Steve Coops

Nov 27

The Jamicst

 

CLEA DATA FILE

Asset Of:

Race Identity:

  • Jamicst

Known Individuals:

  • Fraal (Male)
  • Seveline (Female)

Appearance:

  • Biped, human height – grey or green skin, spiky hair, eyebrow ridge is deep “v” formation
  • White outfits (Hunter’s Prey only)- These extremely tough items of clothing are given to them by the Luzerran involved in illegal hunting to protect them from hazards encountered in the wild. This is not because they care about them but down to the fact that if a Jamicst is injured they do not make for good “sport”.
  • Jamicst’s being used as prey in illegal hunting will often have a tracking/punishment collar fitted. Being shocked by one prevents them using their cloaking ability.

Attributes:

  • Very agile and extremely quick
  • Have an adaptation that allows them to “stick” to vertical surfaces and ceilings
  • Able to make themselves invisible in normal light
  • Have some psychic abilities. This allows them to quickly adapt and understand unfamiliar languages. It also allows them to communicate with each other but there has been no records that they can “mentally” talk to other races/species.

Interaction with Humans and Other Races:

  • Originally a prey species for the Luzerran. Tend to shy away from any outsiders due to fear of advanced races
  • Non-aggressive and since they have only interacted with the Luzerran they have made no enemies with other races

Society:

  • The Jamicst once lived on the same homeworld with the Luzerran. Not as strong as the Luzerran they were prey to many species of wild animal this led them to evolving advanced natural protection. In time the Luzerran saw them as the ultimate prey and so ended up “domesticating” the race.
  • After the Eopua became protectors of the Luzerran hunting the Jamicst was outlawed. Having been domesticated they had come to rely on the Luzerran for food and supplies and so under Eopua rules the Jamicst now live in reserves where they are tended for. This has seen them slowly reverting back to a tribal nature.

Notes/History

Seveline and Fraal are the only recorded Jamicst that are known to be living freely away from the Luzerran homeworld. The pair were encountered when the Vanguard ship was damaged and they chose to set it down on what the crew thought to be an isolated uninhabited forest moon.

The team were unaware they had in fact landed on one of the places that Luzerran engaged in illegal hunting of Jamicst and at the time a hunt was in progress. Being chased by a hunting party Seveline and Fraal happened across the Vanguard ship. Since the loading ramp was down they were able to cloak themselves and sneak on board undetected. Their intention was to stowaway on the alien ship and escape. Though they had no idea if the crew of the ship were hostile they feared the Luzerran more than the unknown.

Despite being able to move unseen the pair were soon picked up on internal sensors. Not knowing what had got onboard and more importantly if it was dangerous, the crew raised the ramp and then began a room by room search for the intruders. Eventually despite the fact that the pair were invisible, the crew were able to corner them. After stunning the pair the Jamicst lost their means to remain cloaked and that allow the Vanguard crew to take them to a holding cell until they worked out what to do wit the intruders.

Having a good deal of knowledge, Stellar reckoned she knew what species the pair were and told the others that Jamicst were only known to be found on the Luzerran homeworld, except in cases where they were being used for sport. Since she had worked at a bar in a space station where the clientele were dubious at best, she had often heard rumours of Luzerran groups trying to find “venues” for their illegal hunting. The fact that they each had a tracking/slaving collar had made her consider the pair had arrived on the moon by accident.

Before she could explain any more her hypothesis was proved by the arrival of the Luzerran hunting party. Titan chose to go out and meet them. Unlike the only other Luzerran they knew, namely Calachen and Alvana, the quartet before them seemed more “hostile” and the one he took to be the leader demanded they hand over their “hunt” which he took to mean the intruders.

Not wanting to engage in battle with the Luzerran group, Titan returned inside and found Stellar conversing with the captives. Though they were alien, he could tell they were frightened. He asked what the Luzerran would do to them if he handed them over and was told. Titan got an answer he did not want to hear for Stellar explained that they would be chased down and killed.

Returning to the waiting party, Titan explained he could not simply hand the captives over to be killed. The Hunt Leader though warned him that if he did not then they would destroy the ship. Since the Vanguard was in no condition to fight, Titan talked with the others and tried to find a way around the problem. Together they came up with a plan but it all hinged on handing the Jamicst over to the Luzerran.

Having done as asked the Luzerran took their prey and immediately let them go in order to resume the hunt. The team now mobilised. Mercury used his superspeed to try and find the Luzerran ship. They presumed it was on the ground since they had not discovered anything in orbit on their approach to the moon. Corona then used her ability to generate a thick smog to get Stellar over to the “enemy” ship. In the mean time Mercury, Titan and Protostar created false trails to distract the Luzerran.

After two hours Stella and Corona were back on board. Mercury then raced off to bring back the two Jamicst who had managed to keep their distance from the Luzerran due to the unwanted distractions created by Protostar, Titan and herself. With everyone on board, the Vanguard lifted off.

By the time the Hunting party were aware of what had happened, the Vanguard was already heading out of the atmosphere. Furious at what being duped the Hunt Leader rounded up his crew and went back to their ship with the intention of giving chase, only to find that the weapons, FTL drive and take off thrusters had been sabotaged. This took some time to repair, by which time the Vanguard and their prey was long gone.

Though Fraal and Seveline were now safe and free to move about the Vanguard, the were still suspicious and frightened of the crew. Having never seen an “alien” before they did not know if they had swapped one group of dangerous individuals for another.

The Vanguard crew also had issues of their own, namely what to do with their guests. Stellar reckoned that any attempt to simply drop them off would result in illegal hunters picking them up again. Returning them to the Luzerran homeworld was not an option either since the crew had now learned that Jamicst lived on reserves which effectively meant their freedom was still restricted. In the end the decision was made to set a course for Earth.

Once there the Jamicst were deposited in the only place the Vanguard crew considered might be safe for them, the Harmony Island Beach Resort. Though free to do as they pleased there and adapting quickly to their surroundings the pair were still suspicious of humans and it took a long time for them to learn to trust an alien species they had only just encountered.

When Seveline and Fraal finally learned that they had nothing to fear, they wanted to return the kindness of others and found a way to do that by volunteering their unique skills in helping some hero groups they had met when they had stayed on the island. In time they were offered replacement clothing but both of them refused. Though the suits were a reminder that they were once “prey” it was also a reminder of how far they had moved away from the past.

Whilst the pair “live” at the resort they are not considered member of staff and hence did not appear on any personnel lists. However being surrounded by humans and not their own kind made them feel “different”. For this reason when they learned that CLEA was setting up the combined human/alien Star Patrol they chose to join.

Nov 27

Luzerran Hunters


CLEA DATA FILE

Race Identity:

  • Luzerran

Known Individuals

  • Calachen
  • Alvanu

Appearance:

  • Biped, Taller than humans appear to stand on their toes. Ankle rotated downwards steeply like rear legs on a dog.
  • Only ever seen in the black “leather” hunter garb.
  • Not as technologically advanced as others. Tend to purchase tech or “win” it on their hunts.

Attributes:

  • Incredibly strong
  • Agile fighters and capable of using many weapons.
  • Thick skin and adaptive biology means they rarely need the equivalent of space suits worn by other races.
  • Nitrogen breathers
  • So good are they as bounty hunters, the Eopua frequently hire them for eradicating isolated threats.
  • As pure hunters they have evolved biological enhancements. Their feet and tentacles are able to sense vibrations from a long distance. Their optic nerves also extend into the IR spectrum enabling them to “see” heat in the dark. Consequently they rarely wear eye protection or footwear to avoid dulling their extra sences.

Interaction with Humans and Other Races:

  • Highly aggressive if challenged and do not like “outsiders” in their territory.
  • Will attack anyone that gets in the way of achieving their specific goal whilst on the hunt.

Society:

  • One time warrior, now hunter based society, governed by the most revered and respected hunters.
  • Live for the thrill of the hunt. After coming under the protection of the Eopua the race was stopped from warring with their neighbours. They adapted and instead started hiring out their services to others as bounty hunters in order to keep honing their skills.
  • Believe in a code of honour. If saved by another they consider their lives “belong” to whomever saved them (known as a retainer) . Can only be freed from a life dept by two means, death or if released from the obligation by their retainer.
  • On their home world in the past they frequently hunted a lesser race known as the Jamicst. Under Eopua protection this was banned and the Jamicst were place in “nature reserves”. However some Luzerran tribes have been known to poach Jamicst from the reserves and take them to isolated planets or moons in order to engage in illegal “traditional” hunting.

Notes/History

Only two are known too have visited Earth, the male Calachen and the female Alvanu. They were the pair that Vanguard freed from the Myzx prison. As per their customs they owe a “life debt” to the team. This is despite the fact they have been told on several occasions that the debt has been paid.

Considered allies of Vanguard they have assisted the team on more that one occasion. The pair have even been hire to capture dangerous aliens on Earth. Though the Eopua has tried to prevent any outside races visiting Earth to avoid messing with the great “experiment”, as Calachen and Alvanu are known to Vanguard and in the Eopua’s opinion, humans in general, the damage has technically been done. This means that they and they alone are the only members of their race with unrestricted access to the planet, but only on assignment.

Consequently the two have also become known to CLEA. Though they are a proud people and avoid assistance, after working performing missions in which CLEA and other heroes of Earth are also engaged in, rather than trying to compete with them they have begrudge accepted help. Often though it still ends up more of a competition since the Luzerran would prefer to show off their hunting prowess.

Despite the fact that members of their race engage in the illegal game hunting of Jamicst, both Calachen and Alvanu are strictly against the blood sport and have been known to take on bounties for their own people involved in such activities. This has made them hated by some of their own people but their success rate makes them feared far more which is why they are rarely challenged by their own people.

Though the pair, like Luzerran in general do not generally work well with other races they will work together in a fashion and Alvanu and Calachen were once part of community of Hunters. As a group they shared information on each other’s targets but will not directly hunt another’s bounty unless a specific request has been made.

Nov 26

Bullet

 

CLEA DATA FILE

Identity:

  • Bullet – August Olsen

Associations:

  • N/A

CLEA Classification:

  • Totem Bearer (Talisman of Mercury)

Special Skills and/or Abilities:

  • Olsen’s Totem gifts his entire body with the means to operate at far accelerate levels. This means he can run fast but as well as this he can heal far quicker than a “normal” person.
  • As well as amplifying speed it has the potential to amplify magic of any kind.
  • Cannot be shut down by magic spells

Limitation(s)/Weakness(s):

  • The magic amplification can only be used by a skilled magic wielder. This means the Totem is very much a target for those that use magic in the service of evil.
  • Though the Totem is protected from magic, the user is not actually protected. August’s enemies learnt that early on and do not concentrate on stealing the Talisman but instead try to target him personally. If he is hurt and cannot run he is vulnerable until healed.

Rap Sheet/Criminal Traits:

  • N/A

Notes/History

August was a archaeology undergraduate when he came in possession of the totem that would see him transform into the hero we know as Bullet.

He was working on a did uncovering Roman remain and found an gem that looked out of place. Unable to identify it, he brought it to Professor George Inglis his lecturer who was supervising the excavations. Inglis, suggested he research the artefact but in all the books he could not find any reference to the item, apart from a single illustration of “Mercury” the messenger of the Gods. This seemed very odd and August presumed that some ancient craftsman had created the item as a tribute to the God. Certainly honouring Gods was not unusual in both Greek and Roman customs. Many rich families often equipped their houses with alters for that specific purpose.

Since it was late at night and he needed to get back to his room, he was about to place the gem back into storage when a stranger (later discovered to be Bifrons of the of the Warlock Council) appeared, literally. The stranger  said he had  detected a magic totem had been uncovered and had come to claim it now it was back in the world. Despite what he had just seen August put the sight down to him being tired and “seeing” things. He did not believe in magic. The stranger continued and demanded the gem stone but August refused to hand it over. A second later the stranger hurled a bolt of energy at him and August dived for cover but as he did so he gripped the gem and in doing so claimed the totem.

An instant later he felt a strange feeling inside him. Once more the stranger hurled another energy bolt at him and August tried to run for the door only he became aware that the energy bolt was moving really slowly. Then it dawned on him, it was not the bolt that was moving slowly but he was moving fast. Using his new found speed, August easily escaped and headed to the rooms of his professor.

Once there he told the professor of what had just happened and expected to be met with scorn. However the professor admitted that in secret he was a practitioner of the mystic arts. The dig had in fact been an excuse to look for the “Lost Talisman of Mercury”. About the only mistake Professor Inglis admitted he had made was the fact he was hoping the students would dig up some form of mystical footwear, that were more noted in legends as being associated with power.

August questioned the whole idea of existence of Gods, and Inglis explained that though magic was real the stories of “Gods” probably originated from ordinary people using powerful artefacts, and reminding his student that all legends usually had an element of truth at the source.  Now aware that August had the Talisman, Inglis implored the student, explaining that a magic totem in the hands of an evil mystic had the potential to make them unstoppable. The Professor guessed that an agent of Dark Magic had “detected” int presence and had tried to take it for that very reason.  All this was a little much for the student who suggested that Inglis looked after it. The Professor though argued that Totems sometimes “chose” who their owner was and had he been selected then he would not have sent it away with August to research it.

Despite being told to keep the Totem, August was about to argue when the stranger appeared again. Professor Inglis shouted at August to “Go!” and then to buy him time, he engaged the agent of darkness. Inglis’s efforts were futile for he was not the most skilled magic user and the stranger despatched him fairly quickly.

August though escaped. For a long time afterwards the stranger kept tracking him, but with the means to travel at speed, even the most powerful dark magic was not able to capture August. In time August learned that it was Bifrons that had come after him and had killed the Professor. Since he had been asked to keep the Totem, he decided to stop running away from the trouble and use it to fight in instead. This was when he adopted the identity of the Blue Bullet, a speedster hero.

As well as fighting evil magical entities, August has also used it to fight more normal foes. In time he dropped the “Blue” part of his name and simply became “Bullet”.

Nov 26

Jet Wave

 

CLEA DATA FILE

Identity:

  • Jet Wave – Rafael Becker

Associations

CLEA Classification:

  • Tech Enhanced

Special Skills and/or Abilities:

  • Has built himself an advanced hoverboard which he uses to fight crime.

Limitation(s)/Weakness(s):

  • Inexperienced
  • Over analytical can mean he takes too long over tactical decisions giving an enemy a break.

Rap Sheet/Criminal Traits:

  • N/A

Notes/History

Over the years the Knight’s Forge has strived to recruit the best scientific minds and inventors so that they can keep up their vital support work for heroes. On occassion this has led them to head hunt some unusual people. One of these was Rafael Becker

At the age of thirteen he had published his first science paper and the young genius seemed to be going from strength to strength. The Forge though held of trying to recruit him until he was sixteen. When they did send an undercover operative to find him, the operative quickly discovered subterfuge was not required for Rafael already knew of the Forge. His intellect and skills in handlng data had revealed a hidden program operating in the background, supporting heroes and once that was known it did not take him that long for him to learn the identity of the operation. Rafael though was disappointed they had not reached out to him two years earlier when he had discovered that.

Invited to a meet and greet with Cade Lewis, he accepted a position working for them. In  short space of time he had integrated himself quite well with the other scientists although he did find them a little “stuffy”. As well as working on specific projects, Rafael set himself up a small project of his own. The Forge had alien tech and stolen tech from villains, and he’d always fancied buidling himself some sort of advanced hovercraft. What he ended up building was a type of flying skateboard. Still young and having built and supplied equipment for heroes, he wanted to have a go at that life as well.

Cade was tempted to deter Rafael from the crazy idea fearing if the boy genius got injured or killed then they would lose a valuable asset. However he was also aware that in trying to control  Melissa Henshall she had ended up turning into Dr Blacksmith, the Knight’s Forge “evil” counterpart.  The decision was therefore a tricky one but in the end Cade decided it was best if Rafael walked his own path.

The decision proved a correct one for as well as becoming the hero known as Jet Wave, since he was not forced into staying, Rafael tends to use facilities belonging to the Forge as his “secret hideouts” and whilst stationed there he continues to use his expertise to assist in important projects.

Nov 26

Fax

A 

CLEA DATA FILE

Identity:

  • Angela Hudson

Associations:

CLEA Classification:

  • Alpha Superior

Special Skills and/or Abilities:

  • Alpha Ability – Angela’s ability allows her skin to transform to mimic and material she comes in contact with.

Limitation(s)/Weakness(s):

  • Usual limitations associated with Alpha abilities

Rap Sheet/Criminal Traits:

  • N/A

Notes/History

Always having learned as a child that she was an Alpha, Angela had a childhood dream of becoming a superhero. However by the time her Alpha abilities activated she chose not to act on that dream because she was too “large”. Her weigh had given her enough ridicule when growing up and since there were no “fat” heroes in the media she believed that was the “way things were.”

Then she saw the hero “Shatter” on the news on day and her whole perception changed, along with the opinions of other people for he was not a slender person. He was huge and he had helped the Phoenix Alliance deal with a major problem. Seeing him getting the adulation was enough to make her revisit her dream. Not feeling confident enough to go it alone, Angela applied to CLEA for the White Guardian programs.

Her interview went well but during her medical she overheard a medic make a nasty joke about her weight and her confidence was completely wrecked and she fled the building. It took her six months to even recover from that and by then she accepted she was not hero material until a chance encounter with a mugger in an ally made her rethink. In stopping him and giving the handbag back to a less than deserving victim, Angela got an idea that being a vigilante that operated in the shadows could work for her.

Starting off small, she began nightly patrols. Though she would have liked to be “famous” like other heroes she considered that the world would not accept her. She therefore likened her work to that of the emergency services who did their selfless jobs with no recognition from the public. In time she thought that publicity was perhaps not a good thing anyway since she could still enjoy her life without interference.

Staying out of the limelight though would not last for long for one day on the way to work she came across a an emergency. People were trapped in a building that was on the verge of collapsing. Though she did not want to be “seen” she found herself unable to ignore what was happening and send up helping the fire brigade, by travelling up to the upper floors and literally holding the top floors up whilst they got to the casualties.

They just got clear when the building collapsed. Nobody saw the “mystery hero” get out and it was assumed Angela had died. However she survived the collapse but in the confusion she realised somebody was watching the entire disaster. This turned out to be Blast Zone who had been paid to cause the disaster and was not happy. Suspecting trouble, Angela managed to slip away in the confusion but later that night Blast Zone tracked her down and tried to kill her.

Angela then went on the run and ended up hiding out in a disused factory as Blast Zone and her allies tried to find her. In the meantime CLEA had worked out who the “mystery hero” was and discovered she was still alive along with the fact that someone was trying to kill her. The vigilante community also mobilised so it became a race between who was going to find Angela first.

Blast Zone succeeded but before she could kill Angela, Rebound arrived and got her away but Blast Zone managed to track the pair down. This time however the Phoenix Alliance intervened. They could not however apprehend Blast Zone since she threatened that she had booby trapped civilian buildings and they had to let her go or else she would let buildings detonate.

Rebound was okay after the excitement but Angela was greatly fatigued so the Alliance took her with them back to their mansion to allow her to recover from her ordeal. When she awoke in unfamiliar surroundings that was something of a surprise but an even bigger surprise was the fact the other members of the Phoenix Alliance treated her like one of them. The people she considered heroes also considered her one and they did not seem to care whether she was big or small.

It was the Alliance that gave her the confidence and self belief she had been lacking. In time they helped to achieved her full potential as an costumed adventurer and she became one of their reserve members. The group also supplied her with her current outfit. She however chose the codename of Fax, a reference to the old technology machines that could duplicate and image before sending it. As she could duplicate a material it seemed appropriate.

Nov 26

Britannia

 

CLEA DATA FILE

Identity:

  • Britannia – Madeline Cox

Associations:

  • N/A

CLEA Classification:

  • Totem Bearer (Protector Totem)

Special Skills and/or Abilities:

  • Madeline’s totem gives her the means to duplicate and fighting style as soon as she sees it. The magic within also allows her to fly/levitate.
  • The Totem also protects her from weapons, both blades and projectiles.

Limitation(s)/Weakness(s):

  • Dark Magic can negate all her abilities
  • At first the Totem always transformed her whenever it detected the need for her to protect someone and then revert back after the danger was gone. She has since learned that was can delay the transformations through will power. Any slip of her mind means normal people will see her “true” identity.

Rap Sheet/Criminal Traits:

  • N/A

Notes/History

When the Romans first invaded Great Britain, such was the might of the invading forces that mystics from several tribes decided to combine their magic to produce the ultimate warrior. They infused their power in an item of jewellery, a bracelet, creating a magical totem of great power.To achieve such a creation it meant they had to sacrifice themselves a small price to pay to keep the people safe.

The one thing they did not count on was that the messenger who was supposed to deliver the “Bracelet of Protection” to the leader of the combined tribes, betrayed them and presented the magical artefact to the invading general for a reward of wealth and power.

The totem though was useless for it had safeguards to prevent it falling into the wrong hands. As such it could only be used by someone “protecting” the people, Since the invading army were aggressors, even though they had the totem it simply did not work.

In the first clash between the Romans and the tribes the Totem was lost on the battlefield and not found for over a millennia. Uncovered during an archaeological did, the Totem was incorrectly identified as a Roman find and along with the other objects discovered, it ended up on display in the British Museum.

The totem came into Madeline’s possession whilst she was a security guard. Armed religious fanatics stormed the building trying to obtain disputed items that once belonged to their country. Though they initially set out to steal the artefacts they claimed “belonged” to them, everything fell apart fairly quickly when police arrived quicker than expected.Robbery then started to turn into a hostage situation, Madeline and other museum workers tried to get the general public to safety and away from the armed suspects before anyone got hurt. This was not easy as the gunmen started shooting wildly.

Madeline had cleared an area away from the approaching robbers and then noticed a family sheltering behind a display stand, too scared to move. Against her better judgement she went back for them. As she got them out of the area her luck ran out and she was spotted. The gunman shouted but she did not stop. She had to get the family out of danger. A second later the room erupted into a hail of bullets.

Display cases exploded everywhere. The family were clear but not safe. To buy more time she held up her hands and turned to face the assailants. As she did so one of the artefacts started to move, an item of “Roman” jewellery lying amongst other finds on the floor in the remains of a shattered display.

Like most Totems that had been “created” for a specific purpose it had lay dormant until a number of criteria were present. In this case it needed a “protector” of the people in conflict with an outside aggressive force and for the first time since it had been created “it” had found its champion.

The item flew across the room and attached itself to Madeline. Though it had been created well before modern time, like most magic it could adapt so instead of giving her period “tribal” clothing it changed her apparel to images it found in her mind. Though this was obviously something of a shock, thanks to the totem, Madeline instinctively knew what to do and remained unsurprised. The gun man opened fire and the bullets seemed to deflect off her. As she closed on him he switched to hand to hand combat but whatever she did, she instantly “knew” how to counter the attacks.

After knocking him unconscious and tying him up, Madeline now moved throughout the museum and took down the remaining thieves and as soon as the last one fell the Totem deactivated and returned her to normal.Before the process was complete she heard a voice in her mind state “You are now the protector, the Totem is yours, use it wisely.” Now she was surprised as to what had just happened, although looking at a bracelet that now adorned her wrist she guessed that had something to do to her unexpected heroic activities.

When the police stormed the building she was questioned as to who had disabled the gunmen. Since witnesses had not seen her transformation she made up a story and stated that she had seen a costumed vigilante take care of the problem. Though she wanted to tell the truth, something in her mind stopped her. She felt that the bracelet had chosen her for a reason and she could not suddenly give it up. In fact she could not even remove it. Madeline though had to leave her job. In the clean up operation the curator had discovered a Roman artefact missing and she felt that she could not exactly show up for work every days wearing it.

Though she found other work, whenever people were in trouble the bracelet would activate and any semblance of a normal life was shattered. In time she learned more about the Totem and its magic and approached Twilight in the hopes that she could get it off her wrist. Twilight though told her that some Totems choose their owners and that meant that the only way of removing it would be through death.

Twilight also encouraged Madeline to embrace her gift. Though she wanted to do that, playing hero did not pay bills and as she had to “vanish” every time trouble was detected it also meant that holding onto a job was very hard. Despite this she did as advised and became known as Britannia. The name seemed appropriate since the Totem was created to protect the people of Britain.

Nov 25

Surge

 

CLEA DATA FILE

Identity:

  • Surge – Aayan Baksi

Associations:

  • N/A

CLEA Classification:

  • Alpha Superior

Special Skills and/or Abilities:

  • Alpha Ability – Energy Transmutation, Aayan can convert water into a concussive energy blast

Limitation(s)/Weakness(s):

  • The less humid the atmosphere the harder it is for him to use his abilities. Arid area make it nigh on impossible.
  • There is a finite build up time before he can discharge a blast

Rap Sheet/Criminal Traits:

  • N/A

Notes/History

Though Aayan had heard the stories of Alpha Heroes and maybe as a child even imagined being one, in the city where it had all began, Atlantica. Ironically he never knew that he was in fact an Alpha Inferior and had the potential to become just like them.

Living in one of the poorer regions of India daily life was a struggle. His parents worked long hours in the fields for a local rich land owner just to make ends meet. The fact he was an Alpha Inferior meant he suffered no illness growing up which his parents considered “a miracle” as they did not have to pay for any medical needs for they like him were unaware that his healthy status was down to genetics.

Consequently when Aayan began to transition from Alpha Inferior to Superior and his eyes became sensitive to light and his skin itched, he chose not to say anything to avoid causing his parents any undue worrying. Then the day came, aged sixteen, when the local bullies went through their usual routine only this time when he got angry their actions facilitated the activation of his Alpha Ability. Without warning a small blast of energy erupted from his hands and shot right at them. They ran home but their story of what had happened was viewed as simply a story.

Now realising that he was an Alpha Superior Aayan decided to learn what his gift was and whenever he was alone he practised and finally learned that he could convert water into an energy blast. Even moisture in the air worked with his gift. Despite knowing this, Aayan chose to keep his amazing ability a secret.

Five years on he was working with his parents in the fields for the same employer. Though he once had childhood dreams of being a “hero” he felt it was more important to support his parents than go off gallivanting. Besides being a “superhero” was something rich playboys did, not poor Indian farm hands and he was quite at ease with his choice.

Whether he wanted to keep his ability secret of not, as with so many reluctant heroes, fate would play a roll in exposing him for floods hit the region. The local river burst its banks and as the water race towards the family home situated close to the farm, Aayan knew he had to act to save the people. Waiting for the raging torrent to strike he activated his Alpha ability. Pulling in the water he sent a massive column of energy upwards and kept on going for almost an hour.

Having never learned fully about Alpha abilities he was never aware of just how close he came to burnout but as soon as he had got the water level down, he finally could rest. Now with his secret exposed, the local villagers hailed him as a hero. His parents were duly proud but more interesting he had saved the farm. The owner was extremely pleased at this and offered to give Aayan anything he wanted. All he wanted was his parents to be looked after and perhaps better paid so they did not have to scrimp and save for everything. Having seen their son in action, his parents wanted something better for him.

All their lives they and the villagers had worked together and supported each other. Whenever anyone had been in trouble they helped each other. They thought that Aayan should use that philosophy on a bigger scale and use his gift to help other people in trouble. Wanting him to be happy, they suggested he should live out his childhood dreams and not waste his potential by staying in the village.

Behind Aayan’s back they talked with the farmer and persuaded him to help their son fulfil his fantasy. Sufficed to say, he was speechless when the entire village presented him with an air ticker to America, specifically Atlantica, the home of Alpha Heroes.

Once in Atlantica, Aayan had to jump through numerous hoops before he could claim duel citizenship. He found work in the mega city and over time he joined the ranks of the costumed vigilantes.

Despite his new life, Aayan has always maintained a strong home connection and as well as visiting when he gets the chance he has also sent money home which meant his parents no longer had to work all the long hours. Though the world knows him as Surge, his local village still call him the Flood Tamer and he is regarded as a local legend.

Nov 25

shine

 

CLEA DATA FILE

Identity:

  • Apollo – Bruno Molina

Associations:

  • N/A

CLEA Classification:

  • Alpha Superior

Special Skills and/or Abilities:

  • Alpha ability – Bruno has the ability to absorb solar radiation and convert it to strength. He can also discharge flame blasts and achieve flight/levitation

Limitation(s)/Weakness(s):

  • Usual limitations associated with Alpha abilities
  • Alpha ability only works in daytime

Rap Sheet/Criminal Traits:

  • Arson
  • Property Distruction
  • Murder
  • Mercenary

Notes/History

Bruno is a man out of time. During the first era of Alpha Heroes he was one of the best and was responsible for putting away almost as many super villains as the authorities combined. As such he was considered high priority when Black Shadow decided to start its purge. Caught by Alpha Flight, he stood little chance of defeating them alone but even with the odds against him he acted like a true hero and tried to deal with them.

Though by the time they had finished they thought him dead, scientists soon realised that he was in fact alive, but barely. Somehow in the heat of battle he had pulled his own powers inwards and they were keeping him alive but at the same time they were burning him up. Their best idea for survival was to cryogenically freeze him until the process had stopped.

Taken to a CLEA facility, Bruno was placed in suspended operation. He was supposed to be monitored on a regular basis but unfortunately he was caught in a “lightning strikes twice” scenario for Alpha Strike attacked the facility as a means to disrupt CLEA’s operations in the Europa region. Bruno’s pod had its own micro reactor so even buried and with no connection to the main power lines, he survived the attack albeit was left in stasis.

With the extensive damage to the facility, CLEA deemed it too costly to repair and simply cordoned off the area and abandoned it, not being aware that there was one “survivor” unaccounted for.

Over a quarter of a century later CLEA decided to sell the land to a housing developer and it was when the land was cleared to the workers uncover Bruno’s pod. As soon as the first rays of sun landed on the glass, his powers activated and he awoke. He quickly blasted himself clear and then unsure where he was, chose to flee until he could figure out what was going on.

Eventually he pieced together some of what had happened and realised he had lost over twenty five years of his life. To get the rest of the answers he went to CLEA’s modern day headquarters. By the time he arrived, word of what had happened at the construction sight had made its way to them.

CLEA officers welcomed him back and briefed him on everything that he had missed. With everyone he knew having moved on, he was tempted by the offer of joining the White Guardian program and making what was left of his life mean something but in learning that during his era CLEA had faced problems with corruption that had enabled Black Shadow to operate unhindered for many years, he was not sure if he could trust the agency.

Consequently he returned to being a vigilante. That did not however last long. Having felt that CLEA had somehow abandoned him and wanting revenge against Black Shadow he decided to operate outside the law. Eventually this brought him into conflict with newly emerging heroes and in having to fight them led him down the path of darkness.

Nov 25

Katipo

CLEA DATA FILE

Identity:

  • Katipo – Lachlan Johnston

CLEA Classification:

  • Alpha Superior

Special Skills and/or Abilities:

  • Alpha Ability – He has the means to cling to almost any surface
  • Expert cat burglar

Limitation(s)/Weakness(s):

  • The usual negative problems associated with Alpha abilities
  • Lone
  • Has a long list of enemies

Rap Sheet/Criminal Traits:

  • Theft

Notes/History

Katipo is one of the few “victims” of ARGO that is not intent on hunting them down. Having established a career as a thief they actually improved his “skills”. As an Alpha Inferior he had been kidnapped by the group and “modified” with bio material they had stolen from Trident member “Gecko”. This had the immediate effect of jump starting his transition to Alpha Superior and he inherited Gecko’s ability to cling to any surface.

As with most of their other experiments, they were trying to examine differences between an Alpha Superior and Alpha Inferior in order to find if there was a common link between both status which would lead to the gene responsible for giving all Alphas immunity to most diseases. Having already got a sample from Gecko, before grafting her DNA on him they took a sample from his body and then after the procedure was complete they took another. This gave the rogue scientists three sets of comparison biological samples. No longer of any use to them, they simply let him go. About the only saving grace for ARGO was the fact they did not deliberately set out to kill anyone and tried to avoid it.

With his new found abilities Lachlan was the ultimate cat burglar but annoyingly for him he still had a conscience.Previously he only stole off those that could afford it and often any excess profits he gave away. Having come from a poor background he knew what it was like to struggle to survive. With Alpha Abilities at his disposal he couldn’t help but think he could do more.

Then when he learned of a charity being evicted from its premises because they could not afford the rent to pay a wealthy real estate manager, he got the idea that he would take an interest in those that had power and ran it rough shod over those with nothing. They escaped justice so he thought that some form of social justice would be appropriate. Exposing the rich for the monsters they were led him to create the persona of the Katipo,something of a Robin Hood of cat burglars.

Though he is known to have committed lots of small time thefts, he had also “obtained” vital evidence needed to convict criminals by using his special abilities to steal it. This meant that the police has tended to turn a blind eye to his “work”. Other heroes have even ignored him, since as Katipo he had assisted them time and time again. The way most look at him is that some times you have to do something wrong to do the greater good.

That however has not stopped him getting a growing list of enemies!

Nov 25

Sonar

 

CLEA DATA FILE

Identity:

  • Sonar – Kichiro Sakai

Associations:

  • Knights Forge (free agent)

CLEA Classification:

  • Tech Augmented

Special Skills and/or Abilities:

  • Cyber implants give him increased strength, super fast reflexes and enhanced hearing and sight.

Limitation(s)/Weakness(s):

  • Without his helmet he can be blinded by “normal” light or overwhelmed by ordinary sound levels.
  • EM pulses can affect his implants

Rap Sheet/Criminal Traits:

  • N/A

Notes/History

At one time Kichiro worked for a small medical development, MDM Enterprises company in New Tokyo. As well as other more normal medical developments, Kichiro had been hired as a lab tech to work alongside an expert in cybernetics, professor Sora Furakawa. Though not an expert in human biology, Furakawa had theorised that cyber implants could restore function to victims of spinal injury. By planting a “sender” unit in the brain and receivers in a paralysed limb, Furakawa hoped he could bypass damaged nerve areas. Such were his revolutionary ideas that no major company wanted to risk funding but MDM thought differently.

For years Furakawa had met with many disappointments and then one day he finally cracked the problem and cold progress from animal to human testing. Alongside his muscle implants, Furakawa had also been working on sensory implants to restore the sight in blind people and hearing in deaf people. Though such devices did exist his implants recreated the closest thing to ordinary hearing and sight, in theory.

After applying to the medical council for human testing MDM got noticed for the wrong reasons. The military saw the potential of the implants to make better soldiers whilst Dr Blacksmith desired the devices to sell to the criminal community. She therefore sent the Tech Collectors to visit MDM and steal the prototypes.

Without warning they attacked the building one night. Furakawa guessed the mercenaries where after and managed to slip out of the lab with the prototypes. Mistaking them for the military he took the prototypes to Kichiro’s apartment. A visit late at night was a bit of a surprise to the lab tech. An even bigger surprise was learning what had happened at MDM.

It was now that Furakawa pleaded with Kichiro to protect his work. As he was too old he could not run. However though Kichiro felt sorry for the old man he did not want to run. He liked his life. Desperate, Furakawa injected Kichiro with something and when he came around, he discovered that the cyber implants had been installed into him. Watching the news he learned that Furakawa had been killed by unknown assailants and Kichiro figured that he had refused to help whomever it was wanted the implants. He also guessed that they would come after him next.

Though the implants were installed, Kichiro knew it took them a few days to embed themselves properly and become functional and so tried removing them. That proved a failure and incredibly painful. Things got worse when they finally became active because since he had no spinal injury the implants ended up amplifying his reflexes and apparent strength. Also as Furakawa had installed the sensory implants his eyesight though improved was so sensitive to light that he had to wear dark glasses and his hearing had been amplified so that the slightest whisper was as a shout.

The Tech Collectors ended up tracking him down so Kichiro went on the run. Though he never wanted to do that he thought if he stayed he might not survive. The Tech Collectors created that much havoc that the Knight’s Forge became aware of them and figuring that some important tech was on the loose they intercepted Kichiro and got him to safety.

Even their expertise though could not remove the implants intact. Kichiro was left with a choice of leaving them in or seeing Furakawa’s life’s work destroyed. Despite the fact he owed the man nothing, Kichiro felt that since the old man had died, he did at least deserve justice and some sort of legacy and so he chose to leave them in.

The Knight’s Forge therefore created him a special “helmet” which would allow him better control over the sensory implants. They suggested that as he now knew of their secret organisation that he should stay with them for safety. Kichiro though wanted justice and figured he needed to turn vigilante to get it but had no idea how to fight. Despite the fact he now had fast reflexes and great strength he had no idea what to do.

Seeing an opportunity the Knight’s Forge offered to train him and then let him become a free agent for them. Aware by now that the Tech Collectors had killed Furakawa, disrupting Dr Blacksmith’s operations seemed strangely appealing. Though whatever he did would not bring the old man back crippling the people who had killed him was a good enough revenge in his opinion.