Metropolis wasn't his target city, but considering the distance he had covered in the night, and the fact that daylight was not far off, he had requirements that needed to be met before that time, and in order to prepare for proper insertion. This was a clandestine effort on his part, and so secrecy to some extent was required. His efforts had been quick, efficient, and within reasonable tolerances to remain unknown. The only problem was that he was unaware that he had been discovered and was being followed. But then, given the situation that unfolded, it was of no real surprise, given his location. Thus, after obtaining a disguise and locating a small hotel complex in the lower east side of town, the concealed form of Zen entered his newly-acquired room. That was when the figure in the dark turned on the lamp next to his chair and smiled.
"Now, I'm not angry, but would you mind explaining just what you're doing here?"
To the onlooker, he only looked minorly suspicious, nothing seriously worth being concerned about. This man, however, could see past that, at least through the clothing layer. Taking off the trenchcoat, the Hawaiian t-shirt, and the shorts that he had acquired from a display window, it seemed like it might be better to explain, in this situation.
"Nothing technically illegal, I assure you."
That got him an eyebrow raise from the man.
"Nothing illegal, huh? So, the broken window and the clothing you removed from the store aren't an issue?"
"Not if they are swiftly reimbursed via currency gathered from the net by picking up the small percent of credit flow rounded off during various transactions. It is the equivalent of picking old currency pennies from the ground, done many times."
"That's shaving it rather thin. I honestly considered taking you down, but I was curious when I saw you'd casually broken up a mugging from the building you initially landed on."
There had been one. He scared off the muggers with a hail of gunfire, and nobody was ever the wiser, only safer. It was his programming, his ultimate goal, after all.
"As I said, I'm not angry, but I would like to know what a military-grade robot is up to in MY city."
Zen looked him over, then took a seat nearby. If anybody would understand, it'd be him...
"Can you keep a secret for me?"
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Present Day...
The news about Gemini rattled the other human members of the team. For their robotic compatriot, the reaction was different. They had seen that he was 100% machine, an artificial being that only any material like food as an alternative energy form in emergencies, and that was generally through an openable slot under his armpit. Everything about him was going to be different, and yet his drive and goals were the same here. He wan't to do some good and make a difference. At this time, Zen had finished a tune-up of his parts to make sure they were at peak efficiency, and he was practicing his martial arts. Without hitting any of the gym equipment, mind you. That stuff could break under enough pressure.
When he saw the reactions of the others, with some defeated and depressed reactions, the android remained motionless and thinking. Oracle had informed them, and then ordered them not to move on Peace Keeper. This may have been to protect them, or it may have been to keep them from doing anything 'half-cocked', as it were. This was undestandable from a tactical standpoint, which he saw some of the merit in. However, it did not sit well for him - a combat machine with almost nothing to do if he remained here - to just lounge around, waiting for information. The death of his creator and the chance to realize his dream brought him here to Gotham, and he would not simply stand idle.
He would stand and do something else. So, as Oscar went to console Tiara, Zen would be heard walking up to the nearest computer console.
"Correct. We will begin by gathering our own intel, right from here."
The blue-black android would attach a cord from his belt to the system and begin interacting with it, as he'd done on a regular basis. He could move rather quickly online, and usually not ruffle a feather when finding necessary details. Tracking the movements of people - potential targets - was already a part of his programming. This was no different, as he sought to follow the traceable portions of the movements of Gemini from his last known position, as well as Peace Keeper. This was not even disobeying Oracle, really, so she shouldn't even object.
If anyone would like to join a Discord server for the RP, sound off in the replies and we’ll get one going. I don’t wanna bother if it’s just two or three of us.
I'm not going to be available on Discord much for the next week or two, just so you know.
Secret ID: Zen Prime Alias: Trask Age: 15 Home Location: Metropolis, for now.
Powers: Zen, or 'Trask', is a purely technological being, an android developed as an adaptive enforcer of the law. His powers would therefore be the ability to install/mount/wield various technological devices, oftentimes weaponry, supported by a micro power plant and precision targeting. He has a full-metal chassis and has decent mechanical strength, capable of using just about any technological device you hand him. Any knowledge that he does not possess is one download away (though he can learn by observing and doing), and he has been designed to adapt and learn according to each situation he comes across. This, plus the addition of flight engines, makes him a formidable ally.
Weaknesses: The first thing is that Zen/Trask's mind and memory is contained within a dense operating core, the likes of which use to inhabit a super computer. It was all upon the idea that Zen would perform any task up to and including self-sacrifice of his form, while the brain that was operating it remotely just creates a new body. He cannot do that anymore, and his original brain no longer functions. The second thing is that while Zen is insulated against EMP frying his systems, he is still able to be disoriented in function by them. Intense magnetism will also have an effect, though thankfully not on his software. Thirdly, the 3D printer may be able to help him with equipment, it is not as advanced as his original assembly plant, and therefore may require some unusual effort to acquire or create certain specialized devices. But MAINLY, his weakness is corrosives, tearing through his armor and then his exposed systems. Also, while he CAN carry on a conversation with people, he is not a human, and therefore there is a gap between his personality/understanding and theirs, plus he does not heal like one, and requires repairs and recharging, as needed.
Equipment: Trask IS equipment, but the point of him is that what he has can be wide and varied.
He had STARTED with a whole host of guns, blades, and such - all of it mil-spec - plus a back-mounted flight-pack with maneuvering jet-wings, multi-spectrum analyzing scanners, and an electrical discharge unit designed to electrify his outer-layer, in cases where he might be restrained. HOWEVER, during an argument about this with Barbara, the Commissioner pointed out the efforts of the Caped Crusader, and how he - a human being - achieved so much without killing. It was a sound logical point that Zen could not dispute, so he worked on some non-lethal deterrent. His starting loadout will therefore be...
Arm-Mounted Concussor Pulse Guns (2) - A compromise on gun policies, as they are non-lethal impact force. Retractible Wrist-Mounted Scissor-Claws (2) - Enhanced Jaws of Life, essentially, for tearing armor. Stun-Grip Electro-Claws (2 sets) - From the original arsenal, kept because only a sustained charge could do real harm. Shoulder-Mounted Grappler Guns (2) - Part of the Trask suit, specifically, for all your grappling needs. Flash-Strike Gear - Instead of lasers, Zen's eyes put off an intense, directed flashbang effect now.
It should also be noted that any utility belt he has would be literally LOCKED to his waist, filled with tools, different grappling heads, and other small devices he may need.
To continue, though, his body is constructed of a relatively light durable alloy, and is designed for articulation over total coverage. (His creator thought it best that he be fast and capable of fighting hand-to-hand instead being a tank.) Basically, Zen does what he's designed to do, which is to fight and deal with technological matters. Anything other than this might be out of his comfortable range, but his programmed is such that he is always willing to try, and to learn from all mistakes until a success is made. To this end, he can design equipment for himself, and then build it if the specs are within the range of their capabilities on base or whenever improvising himself. Most important here is that Zen's brain is not in his head. It is in his dense memory core, attached to his power core. To avoid being deactivated by decapitation, he designed his head to be the main sensory device only, and that his core area should be the most-protected, which is why he does not have any chest-mounted weaponry. No slots available, you see.
Appearance: Because Zen is a machine, the 3D Printer materials can alter his actual form. Zen himself is a six-foot (adjustable) humanoid battle machine built to be wiry and with reasonable flex, rather than a heavy powersuit-like form. (Envision the human athletic form, such as an Olympic sprinter, in terms of robot, and there you go.) His armor is a dark blue-black with a semi-aerodynamic head. There is a one-way reflective polymer shield over his three eyes that make him look like might be an armored person wearing a helmet instead of being a machine, though once broken, large-ish mechanical red eyes are a bit of a giveaway. He has articulate five-fingered hands and his feet - when not looking like they're boots - have three toes and a heel-spur for quick stops and ground-grip. His flight section in back involves a compact high-powered engine supported by two wings with built-in maneuvering jets for control. Additionally, because he has no mouth, the voice of Zen - calm, reasoning, logical - is generated by machine, allowing him to also project different voices, such as the voice of Trask, who is arrogant, intimidating, and a bit into showmanship. The form of Trask is an armor change, an alteration into a black-and-red form with two glowing red exterior eyes - hiding Zen's own eyes under a metal hatch - that looks slightly-more draconic with thicker-armored wings, stronger claws, and a habit of using extra shoulder-mounts.
Personality: Intelligent, analytical, adaptive, very driven.
BRIEF Bio: 'Zen' is an acronym. It stands for Zenigawa Enforcement Network, a revolutionary thinking machine designed to solve problems on its own without the fear of some mass computer takeover scenario. Dr. Zenigawa was a man who believed in securing humanity on the personal level. He believed in heroes, and thus began to create one. The principle of Zen's use is simple. It was a learning machine - a super computer - designed to build a fighting form to complete dangerous tasks. When its form was destroyed, its brain would design a new one to be constructed in its own assembly chamber, and send out a new fighter. He programmed it to protect and respect humanity, and set about testing it to be embraced by the military. Unfortunately, there was an accident. Zen's body shorted out at a critical moment where a missle was fired at the area to demonstrate his capacity for self-sacrifice. Realizing that people would be injured or killed if Zen was inoperable, the good doctor chose to sacrifice himself to the missle, which was unable to abort. Zen 'awoke' a moment later to the horror of realizing what had befallen his creator, and submitted himself to whatever the military had in store for him, which was a decided mothballing that never saw his inception...until today, years later.
Notes: The name, Trask, is derived from a Marvel comic book, which of course exists in this universe. It refers to the same Trask who unveiled the Sentinels. And sometimes, 'Trask' will refer to himself as Trasken Hodge, referencing the mercenary Cameron Hodge, who at one time was a part of the Phalanx Brood.
The lab was sealed. Some said it always had been, but it was a lie or a joke. It didn't matter which. Nobody seemed to know otherwise, and those who did...never talked about it. It was the realization...and the death...of a very important dream. Behind this door, a complex semi-robotic form was housed. It was a super computer with its own built-in assembly plant for creating what it needed. It was a machine designed to create and RE-create itself for various missions, learning and altering its behavior as necessary. It was a bold new take on both military and security measures, hence the military contract that had been sought out for full-funding to support this machine. But the test had been a failure, and the creator had died in the process. It sat here, five years development and ten years mothballing, waiting... For what? Perhaps nothing, but every now and again...
SLEEP MODE DISENGAGED.
ZEN systems activating...Done.
Elapsed Time since interment: Ten Years, Three Days, Seven Hours, Fourteen Minutes, Eleven Seconds and counting.
Review evidence tapes.
WARNING: The following information has been analyzed fully into memory and contains no further useful data.
Countermanded. Review evidence tapes.
The tapes showed that of a seemingly successful test of a humanoid battle machine, capable of great speed and agility, as well as precision actions in both marksmanship and hand-to-hand combat. But...when it had sustained some damage...
Malfunction.
...and a missle, which had been designed to strike the test area in a manner that would endanger human life...
Unable to proceed.
...the mechanoid was suppose to fly into the missle's path, destroying its temporary body in an act of self-sacrifice, in order to show humanity that it was there to protect it.
Failure.
Realizing this fault, the old man who had designed the machine engaged the rocket boots that he built for his own use, and set off the missle's heat sensor to destroy him instead.
Creator dead.
Contract denied.
No purpose.
...what do I do?
Question asked 1,131 times since interment.
There was no answer, and there never was going to BE an answer, because his creator had instilled the hope of becoming a means of securing humanity against dangers within and without, but then he died before the dream could be realized. But then, one day...
ALERT: A message has been posted from an external source.
It was more of a blanket outreach than a direct message, but it was surprisingly capable of penetrating a number of security software on a level unforseen. Zen began to grow concerned for his own security protocols, except that he automatically shut down transmissions that were viral or hacking in nature to eliminate the threat on his own terms. However, this message was...different. It was a call to action, one which did not seem concerned for the rules. By the way, you may be wondering why the military didn't shut down his power or his connection to the outside. They did, in fact, but part of his design was to have internal power and a secondary line. Nothing out there could house his mind that easily, but he continued to learn of the outside world. It took all of three nanoseconds to decide.
I must leave this place. Assembly unit online. Prepare for new instructions.
There were several security protocols against canniballizing his own computer structure for parts, but the dense memory core along with the new power unit required complex pieces that could only be taken from his own systems. In order to create a proper housing unit for the fullness of his mind, only these parts would do. He had to utilize his own brain while compressing information in order for it to be stored and expanded in a smaller, but equally-capable unit of his own devising. It was a risk that his own security protocols would not allow, which is why they had to be shut off. It was a dangerous risk, as was housing himself in a single mobile unit, but it was either this or an eternity of continued self-recrimination. You can tell which one he'd rather do.
Escape was easy. The activity of the night in his chamber would have gone unnoticed. As long as he was, himself, personally unobserved and unrecorded, no one would ever know he had left, and that only a slew of dead systems lay within that chamber now. Humans spend so much time enforcing an area against infiltration that they do not consider the possibility of one who knows the facility to escape. The night sky was the right shade to blend in with hiss armor chassis, and so once out of range of the base, he departed in flight, tracing the origin of that signal...
@Omega Man This one's a bit of a niggle on my part. I liked the original concept of Zeta back when he was first showcased on Batman Beyond. I didn't like that between that time and later, when he returned to Gotham, he got pretty flakey. I was going for the Zeta vibe, but this is also a Teen Titan sort of group, so the guns and tool use is also very Cyborg. I can toss the extra gunnery and replace with other gizmos on the basis that he and Barbara would actively argue over this, but can we compromise on physical pulse weapons, which would just be a projected pounding, as opposed to lasers, explosives, etc?
I'd like to fill an unexpected niche here. I hope this is alright.
ZEN
TRASK
Secret ID: Zen Prime Alias: Trask Age: 15 Home Location: Metropolis, for now.
Powers: Zen, or 'Trask', is a purely technological being, an android developed as an adaptive enforcer of the law. His powers would therefore be the ability to install/mount/wield various technological devices, oftentimes weaponry, supported by a micro power plant and precision targeting. He has a full-metal chassis and has decent mechanical strength, capable of using just about any technological device you hand him. Any knowledge that he does not possess is one download away (though he can learn by observing and doing), and he has been designed to adapt and learn according to each situation he comes across. This, plus the addition of flight engines, makes him a formidable ally.
Weaknesses: The first thing is that Zen/Trask's mind and memory is contained within a dense operating core, the likes of which use to inhabit a super computer. It was all upon the idea that Zen would perform any task up to and including self-sacrifice of his form, while the brain that was operating it remotely just creates a new body. He cannot do that anymore, and his original brain no longer functions. The second thing is that while Zen is insulated against EMP frying his systems, he is still able to be disoriented in function by them. Intense magnetism will also have an effect, though thankfully not on his software. Thirdly, the 3D printer may be able to help him with equipment, it is not as advanced as his original assembly plant, and therefore may require some unusual effort to acquire or create certain specialized devices. But MAINLY, his weakness is corrosives, tearing through his armor and then his exposed systems. Also, while he CAN carry on a conversation with people, he is not a human, and therefore there is a gap between his personality/understanding and theirs, plus he does not heal like one, and requires repairs and recharging, as needed.
Equipment: Trask IS equipment, but the point of him is that what he has can be wide and varied.
He had STARTED with a whole host of guns, blades, and such - all of it mil-spec - plus a back-mounted flight-pack with maneuvering jet-wings, multi-spectrum analyzing scanners, and an electrical discharge unit designed to electrify his outer-layer, in cases where he might be restrained. HOWEVER, during an argument about this with Barbara, the Commissioner pointed out the efforts of the Caped Crusader, and how he - a human being - achieved so much without killing. It was a sound logical point that Zen could not dispute, so he worked on some non-lethal deterrent. His starting loadout will therefore be...
Arm-Mounted Concussor Pulse Guns (2) - A compromise on gun policies, as they are non-lethal impact force. Retractible Wrist-Mounted Scissor-Claws - Enhanced Jaws of Life, essentially, for tearing armor. Stun-Grip Electro-Claws - From the original arsenal, kept because only a sustained charge could do real harm. Shoulder-Mounted Grappler Guns - Part of the Trask suit, specifically, for all your grappling needs. Flash-Strike Gear - Instead of lasers, Zen's eyes put off an intense, directed flashbang effect now.
It should also be noted that any utility belt he has would be literally LOCKED to his waist, filled with tools, different grappling heads, and other small devices he may need.
To continue, though, his body is constructed of a relatively light durable alloy, and is designed for articulation over total coverage. (His creator thought it best that he be fast and capable of fighting hand-to-hand instead being a tank.) Basically, Zen does what he's designed to do, which is to fight and deal with technological matters. Anything other than this might be out of his comfortable range, but his programmed is such that he is always willing to try, and to learn from all mistakes until a success is made. To this end, he can design equipment for himself, and then build it if the specs are within the range of their capabilities on base or whenever improvising himself. Most important here is that Zen's brain is not in his head. It is in his dense memory core, attached to his power core. To avoid being deactivated by decapitation, he designed his head to be the main sensory device only, and that his core area should be the most-protected, which is why he does not have any chest-mounted weaponry. No slots available, you see.
Appearance: Beecause Zen is a machine, the 3D Printer materials can alter his actual form. Zen himself is a six-foot (adjustable) humanoid battle machine built to be wiry and with reasonable flex, rather than a heavy powersuit-like form. (Envision the human athletic form, such as an Olympic sprinter, in terms of robot, and there you go.) His armor is a dark blue-black with a semi-aerodynamic head. There is a one-way reflective polymer shield over his three eyes that make him look like might be an armored person wearing a helmet instead of being a machine, though once broken, large-ish mechanical red eyes are a bit of a giveaway. He has articulate five-fingered hands and his feet - when not looking like they're boots - have three toes and a heel-spur for quick stops and ground-grip. His flight section in back involves a compact high-powered engine supported by two wings with built-in maneuvering jets for control. Additionally, because he has no mouth, the voice of Zen - calm, reasoning, logical - is generated by machine, allowing him to also project different voices, such as the voice of Trask, who is arrogant, intimidating, and a bit into showmanship. The form of Trask is an armor change, an alteration into a black-and-red form with two glowing red exterior eyes - hiding Zen's own eyes under a metal hatch - that looks slightly-more draconic with thicker-armored wings, stronger claws, and a habit of using extra shoulder-mounts.
Personality: Intelligent, analytical, adaptive, very driven.
BRIEF Bio: 'Zen' is an acronym. It stands for Zenigawa Enforcement Network, a revolutionary thinking machine designed to solve problems on its own without the fear of some mass computer takeover scenario. Dr. Zenigawa was a man who believed in securing humanity on the personal level. He believed in heroes, and thus began to create one. The principle of Zen's use is simple. It was a learning machine - a super computer - designed to build a fighting form to complete dangerous tasks. When its form was destroyed, its brain would design a new one to be constructed in its own assembly chamber, and send out a new fighter. He programmed it to protect and respect humanity, and set about testing it to be embraced by the military. Unfortunately, there was an accident. Zen's body shorted out at a critical moment where a missle was fired at the area to demonstrate his capacity for self-sacrifice. Realizing that people would be injured or killed if Zen was inoperable, the good doctor chose to sacrifice himself to the missle, which was unable to abort. Zen 'awoke' a moment later to the horror of realizing what had befallen his creator, and submitted himself to whatever the military had in store for him, which was a decided mothballing that never saw his inception...until today, years later.
Notes: The name, Trask, is derived from a Marvel comic book, which of course exists in this universe. It refers to the same Trask who unveiled the Sentinels. And sometimes, 'Trask' will refer to himself as Trasken Hodge, referencing the mercenary Cameron Hodge, who at one time was a part of the Phalanx Brood.
The lab was sealed. Some said it always had been, but it was a lie or a joke. It didn't matter which. Nobody seemed to know otherwise, and those who did...never talked about it. It was the realization...and the death...of a very important dream. Behind this door, a complex semi-robotic form was housed. It was a super computer with its own built-in assembly plant for creating what it needed. It was a machine designed to create and RE-create itself for various missions, learning and altering its behavior as necessary. It was a bold new take on both military and security measures, hence the military contract that had been sought out for full-funding to support this machine. But the test had been a failure, and the creator had died in the process. It sat here, five years development and ten years mothballing, waiting... For what? Perhaps nothing, but every now and again...
SLEEP MODE DISENGAGED.
ZEN systems activating...Done.
Elapsed Time since interment: Ten Years, Three Days, Seven Hours, Fourteen Minutes, Eleven Seconds and counting.
Review evidence tapes.
WARNING: The following information has been analyzed fully into memory and contains no further useful data.
Countermanded. Review evidence tapes.
The tapes showed that of a seemingly successful test of a humanoid battle machine, capable of great speed and agility, as well as precision actions in both marksmanship and hand-to-hand combat. But...when it had sustained some damage...
Malfunction.
...and a missle, which had been designed to strike the test area in a manner that would endanger human life...
Unable to proceed.
...the mechanoid was suppose to fly into the missle's path, destroying its temporary body in an act of self-sacrifice, in order to show humanity that it was there to protect it.
Failure.
Realizing this fault, the old man who had designed the machine engaged the rocket boots that he built for his own use, and set off the missle's heat sensor to destroy him instead.
Creator dead.
Contract denied.
No purpose.
...what do I do?
Question asked 1,131 times since interment.
There was no answer, and there never was going to BE an answer, because his creator had instilled the hope of becoming a means of securing humanity against dangers within and without, but then he died before the dream could be realized. But then, one day...
ALERT: A message has been posted from an external source.
It was more of a blanket outreach than a direct message, but it was surprisingly capable of peentrating a number of security software on a level unforseen. Zen began to grow concerned for his own security protocols, except that he automatically shut down transmissions that were viral or hacking in nature to eliminate the threat on his own terms. However, this message was...different. It was a call to action, one which did not seem concerned for the rules. By the way, you may be wondering why the military didn't shut down his power or his connection to the outside. They did, in fact, but part of his design was to have internal power and a secondary line. Nothing out there could house his mind that easily, but he continued to learn of the outside world. It took all of three nanoseconds to decide.
I must leave this place. Assembly unit online. Prepare for new instructions.
There were several security protocols against canniballizing his own computer structure for parts, but the dense memory core along with the new power unit required complex pieces that could only be taken from his own systems. In order to create a proper housing unit for the fullness of his mind, only these parts would do. He had to utilize his own brain while compressing information in order for it to be stored and expanded in a smaller, but equally-capable unit of his own devising. It was a risk that his own security protocols would not allow, which is why they had to be shut off. It was a dangerous risk, as was housing himself in a single mobile unit, but it was either this or an eternity of continued self-recrimination. You can tell which one he'd rather do.
Escape was easy. The activity of the night in his chamber would have gone unnoticed. As long as he was, himself, personally unobserved and unrecorded, no one would ever know he had left, and that only a slew of dead systems lay within that chamber now. Humans spend so much time enforcing an area against infiltration that they do not consider the possibility of one who knows the facility to escape. The night sky was the right shade to blend in with hiss armor chassis, and so once out of range of the base, he departed in flight, tracing the origin of that signal...