The National Office for Variant Affairs, more commonly referred to as N.O.V.A., is a government agency that deals with Variants involving everything from public relations to legal issues to scientific research. The agency for the most part is quite professional, though, over the years, corruption has started to make its way through the system at various levels.

Variant Types, Ability Classes, and Danger Levels
N.O.V.A. uses a system to classify Variants based on their specific abilities and also by the potential threat to society that those abilities pose. This does not necessarily take into account the notoriety of a Variant, but an especially aggressive or abusive Variant may have a higher danger level than normal (if he/she has been identified).

Danger Levels
Green - Low _{(oh please...are you even a Variant?)}
Blue - Mild _{(yeah, that guy kinda bothers me a bit...)}
Yellow - Moderate _{(hey now...you be careful with that, ok? we don't want any trouble)}
Red - High _{(wait...she can do what?!...yeah, we're screwed...)}
Black - Extreme _{(that's ok...we don't need the Earth anyway, right?)}

Variant Types
Brute - Variants with increased levels of strength and/or durability; they may be more difficult to harm or take down

Metamorphic - Variants can change anatomy and/or physiology, either partially or fully; can take human or non-human forms including animal, mineral, energy, or alien

Volatile - Variants have abilities dealing with fire, electricity, plasma, and any other explosive energy/force

Mentalist - Variants possess psychic abilities; can control and/or manipulate objects, people, energy using their thoughts

Agile - Variants are prone to quick movements and/or fast/instant travel; they may possess increased levels of dexterity

Inhibitor - Variants wield powers that can weaken and/or hinder others

Amplifier - Variants have the ability to improve the condition of themselves and/or others

Distortionist - Variants are able to alter space-time, intangible concepts, or reality as a whole

Natural - Variants have abilities that utilize and/or effect the natural world and/or animals

Architect - Variants who are able to manipulate, modify, and/or replicate matter and/or energy; some are able to construct tangible objects from energy

Ability Classes
Class 1 - Enhancements
These are powers that usually only affect the person using them. They come in the form of things like heightened senses, superhuman strength, accelerated healing, and even immortality. Class 1 abilities are usually of very little danger to others when they aren't being specifically abused.

Class 2 - Alteration
Though Class 2 abilities are similar to Class 1 in the fact that they affect only the user, the difference lies in the nature of how they work. While Class 1 abilities are passive, Class 2 are alternatively more active. These abilities allow a person to alter their bodies, both partially and fully. Some examples would be a physical transformation, a manifestation of an elemental force, or adopting the physiology of a non-human creature. This classification isn't limited to changes in physical appearance. Altering one’s natural ability to adapt to certain situations or environments also falls into this category.

Class 3 - Mental Powers
This category of abilities involves those linked with the mind. Standard psychic powers such as telepathy, telekinesis, and ESP fall into this class as well as powers based on auras, sleep, emotions, and intuition. Other examples of Class 3 abilities would be dream manipulation, astral projection, super-enhanced learning, and illusions.

Class 4 - Manipulation/Creation
Though there may be a few abilities that blur the line between Class 3 and Class 4, Class 4 abilities primarily deal with the manipulation and/or creation of matter and energies outside of the body; however, the creation abilities are of a very specific and limited nature. This class quite possibly contains the widest variety of powers such as the power to manipulate the elements or organic matter, the power to control something more abstract such as color, and even limited power over space-time.

Class 5 - Almighty Powers
This category is reserved for powers that many would consider to be 'godlike’. These abilities are almost -- if not completely -- impossible to control or counter and, at times, have the potential to alter reality or cause an apocalypse. Oftentimes, they can be highly extreme versions of abilities from other classes such as the creation of highly complex life forms or the ability to gain infinite knowledge. The ability to manipulate intangible concepts like probability or physics also fall under this category. Because of their catastrophic potential, the powers in this class are always considered to be of the highest danger level.

Notoriety
One of the primary goals of N.O.V.A. is to identify and register all Variants living within the nation's borders. As one would expect, not all Variants are willing to comply with the agency's agenda, whether out of privacy or sheer rebellion. For these reasons, every Variant has a certain level of notoriety with N.O.V.A., whether officially or unofficially.

Variants who have yet to be identified by N.O.V.A. are considered Unknown.

Confirmed Variants fall into two categories: Watched and Wanted. Those who have been identified but have not registered -- as Variants have no legal obligation to do so -- are put on a Watch list. Variants who are known to misuse their abilities and pose a threat to the well-being and quality of life of others are considered Wanted. Vigilantes operating outside of the law are also considered Wanted as oftentimes their actions can cause collateral damage to people or property.

Variants who register with N.O.V.A. do so under the obligation that they will gain or have already gained employment -- whether through their own means or through one of N.O.V.A.’s programs. This is to ensure that Variants who are compliant are ‘productive members of society’. While several Variants see the registration as a step toward tagging and tracking, others (usually the less fortunate) see it as a way to guarantee themselves a job in a world that has mixed opinions on the treatment of those with powers. Employed Variants must renew their registration once a year and are also subject to ‘check-ins’ with N.O.V.A., which is a large part of why many Variants choose not to register.

M.A.D.
N.O.V.A. employs a task force that is specially trained and equipped to handle Variant criminal activity. M.A.D., which stands for Monitoring, Apprehension, and Detainment, is a fairly recent institution that is being implemented in several major cities. Its members, which included Variants until a rather serious incident caused a policy change, are commonly referred to as MADmen. M.A.D. uses both street cameras and surveillance drones to track suspicious Variant activity. The main facility contains their central command center as well as an armory, garage, and training camp. There are also several smaller satellite 'posts' that are dispersed throughout a city to ensure a wider coverage and quicker response times.

Most, if not all, computers in the world can access the Grand Global Nexus (G.G.N. or The Nexus). The Nexus is simply a vast computer network that connects several other smaller networks (what would be the ‘Internet’). The most predominant branch of the Nexus is the Transnational Databank (TDB). The TDB is a universally linked system of hypertext documents (what would be the ‘World Wide Web’) that is organized into 'datasites’ which each have a 'datacode’. The TDB is divided into five main sectors: government (001), business (002), education (003), media (004), and general/personal (005). A datacode will look like this:

::TDB.001.NOVA::
::TDB.005.corgipix.pups::
::TDB.005.blabbr::

People can also receive digital mail (d-mail) through the Nexus. A mail command will look like this:

::MAIL.Wolfman187@005.ChainMail::

Popular Datasites
Blabbr - a social networking site where users post photos, short video and audio clips, and small blurbs of text
Visage - a social networking site where users create extensive personal profiles to share with others
Vivify - the top blogging site on the Nexus
ChainMail - a popular d-mail provider with lots of personalization
Privy - the world's most popular and trusted news site
Reson8 - the top nexus radio site on the planet
MetaSphere - a wildly popular gamer hub
WildFyre - an underground news site hidden deep in the Nexus

Top Nexus Providers
Compass - comes standard with the Solaris operating system
Vortex - has numerous customization options
Nexpress - extremely fast and reliable

Sunrise Corporation - develops, manufactures, licenses, supports, and sells computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services; creator of the Solaris operating system
Panorama Industries - a major robotics and cybernetics manufacturer headquartered in New Haven
Rhoella Technologies - the world's largest manufacturer of several smart technologies including mobile phones, smartphones, tablets, and televisions; helped develop the Interactive Immersive Interface (i³)

Intelligent Command and Operation Network (ICON) - an AI guidance system that controls the movements of vehicles and civil robots throughout the country. Construction bots, delivery drones, and public transport vehicles are all linked to ICON.
Interactive Immersive Interface (i³) - virtual reality (i³Total) and mixed reality (i³Spatial)
Omni-Lens - eyewear that uses i³Spatial technology
Drones - any unmanned aircraft or airborne device; delivery, security, personal
E-Vap - electronic vapor cylinders used for smoking; sometimes called 'cyls’
Stingers - used to shoot intravenous drugs
Dissemblers - a small, concealable device used to make oneself ‘invisible’ to surveillance cameras; extremely rare and highly illegal

Coalition Zero
Coalition Zero is a highly secretive agency that operates to maintain global welfare. Rather than operating as a single collective body, the Coalition is made up of a network of independent agents, both human and Variant, called ciphers who take orders from an unknown head commander simply known as The Apex. Some agents choose to operate in small cells while others prefer to work solo. The funding and resources for the agency are explicitly undisclosed.

Pariah Underground
The Pariah Underground is a loose network of wayward Variants operating in several major cities throughout the nation. Though many normal humans accept Variants as a part of society, there are those who view them as a danger or a blemish of the population. These more negative attitudes have driven a large number of Variants to oppose normal humans. Though they are more rebels than terrorists, the activity of the Underground had become more aggressive in recent years.

Chimera
Chimera is an underground hackers’ guild that frequently engages in acts of cyber-terrorism. One of the primary goals of Chimera is to infiltrate government systems and the systems of large corporations. Though governments and corporations are their main targets, they will make attacks on citizens quite often. Chimera employs a variety of militant techies including coders, hardcore gamers, and computer engineers.

Character Sheet

[N.O.V.A. Profile]

Name |
Alias |
Age |
Gender |
Appearance | (height, weight, body type/build, identifying marks/tattoos)
Notoriety | (Unknown, Watched, Wanted, Employed, Missing)
Variant Type/DangerLevel |
Abilities |

[Gear]
Attire |
Armament/Equipment |

[Temperament & Lifestyle]
Affiliation | (can be independent)
Alignment |
Personality/Habits |
Occupation/Trade |
Skills/Talents |
Family |
Background |

[N.O.V.A. Profile]

Name | Girard Babcock
Alias | Tank
Age | 27
Gender | Male
Appearance | 6'11" and weighs between 300lbs to 1200lbs depending on level of stress or power usage. Extremely muscular and bulky build.

Notoriety | Unknown(Girard), Wanted(Tank).
Class/Level | Class 1, Red.

Abilities | Supernaturally dense tissue resulting in a myriad of side effects many of which Girard does his best to control, suppress, or hide preferring just to be the big guy and not the big powered guy.

Super strength and stamina- Tank hardly knows his own limits but as far as stamina he manages to get through a whole work day and tends to walk or run most of the time to wherever he goes, then finally at night he does all of his vigilante shenanigans before he really feels fatigue hitting him. For strength he has managed to hold up support for a small building by himself and can easily move most city vehicles around by hand accounting for bulkiness but he has never really felt like he had to give it his all nor does he want too.

Extreme physical durability and increased weight- Tank can be said to be nigh on invulnerable to most conventional weaponry and physical forces as his body is either too thick/hard to crack or disperses force so well that has next to no effect on him at most times. This more or less allows him to act as his namesake, not to mention a wrecking ball, shrugging off incredible amounts of punishment while using his strength to return the favor to his opponents. Its entirely possible to harm him by other means like electricity, poison, or mental powers to name a few though it will definitely take more time and effort to injure him than an average person. His weight is both an advantage and detriment making him a walking wrecking ball combined with his durability but he has to be rather careful of his own momentum while moving about so as not to destroy or damage things by accident.

[Gear]
Attire | A dark green bomber jacket with a black undershirt and grey camouflage pants. He also wears an old military motorcycle helmet with a mask for identity protection.
Armament/Equipment | Tank tends to improvise weapons from his environment if need be.

[Temperament & Lifestyle]
Affiliation | Independent but open to cooperation.
Alignment | Benefactor.

Personality/Habits | Girard is a kind and thoughtful man who believes in doing the right thing even if there are ramifications. He can't help but be happy and content at most times as long as thing remain calm but he has a serious edge to anyone who starts endangering other people for personal gain or because they think they can, it makes him angry and nothing good has ever come pissing off the big man. The man tends to play off just how smart he actually is rather letting people think what they will of him while those closer to him know the truth. Then there is the side of him that feels like he is walking on eggshells with every step with just how much destruction he is capable of second guessing every action he makes. To keep some balance he tries to keep busy to focus on what good he can do now rather than the alternative.

Occupation/Trade | Freelance Construction/Handyman.

Skills/Talents | The big guy is a competent street fighter knowing how to use his size to press an advantage. Girard is also very good at noting structural integrity of a building and knows where and what walls or bits can be messed with to cause different effects. Like non load-bearing walls which he usually uses if he has to make a noisy entrance or the good old main support beam if he absolutely has to bring it down quickly. His love of woodworking has made him quite good at whittling and modeling which is his favorite hobby that he enjoy sharing.

Family | Deckard(Father), Ellen(Mother), April and Jeremiah(Younger Siblings).

Background | Girard's parents met at a local diner, Morning Glory, in New haven and were know to be both stubborn and argumentative but generally goodhearted people even if they didn't expect to end up married with three kids later on. They managed to carve out a decent life in Mid-town sort of near The Shanty side by the time their first son was born and they were amazed by what they had. While Girard wouldn't have fully developed powers until he was well into his mid-teens they had an impact on his size from day one making life quite interesting for both his parents. He had a rather good life all things considered as they managed to have regular food and a roof over their heads even with the new babies though Deckard did have to ward off troublemakers occasionally but he was a large man with no hesitation to show the young'ins whats what. If his parents weren't there he was looking after them and would continue to do so through his life because his family was and is the most important thing to him. His parents actually bought the diner where they first met and it usually did well for a while but continually less people came when some local gang members started targeting it driving people away as well as making life harder for the family. Girard now with some years under his belt found out most of them were around his age and being the guy he was intervened once roughing a couple of them up in the process to which they stopped coming for a bit but it wouldn't last.

The leader had taken particular offense to it, his cousin having taken a beating in the intervention, came back and put several shots through the diner's front hitting a couple patrons as well as his brother also grazing his sister who was nearby. It was one of the few moments Girard couldn't recall because he rushed out after them in a rage having no intention of them getting away. He probably should have know it would be a trap but there was little to no thinking at the time in his mind when he walked into an opening in-between finding seven vengeful gangers though only the leader had a gun. Girard admits he remembers very little of what happened but it ended very badly for the seven who tried with everything they had to bring him down only to find they couldn't because he was shrugging off pipes, chains, hell even the leader's pistol barely left a mark on him with repeated shots. Most of the aggressors were on death's door before some semblance of control came back to the big man which horrified him. After he reined himself in he got out of there to go and check on his family who were glad to see him alive after his pursuit. It was part of the reason he would later become Tank but for some years it calmed down and law enforcement never caught on to what Girard did because of a lack of witnesses and the silence from the now imprisoned gangers who either were planning an eventual comeback or scared shitless by the semi some of them thought they got hit by and had no want to go anywhere near him again.

His brother and sister recovered, his brother lost some range of motion in his left arm but he lived, but things got back to being more normal if not more close between the family. It had occurred more than ever that Girard was something special and they told him that it was his choice how to handle his 'gift'. Of course he did his best to conceal if not so much hide it for a time not sure what to do but he would eventually seeing more and worse crimes as he got older. He couldn't let the horror that happened to his family just go on or show up else where especially not after one of his best friends nearly got mugged among other continued attempts on people he cared about or around him. Since then he has done his best to keep a good balance between being him and being Tank who is far less forgiving than him and has put more than a little fear into the cities criminal population. His efforts haven't been appreciated by all, particularly NOVA who would much rather have their own doing what he does, but he won't stop on that account. He hopes at one point or another that some of the other vigilantes and like minded variants might get together to tackle some of the bigger problems which would be the highlight of his day but until then so be it.

[N.O.V.A. Profile]


Name | Donovan Macmillian
Alias | Abomination, its the one he hears the most.
Age | 24.
Gender | Male.

Appearance | 5'9" weighing only about 135lbs. He might look athletic if he wasn't quite so thin. His eyes and veins glow green lightly in the shade or dark and he has some rather large pores on his back, no he doesn't want to talk about them.

Notoriety | Wanted/Missing.
Class/Level | Class 6, Yellow.

Abilities | Donovan is host to and controls about one hundred green-black worm creatures which are quite ravenous, not to mention with what is now a wide variety of poisons, toxins, and venom, even some acids flowing through them and him by extension. It has caused some large scale changes to his body to compensate though some are his own doing. Needless to say his symbiotes are excellent at digging but their jaws are filled to the brim with teeth capable of ripping through most animals, including humans, with ease though most are fairly small requiring them to mass to cause extensive damage. There are few that measure more than foot and a half long with the largest and oldest being three feet long, Don named him Anthrax as a bit of a joke and it stuck, while being shockingly intelligent as they seem to grow older due to connection with Donovan.

Enhanced metabolism and immune system- Don has been "blessed" with an appetite that could probably hold over three to four people give or take and his body is capable of breaking down said food/liquids extremely fast. In fact it happens too quickly and efficiently for most harmful substances to cause damage before they are digested, those that do however find a gauntlet of an immune system backing it up attacking all harmful invaders immediately or assimilating them to prevent further problems from that specific organism/material. This effectively allows him to heal faster as well since his body runs so much quicker than an average person but he is only marginally tougher to injure than one baseline. His symbiosis with the worms gave another perk in the form of total immunity to most poisons, toxins and venom though the only reason he is vulnerable to some is that his body hasn't been exposed to it yet.

Rapid evolution and adaption- This facet is often what allows him to survive in the elements. His body tends to instinctively adjust to the surrounding temperature and environment though it is usually internal like thickening of tissue in the winter for insulation. Those changes tend to be quite small requiring little energy expenditure but something like growth of regenerating chitin spines on an arm or excess storage glands, which Don finds extremely useful, takes much more effort and energy. The largest limitation of this particular point is how much available food/energy there is to allow for the changes which is the major reason Donovan hasn't done more potent ones.

Hive mind telepathy and control of the worms- Part of the symbiosis Don has with the worms is due to telepathy between him and all of them at once which at first confused him trying to sort which thoughts were his own among the wave of information. Over time he has found it allows him precision control of individuals and even lets him see what they see allowing him to know what better is going on around him. The most interesting side effect so far with this is his ability to send short messages to other people around him with it, though it has to be a simple sentence or it puts a lot of strain on his mind where his symbiotes don't. His control of the worms allows him to determine which changes and adaptations they do or don't get drawing from the same energy pool for himself. Between this and his adaptations Donovan has figured out how to develop a tremor sense for himself allowing him to feel vibrations around him and know the where and what of objects or people around him. A downside is if he decides to focus specifically on it his normal vision tends to get screwy for 5 to 10 minutes after.

[Gear]
Attire | A dark hooded coat or hoodie and some old torn up jeans are what he owns currently.
Armament/Equipment | Besides the worms, which are like a utility belt in their own right, he uses chitin spines to deploy one of his various venom's or poisons to paralyze/incapacitate or sometimes kill a target if he absolutely has to. Don is not against conventional weapons but he finds them more messy and less subtle.

[Temperament & Lifestyle]
Affiliation | Is thought to have ties to the Pariah Underground, or he might just know people in it.
Alignment | Maverick
Personality/Habits | Donovan tends to be a very cold and detached person to strangers though he warms up enough to ease victims of the criminals he deals with. Trust is not a well used part of his vocabulary nor is charity so the guy tends to do everything himself and has no qualms if it keeps him breathing for another day provided it doesn't cause too much trouble for other people but he doesn't believe for a second anyone would stick a neck out and do the same for him. He is very much the cynic and sarcastic to boot when he actually decides to involve himself with other people which has been more common recently but not something he entirely enjoys, it being far simpler to stay out of sight and mind.

However, if there is one thing he particularly hates it would be NOVA's pet attack dogs who have been sent to hunt people like him down several times before. To him the fact that Variants could allow themselves to be used like they are, not to mention the fact they don't seem opposed to it frustrates Don to no end. As for the rest of the powered community he tends to stay on neutral terms if possible though he has squared off with a few in the past. His overall tendency to stay out of the way and well hidden helps with this as far as hes concerned, not to mention when the visitors are looking for trouble. He has a soft spot for other Varients in his position, most of whom he figures are in even worse straits than him, and has been known to give them a place to rest in one of the safe spots he knows of to make things a bit easier.

Occupation/Trade | Homeless Scavenger, he refuses to beg.

Skills/Talents | If there is one man who knows the city's underground like the back of his hand, Don is definitely it, because he can get you damn near anywhere in the city via the various tunnels/passages underneath the streets. He is a good ear to the ground being able to pass for some random homeless guy or listening from below the streets and buildings where he tends to pick up useful information. Is quite good at enacting and detecting ambushes due to his powers but also years of practice using the very same tactic.

Family | Don's worms are all the family he cares to know now. He did have parents obviously, Mark and Nicole, as well as a younger brother Anthony but he cut all contact with them.

Background | Donovan was born an only child to his parents and while it doesn't seem like it now his life wasn't bad at that time having lived in Ville Rouge. They hadn't exactly been ready for him when he was born and ended up sacrificing a lot to keep him cared for but in that time they wouldn't have done it any other way. He made it easy for them too being cheerful and not needing much to keep entertained, just them being around usually perked him right up. It was a good thing too since for awhile there wasn't much to go around and the family went hungry a couple of times if either parent's work dried up. As time went on the situation improved when the father got a job in NOVA interviewing Variants who came in to register and it paid fairly well. It took up a fair bit of time away from his family but he was known as a compassionate but impartial man in most cases putting more stock in the person than the power which prevented some bad eggs from getting farther up the chain as well as letting some through who otherwise wouldn't have passed because he saw the good in them. It wasn't a popular position among his coworkers but he had less of an issue with powered people then most of them but didn't prevent him from doing his job well.

Don became a more competitive boy as he got older finding sports to his liking with the atmosphere but also science finding it equally interesting because he enjoyed how much there was to wrap his head around. He was particularly fond of running and swimming which both parents encouraged because he seemed to really enjoy it, not to mention it kept him healthy which was a concern as money for a doctor was short at the best of times. His mother ended up as a police officer during this time as more Variants were starting to pop up in the same area and crime began rising which wasn't too much of an issue at first but became worst as time went on. Unknown to the family his own powers were slowly beginning to creep out starting with notably his appetite getting larger which since he was still growing wasn't so surprising but the rate which it kept going was hinting at something more. Both parents tried to figure out if it was medical or not first without resorting to a doctor but he seemed perfectly healthy just hungrier than usual. There wasn't much spare time to check in on it as they're jobs were requiring more time as crime rates went up and over time his mother became more and more bitter with the powered population seeing casualties on the force as well as civilians in the face of the higher classed Variants. This had also begun effecting the father who was having more trouble distinguishing who could be trusted or not among the applicants not to mention how upset it had been making his wife colored his perception.

Donovan's worms had started appearing around the house some time later often trying to get access to food or just moving about, a couple had even killed a mouse in the kitchen while his father was home causing him to crush and kill most of them. This had actually caused his son some pain as every time the worms were threatened they ran back to him or his room and he had come to like them despite all the confusion they caused more or less because they were a part of him. He was still their son but eventually neither parent wanted anything to do with him and they tried to turn him in to NOVA to get rid of him. Needless to say Don felt extremely betrayed which led him to outright refuse to go along with that decision to which they tried to force him. Anthrax though not nearly the size he currently is retaliated alongside some of the more aggressive worms and gave their host enough time to get out before what was left of them followed suit. That was ten years earlier and Donovan has stopped acknowledging them as anything since almost never using his last name.

The boy then and man now have worked to survive living with no home or anyone to rely on but themselves which got easier as time passed. However, as much as Don sometimes wants to he cannot deny the fact he hates seeing other people get hurt so he helps where he can attacking and stealing from local criminals benefiting himself in the process while keeping the idiots on their toes. There are other like him wandering the tunnels or streets, more now than then, which makes him feel less alone in a way as he knows of a few small groups which he keeps semi-regular contact with and many other he knows of. Donovan has done his best to help out when it suited him as well as dodge the police/government workers hunting for people like him and has seen other Variants living more normal lives get their hands dirty to help clean up the streets which he respects but has yet to contact or work with any of them. Though he is more and more considering the idea recently but it would still take some convincing if they even bother to ask.