[ ◈ ] N A M E
Nicholas Aristotle Sage
[ ◈ ] A L I A S E S
Nick Sage, Q
[ ◈ ] A G E
28
[ ◈ ] B I R T H P L A C E
Gotham
[ ◈ ] A L L E G I A N C E
Justice League United
[ ◈ ] P O S I T I O N
Covert Agent, Investigator, Combat Expert, Senior Leaguer
[ ◈ ] A P P E A R A N C E
Frank has a striking look, something of an impediment in his line of work. Frank inherited his father's strawberry blonde hair, which he wears short. He has his mother's smooth caramel skin, and both of his parents icy-blue eyes. Frank has the same rugged handsomeness one might see in a classic Hollywood detective, with strong features and a subdued intensity of countenance. He stands at 5'9 with the subtly muscled physique of a man who has been training in hand to hand combat all of his life. A nasty scar runs down one side of his face, a knife slash that runs vertically down under his right eye and across his lip. Frank seems to have a perpetual layer of stubble and despite surgery, a keen eye can detect a hint that his nose has been broken at least once.
As the new Question, he combines the color schemes of both of his parents. His hat, leather overcoat, and pants are the signature dark blue. But Frank's button-down shirt is a royal purple while his vest, tie, gloves, and shoes are black. In contrast to his father's traditional style, the new Question's garments of a a sleeker, more modern cut. Like his father, the Question persona has dark black hair and an uncanny flesh-toned mask that conceals all of his features.
[ ◈ ] A B I L I T I E S // S K I L L S // E Q U I P M E N T
- Nicholas was trained from a young age in hand-to-hand combat and while he is not among the Justice League's most skilled melee fighters, he is still a formidable opponent and is more than able to hold his own in a fight. What he may lack in the natural talent and dedicated mastery, he makes up for in experience and improvisation. Nicholas is versed in a variety of Eastern styles as well as boxing and wrestling, and frequently makes use of his weaponry to grant him an edge. It is suggested that Question may be a minor metahuman and possesses enhanced stamina, strength, and agility but he has not yet displayed any feats that are not within the realm of human ability albeit peak human.
- His equipment includes a coat lined with hidden pockets that can hide several odds and ends and is inlaid with carbon weaves that protect him from blades and provide resistance the small arms. His shirt is made from a similar material. His weaponry includes a pair of synth-metal knuckles, a Swiss Army Knife, a monomolecular switchblade and push dagger, a taser baton, and a semi-automatic heavy pistol on a shoulder holster. His tie is also made of an incredibly hardy synth-fabric and can be used as a garrote. Like any self-respecting mystery man, Nicholas carries smoke grenades to obscure his location and aid quick escapes. Nicholas is also an expert driver, especially on his personal hoverbike.
- The Question is one of the Justice League's top detectives. He is shrewd, cunning, and relentless in his investigations. He has an almost uncanny instinct for promising leads, and is a master of interrogation, able to discern falsehood from truth with amazing accuracy. Whether through intimidation or through guile, the Question is almost always able to get the information that he wants. Perhaps his greatest asset as a detective is his willingness to pursue even the most outlandish and implausible hypotheses, ones that most rational people would dismiss out of hand. Question is also a master hacker, able to break into almost any system, and is well-versed in all the forensic sciences, and he wears a VR contact lens to help him identify and analyze evidence.
- Though a hero, Question knows all the skills of a master thief, and is able to move quickly and quietly and can break in to nearly any place he shouldn't be, as true mystery man should. He is also a deft pickpocket and a prodigy of disguise, able to take on a variety of identities with the use of pseudoderm masks along with convincing accents and body language. Question carries a variety of pre-crafted Pseudo-faces in his coat and is also able to use spare material as a bandage in case of injury. His own blank Pseudoderm mask includes a filter that helps protect him from gas attacks. He carries a special gas that helps attach the mask to his face and can change the color of his hair. A second spray removes the mask and dye.
[ ◈ ] L I M I T A T I O N S // W E A K N E S S E S
Despite his resourcefulness and tenacity, the Question is still just a mortal man and has the vulnerabilities of one. He is stronger than most, swifter than most, more tireless than most. But he is nowhere near as powerful as the vast majority of superhumans are. Furthermore, Question's outfit gives him a limited degree of protection from small arms fire, but sustained fire or sufficient force will still pierce the material. Question also cannot make new masks in the field and has to construct it with pseudoderm in a lab before he can use it. Beyond possible enhanced physical traits and perhaps his keen intellect, he possesses no special superhuman abilities.
[ ◈ ] B I O G R A P H Y
Nicholas Aristotle Sage, was born the first and only child of Vic Sage and Helena Bertinelli, the Question and the Huntress. Any hope his parents might have possessed for their son to have a normal life away from the path of a hero doomed from the start by Nicholas' close friendship with other children of costumed heroes, particularly those of the Wayne family and their allies. They all played at being brave warriors and champions, just like their parents, and they all dreamed of action and adventure. As one of the so-called Justice Heirs, Nicholas wanted for absolutely nothing in life. His parent's salaries as Leaguers, supplemented by his father's PI business and his mother's security consulting, afforded him a comfortable upbringing. He grew up in a upscale high-rise apartment in downtown Gotham, one of many self-sustaining environmentally conscious buildings erected by Wayne Industries. His father never trusted public education and wanted to homeschool Nicholas, but his mother eventually persuaded, or intimidated, Vic into agreeing to Nicholas being enrolled at Gotham Academy, with many of his eventual heroic comrades.
Nick received a world-class education, but due to his parent's skepticism for authority, Nick was something of a rebellious though accomplished student. He and his schoolmates followed in their parent's footsteps from an early age, embarking on precocious investigations into mysteries and scandals that uncovered shocking secrets and often involved great danger. For his friends, they were great adventures, but they signified more to Nick. They told him that nothing was as it appeared, that there were vast conspiracies and shadowy forces at work in the world, and that the truth needed to come to light. The fact that he grew up with aliens and magical beings only inflamed his almost obsessive find to the find "the truth" in the world in order to truly deliver justice. And he did believe in justice. He spent too much time with Leaguers to believe otherwise. He just had much more unconventional views on it. For his parents' part, after they found out that Nick, Helena Wayne, and others managed to uncover an artifact smuggling ring during a school trip when he was 10, they decided the best thing was to train him.
Nicholas was trained in martial arts since he was a young child, but his training took on a new tempo when it was clear that he was set on joining the Justice League. His father and mother personally instructed him in every skill he would need as a professional hero. He learned surveillance and interrogation techniques, acrobatic maneuvers and survival skills, hacking and forensic sciences. Fighting most of all. He joined the Teen Titans at 13 under the codename of Deus Ex, as his first costume had included a more traditional black jumpsuit with a skull half-mask, inspired by his mother's tenure training operatives for the now defunct covert agency Spyral. As Deus Ex, he became fast friends with many who are now the faces of the Justice League. He became even closer to one Mary Bradley Kane aka Hawkfire, the daughter of Slam Bradley Jr. and Bette Kane, niece of the first Batwoman Kathy Kane and the current holder of the mantle. Nick had been childhood friends with Mary due to his father's close partnership with Renee Montoya who married Kathy Kane, Kane further being a friend and comrade of his mother.
It was during their years in the Teen Titans while Mary was known as Redhawk, that the two became even closer. Initially, Nick became romantically involved with his friend Helena, then Batgirl, but he had always had feelings for Mary. Eventually however, Nick and Helena mutually agreed that they were better as friends and amicably ended the relationship. As a Titan, Deus Ex never stopped trying to delve to the heart of secret conspiracies, and even uncovered a few, though his somewhat outlandish hypotheses and rather eccentric methods raised eyebrows among his teammates. However their team would prove extremely successful and gain both admiration from those in the field and acclaim from the public, and Deus Ex proved himself many times as a worthy hero and detective.
Deus Ex was 18 when he joined the Justice League as a member of their investigation division as well as field operations, partnering with his parents on many occasions. He continued to work with Mary until finally confessing his feelings to her. They began dating and eventually both spent most of their free time on Astrapolis, living in quarters that had been set aside for Leaguers. Many in their generation came to spend their leave in orbit more than they did on Earth. After a few years of living together, the pair were engaged. They were married in a Catholic ceremony in Gotham, a private affair that Nicholas nearly missed due to his belief that the Spanish Inquisition had returned and that he had to stop them before they sabotaged his wedding. The pair would go on to have three children, two girls and a boy. They married within the community, did so early, and had children early, all common for superheroes.
Nicholas, was happy. But for the next few years, his investigations and inquiries took strange turns. Dead ends and vanished leads, all in disparate mysteries that even his intuition and intellect couldn't connect. He ignored the enigmas, finally putting it down to coincidence rather than conspiracy due to the lack of concrete evidence or clear motive. Nicholas only knew the truth when it was too late. He had almost stumbled onto the Legion's E-Day invasion plans. And as cities burned and people died, it all became clear to him. During the violence, Renee Montoya was severely injured and Nicholas took up his father's mantle as the Question. With his undercover investigative skills, he brought several criminals to justice who had been involved in the planning and operation of E-Day, winning renown in the process.
As Question, Nicholas has become one of the Justice League's most valuable undercover operatives and investigators. But those close to him note that he carries great guilt for the events of E-Day and Renee's injury. Irrationally, Nicholas believes that it was his failure to connect the dots of the conspiracy that led to so much carnage and death. Since that infamous day, Question swore that he would not let such a failure happen again. His personal relationships with both his friends and family have been strained in recent days due to his workaholic nature, but he has been instrumental in the Justice League's cold war against the Legion.
[ ◈ ] N O T E S
- One of the Question's closest friends in the League is the second Huntress, Helena Wayne. Nick's mother was both namesake and godmother to Helena, due to his mother nearly dying to protect Selena Kyle during the pregnancy. The two later became mentor and apprentice, forming such a close bond that after Helena "graduated" as Batgirl, she took up the name Huntress.
- Question collaborates closely with the current Nemesis, Julia Tresser, who is the daughter of Thomas Tresser and Cassandra Sandsmark. Nemesis utilizes Question's pseudoderm tech for her covert work, as her father did with his own father.
- Question's middle name is in reference to Aristotle Rodor, who was an ally of his father and helped him prepare the Pseudoderm masks.
- Nicholas' former alias of Ghost is taken from the phrase, "Ghost in the Machine", symbolizing his lifelong belief in some shadowy entity directing the course of history. Ghost is now the codename for Question's protege.
- His father was raised Eastern Orthodox and his mother was raised Catholic, but neither were particularly devout. He was baptized more as a precaution against demonic possession, an actual possibility, than anything else. Nicholas believes in the existence of the Abrahamic God, he'd be foolish not to considering he is acquainted with both angels and demons, but pays him no particular reverence.
[ ◈ ] S O U R C E
DCAU Question, Rorschach
Chev
Mixtape Ghost N