriel.................................................236 Grey, Jean.....................................................242 Grimm, Ben...................................................100 Guevara, Max................................................102 Gummer, Burt.................................................38 Hayes, Billy.....................................................40 Hellfire Club...................................................243 Higgins, Jonathan Quayle III.............................40 Hinkley, Ralph...............................................198 House, Gregory..............................................104 Howard.........................................................105 Howlett, James..............................................263 Jameson, Jennifer..........................................107 Jones, Henry Junior........................................108 Kane, Adam....................................................16 KARR..............................................................87 Kat.................................................................90 Kent, Clark....................................................111 KIFT...............................................................91 Kilmartin, Jesse...............................................18 Kinney, Laura................................................265 Knight Industries Three Thousand (Alternate)......87 Knight Industries Two Thousand........................83 Knight, Garthe.................................................41 Knight, Michael................................................82 KRO...............................................................88 Lambert, Darien.............................................131 LeBeau, Remy................................................245 Lee, Jubilation................................................266 Lincoln, Elvin.................................................132 Linderman, Daniel..........................................246 Luthor, Lex....................................................133 MacGyver, Angus...........................................140 Mach, Jesse.....................................................41 Magneto........................................................248 Magnum, Thomas.............................................42 Marsciarelli, Arthur Herbert..............................143 Mason, Kate..................................................196 Maxwell, Bill..................................................198 McAllister, John Peter......................................144 McCain, Eden...................................................20 McCall, Robert.................................................43 McCoy, Hank.................................................267 Monroe, Adam...............................................250 Morbius, Michael............................................253 Mulwray, Brennan............................................21 Munroe, Ororo...............................................269 Murdock, H.M................................................145 Murdock, Matt................................................146 Mystique.......................................................254 Nakamura, Hiro...............................................23 Nimue Locust.................................................214 Palowakski, Fred..............................................28 Parker, May...................................................148 Parker, Peter.................................................151 Parkman, Matt.................................................29 Peck, Templeton..............................................45 Pendergast, Aloysius X. L................................156 Perfection Valley............................................203 Petrelli, Nathan................................................31 Petrelli, Peter.................................................158 Pierce, Lexa....................................................33 Plato..............................................................90 Predator........................................................216 Project Emerald.............................................196 Project Manticore.............................................64 Rasputin, Piotr...............................................271 Reed, Tyler.....................................................46 Richards, Reed...............................................163 Richards, Sue................................................166 Riddick, Richard B..........................................255 Rogers, Steve..................................................69 Rogue...........................................................273 Sanders, Micah................................................34 Sanders, Niki...................................................70 Sentinels.........................................................73 Singh, Khan Noonien......................................169 Smith, John.....................................................46 Sommers, Jaime............................................198 Species.........................................................219 Storm, Johnny...............................................170 Sullivan, Chloe...............................................173 Summers, Scott.............................................274 Suresh, Mohinder.............................................75 The Haitian.....................................................62 Thurman, Neena............................................181 Toynbee, Mortimer.........................................258 Twitchell, W.D.................................................78 Villicana, Anthony...........................................198 281

Vincent.........................................................182 Wagner, Kurt.................................................276 Wayne, Bruce................................................183 Wayne, Logan................................................190 Weapon Plus Program.......................................78 Wright, Orville Wilbur III...................................47 Xanatos, David................................................82 Xavier, Charles..............................................277 Xenomorphs..................................................222

282

NOTES
New Faction Labels Baselines Foundation for Law and Government Independent Heroes Office of Scientific Intelligence Other Species and Alien Races Pinehearst (The Directive) Primatech (Project Proteus) Teragen (Independent Villans) Xaviers School for the Gifted Aberrants (Mutant X, Etc.)

ON

FUTURE MODIFICATIONS

283