Werner
"Oh, you can think of me as a sort of . . . licensed troublemaker."
Werner Antoine Sevier IV
SUPER NAME
Kraken
REVENGE OR JUSTICE
Government Operative
AGE
34
GENDER
Male
REPUTATION
For his entire career with the CIA, Werner has been responsible for ensuring that he doesn’t have a reputation, in an effort to preserve his cover. Friends and family are ignorant to his line of work, believing his cover as a foreign service officer quite readily. However, among other agents, Werner is seen as less of a man and more of a tool used by the Agency, doing whatever is required to complete a job. As it currently stands, the members of Project HYBRID are unaware of his superhuman abilities, seeing him simply as another government stooge keeping them in check. However, the previous generation of Project HYBRID saw him as a traitor, hunting down his own kind for the men who brutalized them; this new generation is likely to see him in a similar fashion.
HEIGHT
6’1
WEIGHT
180 lbs
APPEARANCE
Dark eyes, dark skin, dark hair. Werner appears quite the exotic and swarthy figure in contrast to his domestic pedigree in the US.
Though showing some signs of ageing, a little gray hair along the edges, some early wrinkle lines only deepened by his time under the Middle-Eastern sun, he is still quite a sleek and imposing figure when he needs to be. Much like a chameleon, however, Werner can adapt his body language and dress to fit the scenario. He can stand ramrod straight and put on an air of confidence like a king, or slouch and mope like a crippled beggar. Because he is often taking on new personas, much of the real Werner has been lost. However, when letting his guard down a little, one might be able to tell the story of Werner's life simply by looking at him, a hard-working, stressed office worker perhaps, maybe a cocky attorney, though with a few peculiar scars digging into his cheek and short a couple fingers on his right hand. However, with his shirt removed, Werner tells a different story. A massive collection of scars resting upon his flesh, a story of shootouts and knifings, broken glass and shattered limbs. Hardly an inch of his body isn’t covered in some form of jagged scar.
When not in the field, Werner prefers to wear dark colored suits; conservative, but well fitted. More often than not though, he dresses to the occasion in order to blend in. However, he always remains as covered as possible in long sleeves and pants, dark in color, both to cover his scars and to conserve heat.
POSITIVE TRAITS
- Driven - Werner will move mountains to achieve his goals. No hesitation, no doubt ever holds him back once his mind is set, and he sees anything in his path only as an obstacle to be negotiated. Werner's sheer will has pulled him through near-mortal wounds, torture, and brutal scientific experimentation; almost nothing can break him.
- Charming - Perhaps its his wry grin, or maybe his aristocratic Southern accent accent, but many find Werner disarming and captivating. At least for a short while, Werner could charm the skin off a snake; however, this charisma is typically fleeting. After Werner gets what he wants, or grows tired, he distant at best, and toxic at worst.
- Calm - Werner is extraordinarily level-headed in even the most dire and stressful situations, always returning to his training or instincts in times of peril. After spending years embedded as a spy, and even more dealing in wetwork, it takes a lot to rattle Werner.
- Scarred - Werner bears his scars both physically and mentally. Combat, and the loss of close friends that typically accompanies it, have bestowed upon Werner an endless plague of nightmares. Though he lies on his routine psychiatric evaluation, it is clear that Werner suffers from posttraumatic stress disorder.
- Addict - As a means of coping with both the stress of work and some haunting demons that chase him as night falls, Werner is quick to turn to alcohol as a remedy. He is fond of getting black-out drunk to fall asleep, otherwise rest will evade him for hours on end, which he pays for in the morning.
- Paranoid - If you aren’t a member of the Agency, good luck gaining Werner’s trust. As a covert operative, Werner quickly learned that unless you treat everyone like they’re enemies, you weren’t long for this world. Even agents who have known Werner for years and consider him a friend are subject to suspicion. While he is fairly successful in concealing this paranoia, and is able to maintain the illusion of trust, he has eyes in the back of his head and is extremely careful with what information he discloses.
- Detached - Though he has excellent interpersonal skills, Werner is by all accounts shut off from the rest of society emotionally, stuck in his own bubble. He has few he calls friends, and has never had any form of a romantic relationship. While he has seduced some targets to gain vital intel, Werner never went so far as to sleep with them, and remains a virgin. Werner states he has no time for relationships, choosing to focus on his work instead. His relationship with his family, once strong, has degraded into nothing, and he considers the Agency his new family.
- Southpaw - Though he considers it a curse more than anything, Werner is extremely left-hand dominant, which he states is a burden in shooting, driving, and almost anything which requires tools, which are generally made for right handed people. The hassle of purchasing left-handed firearms is a constant struggle for Werner.
- Shaken, Not Stirred - While he’d never admit it, Werner’s decision to join the Agency was heavily influenced by his almost religious obsession the James Bond films and novels, one of the few movies he ever watches. Werner is often caught quoting the character, or downright mimicking his mannerisms.
- Specs - While his vision is fine, Werner typically wears a pair of non-prescription clubmaster-style glasses, or has them in the pocket of his suit. Family members speculate he wears them as a tribute to his father, who was always seen with numerous pairs of glasses on hand of varying magnification.
- Good Boy - Werner has a strong weakness for dogs, to the point where missions have almost been jeopardized because of his unwillingness to kill man’s best friend; he still bears the bite scars on his forearms to attest to it. Werner owns a well trained German Shepherd named Grand Emperor Bubba II of Pupperstan, or Bubba, which he raised from a pup after finding him while working in Syria.
East Pacific Red Octopus
POWERS
- Tradecraft - The true bread-and-butter of any spook, Werner is well-versed in all manners of tradecraft. Despite his typically heavy aristocratic Southern dialect, Werner has an uncanny ability to mimic accents, and this, combined with his knowledge of several languages, allow him to blend into the backdrop with ease. He is excellent in creating characters and playing the part, and can improvise and lie like a politician. A plethora of other minor skills helped Werner establish himself a versatile agent; his abilities in infiltration, lock picking, hot wiring, improvised explosives, surveillance, and tracking allow him to hunt and kill foes much stronger than him. Though not a master in any one particular area, his familiarity with a variety of skills give him options when faced with a problem. Additionally, Werner knows his way around weapons, put simply. While he is familiar with hand-to-hand combat, and certainly won't shy away from it, Werner prefers to put a bullet in his target rather than get close enough to touch them. He is quick with a pistol and accurate with a rifle, allowing him to engage in a variety of ways.
- Body Manipulation - Werner is able to squeeze into tight spots previously unattainable thanks to his new octopi genetics. While he won’t be slipping under doorways or fitting into a peanut butter jar anytime soon, he can still greatly compress his flexible frame on both axis. Additionally, Werner is is able to consciously alter the texture and color of his skin, a skill that can be used to match his surroundings and make him difficult to spot with the human eye from a distance. However, this skill is laughably useless when considering how one must dress to obtain the full effect of the camouflage; that is, not dressed at all. However, Dr. Eisley is currently developing a bodysuit of sorts that can respond to and adapt whatever form Werner's body is taking, be it in texture or size, allowing him much greater camouflage abilities.
- Regeneration - The gene therapy introduced to Werner's body greatly enhanced his healing capabilities by greatly increasing the amount of stem cells which can be shifted to locations of his body to restore it to working condition, as well as the protein acetylcholinesterase, responsible for healing, being forced to work at a much faster pace. In time, Werner is capable of recovering from grievous injuries, like burns and even amputations, though much longer to heal. However, this power works in more subtle ways too; Werner has increased stamina, the proteins reducing muscle fatigue and general wear-and-tear.
- Heightened Intellect - Octopi are generally regarded as one of the more intelligent creatures in the ocean, and some of this intelligence was departed upon Werner during his genetic manipulation. Most of this intelligence comes in the form of advanced recollection, statistical probability, and problem-solving. While far from superhuman, this added intelligence only adds to Werner’s already sharp mind.
- Cold-Blooded - Only helpful in the most bizarre of circumstances, being cold-blooded is almost exclusively a disadvantage. Werner can only function at maximum capacity when in a warm environment, limiting his night-time abilities significantly, and he would much prefer to stay inside during winter. But on the plus side, he doesn’t need to eat as much.
- Battered - Over a decade of service in the CIA’s paramilitary operations has left Werner with the body of a much older man. His left knee, shattered by an IED early in his career, constantly aches. His right hand is missing the pinkie finger from the first joint and the ring finger from the second joint. Severe burns on Werner's back have limited his flexibility in some angles, and he has little sensation in the twisted flesh. These, and a plethora of other wounds, limit Werner physically in certain situations. While Werner's regenerative abilities can help heal new wounds, they will never heal the old ones.
- Troubled Past - Werner wasn't always the cold, calculating man he is today. Once a young, fresh-faced agent seeking adventure, the trials and trauma of a life as a covert operative have weighed heavily upon him. Many close friends have died as a direct consequence of his actions; failure to preform, intentional orders which sent them to their death, and just general circumstances beyond his control. Additionally, he has been subjected to vicious wounds, torture, and most recently, grueling gene-splicing. This has taken its toll on him, in the form of nightmares, insomnia, flashbacks, and a general detachment. He only finds solace in his work as of late, though this safe area is shrinking to where only when in combat is his mind truly at its peak, ignoring all his past errors.
Being a member of the first generation of Project HYBRID, Werner has no built-in cancer or life-threatening disease. Sure, he might be a little twisted mentally from Dr. Staffel's brutal experimentation, but otherwise he left the program only with his new abilities, and relatively unscathed.
SURVIVAL RATE
N/A
FEARS
- Fire - A primal, base fear, but one that runs strong in Werner’s mind nonetheless. Werner was trapped in a burning armored car in Syria after the vehicle hit an IED, which left him with severe burns on his back which still ache. Don’t expect him to rush into burning buildings anytime soon.
- Stagnancy - Werner is largely driven by his desire to improve, be it physically, mentally, or with his career. Being stuck with no room for improvement, or forced to remain in one position as an agent would drive him mad. Without any challenges, or goals to achieve, Werner feels he would wither away and die.
- Entrapment - Any situation which has no escape is an absolute nightmare for Werner. This is different from claustrophobia, however, where one would fear enclosed spaces; Werner has no problem with cramped conditions as long as there’s a way out. Trap him in a massive warehouse with the exits blocked, however, and he’s likely to go mad. While this aversion to inescapable locations is instilled in all CIA operatives, Werner’s is even more extreme, owed to his brief stint in a Siberian prison.
Werner's true aspiration is to reach the highest ranks of the Agency; unfortunately, he knows he won't be young forever, and while he loves fieldwork, serving as the director would still suit him fine in his later years. However, with Maimation demanding more and more from him, this goal is becoming more elusive than ever.
HISTORY
The Sevier family has been a prominent presence in the fine state of Louisiana since its colonization in 1682, and managed to amass quite a fortune, though it has started to dwindle in recent years. The first of the Seviers in America were French settlers taking advantage of the abundant and cheap land in the region, quickly claiming large tracts in the more profitable uplands. The exorbitant wealth the early Seviers earned from the (very unfortunate, as Werner is quick to point out) use of slave labor to harvest cash crops established them both politically and economically as one of the more powerful families in the Deep South. Even after the Civil War, in which many Sevier men fought and died, the family still retained their power.
Werner’s father, Werner III, was the youngest among his many siblings, and since the family maintained their wealth through the right of the primogeniture, was forced to seek a living outside of the family business. This came as a relief to him, as he did not share the same materialistic values as his predecessors, but rather was instilled with a strong sense of justice, being surrounded by so much injustice. Werner III instead earned a law degree and became a distinguished attorney during the later years of civil rights movement. Though married, Werner III and his partner both in law and life had remained so busy during their formative years that he never found the time for children until much later in life, having a single son, Werner IV.
Werner split his childhood between spending time with his parents in their cushy, upper class estate where he was homeschooled, and in the trailer parks and projects. While most parents might discourage this behavior, Werner’s encouraged it, wanting him to meet and understand people from all walks of life rather than simply the privileged he would encounter at home. Werner grew up to become a spitting image of his father, both in appearance and personality, though perhaps with a rebellious streak. He studied political science and international relations at Georgetown University, while also picking up Arabic as a second language. Werner’s superb academic performance earned him the Central Intelligence Agency’s interest, and he was offered a position as a field agent, though his official cover would be a foreign service officer. Much to the chagrin of his parents, who wanted him to instead attend law school, Werner took the job, partially out of patriotic zeal, but mainly because it satisfied his growing ego and sounded like quite the adventure.
After his training, Werner operated extensively in Eastern Europe, working to destabilize the Putin administration in Russia. Slowly his patriotism began to fade as he witnessed the atrocities committed during and outside of wartime by every country, including the US. He became increasingly cynical, but Werner found himself motivated to work even harder in the Agency from the simple satisfaction he gained from a job well done; life as an agent was like no other challenge he had faced. Werner enjoyed his position in the CIA and his work so much that he missed both of his parent’s funerals, instead choosing to remain in Syria to depose the new regime the US government had installed. His loyalty to his country was wavering, but Werner’s loyalty to the Agency was undying. Working as an agent proved to be far different from his romanticized idea; most of the work was tracking targets and gathering intel with some fieldwork mixed in, but the sheer thrill and danger alone kept him more than interested.
Werner’s superiors were told of a new series of experiments being conducted by Maximation, similar to Project SENSE, but with even more interesting means of application. Werner, trusting the Agency, immediately signed up for the early experiments, which were limited to government officials and military officers in the early stages, much like Project SENSE, but these were kept top secret. These experiments were carried out by one of Eisley's colleagues, Dr. Leonhold Staffel, who had a reputation as more of a butcher than a doctor. His methods of transformation were much more brutal than Eisley's, resulting in many dead and maimed test subjects. Those who survived possessed extraordinary abilities without the negative effects of the second generation of Project HYBRID, but most were driven mad or went rogue. Werner was the sole subject to retain his loyalty and sanity to the program, and was tasked with hunting down and eliminating the others. Dr. Staffel was killed by one of the rogue test subjects, and subsequently replaced by Eisley, a more timid scientist, but easily controlled.
Now with the full backing of the CIA and Maximation, Werner hunted down, captured or destroyed the surviving first generation of Project Hybrid, covering up the failed experiment. Now with his enhanced abilities, Werner has climbed to the top ranks of the CIA, but still remains on the leash of Maximation for any further work they may require of him.
