Character Description: Sermons would seem like any other person you'd meet on the streets at first. A seemingly older African American male. He has jet black hair which seems to have been unkept over the years. However the first notable feature that Sermons has is a yellow visor over what used to be his eyes. On the back of his head is a black metal plate on the back of his head.
The only other things of note about Sermons is his left robotic arm and a scar that spans from his chest to the bottom of his abdomen.
Age: 38 (Born on September 27, 1983) Gender: Male Height: 180.34 cm (5ft and 11 in) Weight: 60 kg (132.27 pounds)
Citizenship: American Occupation: Thief, Cyber Security Analyst, Current de facto leader of the Underground
Zero has received several cybernetic enhancements over the years. Some of them were to replace body parts damaged or destroyed like his left arm. Others were to amplify his natural abilities. Already adept in Cyber Engineering, Zero created and installed himself several devices that would allow him to access cyberspace easier. Most notable of this enhancements is the modem device in his brain that allows him to access computers with thoughts. Biography: Simon Sermons was born in the city of Boston during the early 80's. Growing up, Sermons was swayed by the American dream. That he could make a fortune for himself if he worked hard enough. He always dreamed of living the yuppy lifestyle. However his father was a simple dockworker and could not support Sermons' dreams of grandeur.
Not satisfied living in a low income lifestyle, Sermons decided to take his future into his own hands. Sermons had interest in the internet when it first became popular in the early 90's. He began learning software engineering by himself. He applied for several technology companies but due to his lack of formal training and being a minor at the time, he was rejected.
Sermons instead turned to crime to achieve his dreams of wealth. First he simply scammed those more gullible and less informed about the digital world. Then Sermons' began using puppet sites to promote charities which did not at all exist. The raised funding going straight into his pockets. Sermons managed to make a comfortable living this way but he wanted more.
By May of 1999, Sermons with his associate, Anatoli Makarov, pulled off the heist of the century. They convinced several clients of the banking giant 'Maxwell and Smith', that they were company employees who needed their account information. Sermons and Makarov then opened this accounts and transferred the finances into their own accounts. Estimates conclude that the duo stole somewhere between 30 to 40 billion dollars.
Sermons was caught by the authorities some time later and was convicted of several charges. Although he was caught, he refused to return the money he stole. In what would become one of the most controversial case in America, Sermons was punished with life imprisonment at the age of 17.
Days after the infamous attacks of 9/11 and the chaos that followed, Sermons was given a choice. He would be given a complete pardon if he became an asset of the F.B.I. Sermons was quick to take the offer. He tracked down people who were and could have been sources of trouble for the country. From super powered thugs to vehement opposition of the increasingly authoritarian regime. Sermons was taught not only to read people's cyberspace footprints but also their behaviors in the real world.
After years of working with the government, Sermons disappeared on February 2, 2015. A few months prior, Sermons had been part of an operation to track down several dissenters from the regime. This members were traced to a small compound in Los Angeles prepping to leave the country. When word got out of what was happening, several local citizens formed a Human wall around the compound. The authorities tried several times to disperse the crowd but the movement only grew bigger. On the third day of this unrest, police officers open fired into the crowd after reports that they themselves were being fired upon by small arms. Apparently Sermons' took with him sensitive information that the regime are trying to recover intensively. He is now third on the F.B.I most wanted list. However the authorities of the regime still cannot find a single trace of him six years after his disappearance.
Age:Somewhere from 30 to 35 Gender:Male Height: 195 cm without suit. 198 cm with suit Weight: 75 kg without suit. 75.5 kg with suit. Killcount: 301 (195 civilian, 85 officer, 15 general and political figures, 1 leader of an organization) Citizenship: American Occupation: Special Soldier
“...some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.” Michael Caine
Joshua Heimer was raised in an orphanage. His mother died when giving birth and his father was a victim of a violent riot against the government. He only lived in the orphan for few years until he was adopted by a family by the age of eight. It was only a few month later that the police found the parents were killed and Joshua with many marks of abuse. They also found signs of power. So they send him to the Huot Camp, a place for children with power. They trained him, turned him into nothing more than a machine. Even then, he still developed a strong interest in powers and magic abilities.
They send him along with others to many places, serving as the Death Squad for the current ruler. Wherever they went, blood spilled. They quickly earn their name as the Bloodhounds. The squad was a successful example of the power of the current until they discovered a problem. Those teammates served with Joshua, had become insane due to prolonged exposure to his magic. And Joshua contaminated by this power. It created a thirst for unlimited powers and knowledge. So they decided to do one thing before sending them into hibernation pod, sending them to the ADX Florence. The place was originally designed to keep normal human had now being reinforced to stand against the strongest superheroes. In it, there were thousand of superheroes, from the weak to the strong. The government believed some prisoners are attempted to break out, creating a new civil war. And the Bloodhounds were sent in, along with Joshua.
The mission was a success, the leader of the newly founded organization had been assassinated. But there was a cost. In the mission’s report, prisoners believe that they had taken down BH-4 (code name for Joshua). Even though had been reported as dead, there was no blood spilled except for the leader. So the case came to an end. Until now, there were reports of missing civilians and officers. They were tortured, with signs of magic. The case is currently placed on the watch lists, with one thousand dollars for anyone to provide any useful pieces of information
A man with a mysterious beauty, he has the smooth voice of a radioman who you want to listen to as you drift to unconsciousness. In fact, that is the most notable thing about Berry - his voice is almost magnetic, easily able to convince people with it's sharp wit and careful tact. He has broad shoulders, and while he is not muscular or particularly large, his face and skin are incredibly beautiful. He spends a great deal of time every single day, doing his best to make his face and general body shape as attractive as possible. This includes a strict diet, dozens of hair care products, and taking only cold showers in order to improve skin and hair softness.
This contrasts heavily with the parts he hides - underneath his clothes he has massive flabs of skin, leftover from his childhood obesity. He is extremely sensitive about this, and refuses to take off his clothes except for changing them and showering, which he does quickly and with his eyes closed. Even feeling his body causes himself great discomfort, not only from disgust, but also because there are many rashes between the folds, caused from his quick showers and a lack of washing between the flabs. To hide this secret, he wears extremely concealing clothing, such as oversized suits or lab coats. One of his biggest wishes is to eventually collect enough money to get surgery and have the skin removed. He is also sensitive about his height, believing himself to be abnormally short, even though he is 5'5. This is nowhere near as sensitive a topic as his skin, however.
Age: 36 Gender: Male Height: 145 lbs Weight: 5'5
Citizenship: American Occupation: Arms Dealer, Lead Researcher and Weapons Expert for the Underground.
While his power's name seems impressive, he is still within human limitations in most subjects. He really shines in the fields of weaponry and robotics, where he is capable of producing masterpieces that far outperform their competition. His skill at creating these devices is almost instinctive, and half the time Berry doesn't even know how he is creating what he does. His creations are clearly superior to their regular counterparts, almost supernaturally so, but are restricted heavily by time to build, the vast number of resources larger/ more complex inventions require, and his own inexperience. Berry had only been building weapons on a relatively small scale, and he has no experience building larger scale weaponry. This doesn't necessarily mean he can't, just that he needs years of research, along with the resources to fund it, something that a group like the Underground is incapable of getting. Research time could be sped up with premade plans/blueprints or a team of researchers.
Since his power is instinctive, it is prone to failing when he is stressed or being rushed, and he is generally useless in a situation where he is without his weapons. Despite being able to, Berry has refused to adopt implants and prosthetics, because he is unsure if the risks are worth it, doesn't want to worry about the maintenance required, and views it as making himself less attractive. He has so far managed to create non-combat exoskeletons, countless variations of already created firearms and melee weapons, and several variants of robotic humanoid minions, all of which having relatively human levels of durability and strength. The only difference among them are that some are equipped with flight units and all are equipped with various weaponry. He does not currently have any of his robots, as they were confiscated by the government a few years ago and Berry has not had the resources to rebuild them. Considering they were relatively weak software-wise and were prone to hacking or freezing in unexpected situations, they were only really good for extremely basic fighting or performing minor tasks. In all honesty, he created the droids because he though girls would think they were cool.
Biography: Born on September 2nd, 1985, Bernard Foreman was nowhere near as illustrious as he is now. He was born to a single mother, and was conceived in the back of a pickup truck on a disgusting winter night. He never met his father, but has been told that he was a celebrity by his mother, the specific one usually changing to match her different taste in men as time went on. Overall, his life wasn't horrible for being a single mother's child - he had three meals a day, had a decent childhood, and was offered all the same opportunities. While Berry hates to admit it, the problems that arose shortly after were no one's fault but his own.
Berry had always been smart - he managed to master reading by the age of 1 and 2 months, and only proceeded at an exponential rate, eventually mastering calculus by the age of 6. People praised him constantly, and he rapidly jumped through grades, managing to Graduate high school at the meager age of 12, without even trying. He refused to enter college, viewing it as a waste of time, instead pursuing his sole interest at the time - becoming a gourmet. Berry, his entire life, loved food - it was the thing he did the most for, the thing he strived to reach and never grew tired of. He used to eat anything, but as time went on, he slowly grew pickier as his tastes refined. Well, he was willing to eat anything still, but he preferred much fancier, more expensive meals. His mother did her best to cooperate, taking on multiple jobs to feed her steadily more conceited and growing boy. By the age of 16, it would not be an understatement to say he was one of the smartest men on earth. He weighed 300 pounds. This was when the incident occurred.
Terror spread like wild fire, constant looting and aggression being commonplace. It was utter chaos, people committing atrocities for the pettiest of reasons. Hell, it wasn't abnormal to see a corpse only a few doorsteps away. Someone 300 pounds obviously wasn't going to survive well in this type of environment, and resources were running out quickly - between the two of them, the food supply they had was already empty. His mother, the caring mother she always was, left to go find food - if she couldn't buy any... well, she'd probably be able to steal some and make it back.
Berry spent the next two days alone in the small, 1 story home. The hunger nearly convinced the boy to escape and look for food, but the sounds of gunshots and screams were too intimidating for the boy. Instead, he stayed curled up with his sole protection - an M14 rifle, left over from a visit from his uncle, a hunter. The day was spent, huddled in a chair or corner, all lights off and windows drawn, doing his best to not draw attention. He was somewhat thankful that his house had a decrepit appearance, as that probably deterred some looters. The entire time he wasn't sleeping, wishing he had some food, or fearing for his life, he chose to look at the rifle. It was honestly very well made - but wouldn't it be nicer if the scope had better magnification? Of that it shot at a higher fps or had a greater range? Countless possibilities flooded his mind as Berry considered possibilities he never had before - under the extreme circumstances, he was thinking of how to kill more efficiently. That was how those two days went - until the door to his home was kicked down. Berry, who was sleeping at the time, barely managed to grab the rifle and point it at the man with the flashlight. After his eyes got used to the sudden light, Berry saw who it was.
Men in riot gear, with the word "POLICE" etched across the chest and riot shields in bold print. Immediate relief overtook Berry and, after surrendering his weapon, he was taken to safety. President Andrews had apparently issued a state of lock down, which Berry was thankful for. After all, it had saved his life. He was fed a small meal, and taken to a government building where dozens of other survivors were gathered. Some had shattered clothes, some were more fed than others... some had blood on them. The entire scenario was horrifying, but the nightmare was finally over. Berry was given refuge in the government building for a week. However, he would live in the local orphanage for 2 years, as his mother was never found. She was given a body less burial, and his uncle was given a regular burial several days later - he was found with several bite marks out of his body, caused by his pets or rabid animals. Overwhelming sadness consumed Berry, having lost the only family members he had ever known. Berry decided to fill the void the only way he knew how - he ate more, ate heavier than he ever had before. After 3 months, he had extreme difficulties walking and, in one incident, fell. Badly. Both legs were broken, and he still walks with a limp in his left to this day. This event, this crushing feeling of helplessness as he recovered in the hospital, sparked him to lose this weight he had been carrying his entire life.
The next two years, Berry lost significant weight, managing to get down to only 230 pounds. This was when he was kicked out of the orphanage - he had officially become an adult, and was no longer allowed to stay. With inherited debt from his mother and uncle, Berry turned to the only thing he knew that would get him the needed money - crime. Using his knowledge of weapons, which he had been collecting ever since he first held the M14 that was his safeguard, and a small loan from the bank, Berry began to sell modified weaponry on the black market.
His reputation quickly soared, and under the moniker of "Quartermaster", he became known for the quality of his products, and the speed at which he produced them. After 3 years, he turned 21, and had finally managed to payback the heavy debts of his mother and uncle, while also managing to keep up the bills of his old home. This was where he lived and operated out of the last few years, and was continuing to lose weight, albeit at a slower rate thanks to the large amount of work he was doing. This was when he began to charge less for his products - now that he was well situated, he didn't need to charge nearly as much as he was earlier. This only made his well-known reputation oar to greater heights, and by the age of 24, nearly every villain in the state came to him for their weapons, and several from outside the state came as well. He weighed 180 pounds, and it was nearly impossible to tell his weight while he wore his signature lab coat. At this point, police began to search for him due to his dealings, but thanks to his massive security measures and the fact he used robots to do his deals, it took a while to be discovered.
As his skill and talent rised, several still-surviving villain groups attempted to get Berry to join them, but he has refused everyone. Not only would it close business opportunities, it also was begging for the authorities to find him. Berry's bank account was decent, he enjoyed what he did, and it rarely caused trouble. He was happy.
The police discovered him at the age of 30.
As a child prodigy, Berry had attracted the attention of many people and, after all these years, people were wondering what he was doing. A news team, coming to his listed residency, were able to see a half-made plasma rifle, contracted by a particularly wealthy businessman for his guard. On the gun was the Quartermaster's signature mark, a black spiral around the barrel of the gun. Being relatively well-known by the public at this point, he was reported to the police, and was soon on the run. His entire home was ransacked, with the government taking all of his weapons and robots. For the next 5 years, Berry lived on the street, hiding from the police and relying on the generosity of others to survive. Villains were now nonexistent, and Berry had nowhere to turn to. He was close to turning himself in, until he remembered that he would almost certainly be killed. He soon resigned himself to his fate, before hearing word on the street. It was only a whisper or two, here and there, but it was enough - there was a group, composed of the heroes and villains of old. They sought to dismantle the oppressive totalitarianism that encompassed the once great nation, and bring back the era of freedom they once knew. Berry, instead, saw a place that may offer refuge to him.
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