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B L A C K A N T
B L A C K A N T




"Any problems?"

"Well I wouldn't say problems. More

"Is that a finger?"
"Did you chop off his fingers?"
"No no no. Just one of them."

"Why on earth would you do that? You absolute moron?"

"Christ, I'm sorry! I forgot the scanner."

"That's really messed up, dude."

"Urgh. Fine. Well in that case we're doing it tonight." "Get your shit together boys, we're robbing S.H.I.E.L.D."

Apologies for those waiting on me; I'm no longer working from home and my company's building has the site blocked.

Hoping to get back on top of things this weekend!
B L A C K A N T
B L A C K A N T



If there was one thing that Eric O’Grady was good at, it was making the wrong decision. His life had been full of such occurrences, from deciding to order burritos the night before his childhood friend’s Bar Mitzvah, to stealing a prototype Ant-Man suit, and to agreeing to sign up with the Avengers. The former had meant he had missed the big event, leading to Chris McCarthy getting with his teenage crush, Veronica King, before he had even gotten the chance to ask her out himself. The latter had resulted in his untimely death as his body was brutally pummeled. Both events were equally impactful to Eric’s life, and where the robotic copy of his mind drifted to whenever he found himself contemplating his choices.

It was where the mind of the Life Model Decoy of Eric drifted to now as he found himself shrunk down inside the wiring of this apartment’s security system. This current job was probably one of the riskiest he had undertaken since donning the Ant-Man suit all those years ago. And honestly, he wasn’t entirely sure if it was worth it.

He moved quickly, yanking wire after wire from where they found themselves soldered. The creator of his suit would probably have controlled a swarm of crazy ants to do this job for him – also known as Paratrechina longicornis apparently, according to the Wikipedia entry Eric had glanced at a long time ago - however, despite having ‘Ant’ in his name, Eric was never a fan of using the critters. The bastards creeped him out. Besides, the helmet needed to send out his brainwaves to work and given that Eric was now a walking tin can in a skin suit, brainwaves were rather hard to come by. On the bright side, the walking tin can aspect of his new “life” did come in handy every now and then, with Eric having downloaded the schematics of the security system into his mind a few hours prior.

With a solitary beep, the green LED lights of the security system's control panel flashed red momentarily, before fading. He was in.

A smile forming beneath his mask, the Black Ant squeezed his way out of the cheap plastic coating and out into the apartment proper, looking down upon the monstrous room now at his disposal.

Well, monstrous for his currently reduced size. It was actually a fairly mediocre room, with a small kitchenette spreading around one half, whilst the other was filled with a dingey couch opposite a flatscreen TV. The couch was currently occupied by a middle-aged man, who, given the snores, was currently fast asleep.

Pot-bellied and balding, Billy Koenig, was an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. He had been one of Eric’s supervisors during his time at the organization. A stickler for the rules, and a massive pain in Eric’s ass. From what he had been told, since his departure, Koenig had risen through the ranks, now finding himself working directly under the Director himself. It was a decent role, but if an apartment like this was the reward for years of service at one of the most important intelligence companies in the world, Eric was glad he had dipped from that life.

That was one good decision at least.

Leaping down into the room, the Black Ant shifted back to his full size, his eyes fixated on his former boss through the lenses of his visor, as his hand moved to one of the pouches on his utility belt.

He wasn’t here to kill the man, not that Eric would’ve been against such a job. No, instead he was here to rob him. Well, rob parts of him, to be precise.

Removing a small metal device from one of his pouches, he leaned over the sleeping man, his body moving as silently as he could will it to. Steadying his hand, he moved it to Koenig’s face, where as carefully as he could, he lifted one of his eyelids. Ignoring the disturbing nature of the blank pupil before him, he clicked a button on the device in his other hand, spurring it into life. The tip of it spun, as the numerous cameras within each of its stems began to flicker.

Scanning Koenig’s optical biometrics took longer than Eric would’ve liked, with the mercenary expecting the man to wake from his slumber at any second. Finally, however, he was done, with the device shutting down as quickly as it had started, with Eric let the eyelid close.

Now all he needed was the Agent’s fingerprints and he could leave the way he came.

He reached back into his pouches, where he began to rummage for the fingerprint reader he had bought. His hands moved back and forth within the pocket, before quickly moving to the next, and the next, with each search becoming more and more frantic. That was when the realization hit him.

He had forgotten it.

Shit.” He mouthed the word silently under his helmet as the Black Ant stood back in disbelief.

How could he be so stupid? Why hadn’t he doubled checked his equipment? He shook his head disappointedly as he racked his brain for an idea, or even for just an excuse for when he returned to base empty-handed.

Landing his eyes on Koenig’s knife block on the kitchen counter, Eric O’Grady let out a sigh, before stepping towards them.

Another item to the list of bad decisions.
I have something I want to work on App wise but I'm going to sit on it as I don't have the time. How does everything think this is going? I know the pace has slowed but I think we're at quite a healthy place right now.


I think it's going ok! While it is slowed, the quality of the stuff coming in currently is great! Looking forward to writing more myself in this coming week!
B L A C K A N T
B L A C K A N T

"I died a hero and you know what? Really wasn't worth the hassle."
C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T
C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y
C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y
_________________________________________________________
Life Model Decoy of Eric O'Grady
_________________________________________________________
Ex - S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent | Recently Deceased
_________________________________________________________
Criminal Scum

C H A R A C T E R N O T E S
C H A R A C T E R N O T E S
_________________________________________________________
P O S T C A T A L O G
P O S T C A T A L O G
_________________________________________________________
C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T
C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T
________________________________________________________________________________________
To put it lightly, Eric O'Grady was always a bit of a jackass. A lowly employee of S.H.I.E.L.D. who only got the job as a favor from Eric's brother-in-law. He often found himself stationed working security within one of the labs, the items inside leaving the man in constant awe. It was during one of these shifts that the helicopter found itself under attack, and fearing for his life, Eric decided to jump ship. It was while looting the lab on his exit that he came across the thing that would change his life forever. A prototype Ant-Man suit.

Eric O'Grady spent the next few months on the run, utilizing the stolen suit repeatedly for his own gain, temporarily taking on the identity of Ant-Man himself. This wouldn't last forever of course, and soon Eric found himself the target of the Avengers, who sought to retrieve their stolen property. In the ensuing chaos, Eric ended up saving the life of a young child, which paired with his skill at using the suit, prompted him to receive an invitation to join the initiative on a probationary trial; if he could use the suit, then he may as well try and use it for good.

That probationary trial did not last long, however, with Eric finding himself beaten to death on his very first mission.

Death wouldn't be the end of Eric O'Grady, though. A villainous inventor by the name of Professor Ivo, built a Life Model Decoy of Eric, presumably in an attempt to send him back into the Avengers undercover. Before his plans could be put into motion, the life model decoy of Eric, installed with all of the memories and personality of his previous self, escaped.

Deciding that the life of a hero just wasn't worth the risk (despite his new form fundamentally leaving him immortal), Eric returned to what he knew best; crime. Years later, and with a newfound reputation, he found himself approached by an individual known as the Hood, with a very unique invitation.

P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S )
P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S )
________________________________________________________________________________________
Sometimes it's just really fun to play the bad guy. Especially when that bad guy is just an awful person, and very in it just for the money. Eric gives me a great opportunity to explore some of the criminal underworlds in this world that we have all established, as well as also give me a chance to play a character who's very different from all the usual heroes I play.

Eric will be a roaming character, with me aiming to use him to interact with a number of the more villainous characters in the roster.
R O A M I N G
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
HELL TO PAY

After a heist goes sour, the Black Ant finds himself on the run as all eyes turn on him and the mysterious item in his possession.
Characters Involved: Any hero, villain, or mercenary who wishes to join.

I've been back and forth on a few different concepts over the last few days, and I've finally put something together which I think is fun. I had to change a few things about to fit this world, and as always, I'm happy to change things up if needed.



Red Robin #7 - A Decent Plan Fails
Location - Snowy Cones Ice Cream Factory, Gotham City, New Jersey.



It wasn't long until Red Robin found himself approaching his target. Sliding silently along the wall, he moved to the corner before him, stopping to wait for a moment as he listened for any sounds of movement. The southern corridor looked just about as dingey and run-down as the rest of the factory. Yet it was colder here, evident by the fact Tim could now see his breath before him every time he opened his mouth. That meant that he was close. That meant Mr. Freeze was close.

Tim was just grateful that his suit was insolated.

Satisfied that he couldn't hear anything, Tim finally moved his head to peep around the corner. To his surprise, he wasn't alone. Thankfully - or not quite so thankfully, depending on how you looked at it - it was only Robin, with the young teenager leaning against the wall ahead, waiting.

Releasing a smile, Tim found himself relaxing as he came out of hiding, stepping forward towards his compatriot.

"I won't lie, I honestly thought I'd have you beat." He joked, flashing Damian a smile, as his eyes examined the closed pair of double doors before them. "Have any trouble? Had to put a guy to sleep in the restroom."

"There is no contest in which you could best me." The overgrown tyke responded, stepping away from the wall and to his side. After a brief pause, he continued. “But no, unlike you, I had no trouble.

Tim stifled a laugh and shook his head in response. He wasn't used to Damian being so chatty.

He continued walking as he talked, the former boy-wonder analyzing the door and the frame around it. Cold and metal, it was certainly sturdy, yet from a proper glance, it didn't look like it was alarmed. But with Freeze, you could never be so sure.

Hedging his bets, he moved down against it. Giving Damian a quick signal to get into position, his hand slid over the handle. Metaphorically crossing his fingers, he tried to turn it, and low and behold, it turned.

They were in. Or at least would have been, if, at that moment, an ear-piercing scream hadn't hit them.

The childish shriek tore through the night like thunder, causing Red Robin to stumble against the door in surprise. He was astonished to turn his head and find a young girl stood before him. She was wrapped up in a coat several sizes too big for her, with blonde pigtails sticking out of each side of her head. Tim would've called her cute if it weren't for all the screaming she was doing as she pointed her finger towards the two vigilantes in a state of fright.

Clearly, she wasn't on the "Batman hype" like most kids her age. Which meant that now their cover was blown.

So much for that plan of his.



Red Robin #6 - A Decent Plan
Location - Snowy Cones Ice Cream Factory, Gotham City, New Jersey.



“If you have a plan then you better tell me how you wish it to be executed.”
Robin


If there was one thing that Tim never expected to hear, it was Damian coming to him for an order. As such, the former boy wonder found himself pausing momentarily, as his mind raced to process the comment he had just heard. Finally, he released a smile. It would seem that the boy's time amongst the Titans really had changed him. He really was growing. Normally he would've gone in swinging with that sword of his, claiming his way was the only way. As such, this was a much better outcome indeed.

Swallowing the urge to make a joke about such an occasion, he gave his companion a respectful nod, before laying out what he had in mind.

"First things first, we need a way in without being seen. We enter through the deliveries entrance. Sure there are a few guys there, but a well-timed distraction should get us past..."

Red Robin's grappling hook rocketed through the skyline before them, latching into the crumbling brickwork of one of the factory's chimneys. He was already in the air by the time it made contact, with him beginning a downwards swing as the rope grew tight, his cloak billowing behind him.

His wrist flicked outwards to his right as he moved, releasing a series of projectiles out into the night. They spun rapidly as they moved towards their targets, shattering the street light just outside the factory's yard. The formulary illuminated area of concrete fell into darkness, followed by a series of confusing yelps from a small number of its occupants who had been keeping watch.

Just as Tim had predicted, the two individuals currently smoking outside of the loading bay took the bait, with them stumbling forwards towards the outer wall in an effort to discover what had just happened. In their absence, Tim descended, with him landing onto the bay with a quick roll. Satisfied that Robin had followed suit, he ducked his head as he moved under the partially closed door and into the warehouse.

"Once we're inside we need to disable Freeze's eyes and ears. Normally I'd suggest triggering a lockdown, before cutting the power with a localized EMP. Goons would be locked outside, meaning we'd have Freeze to ourselves. But he's too smart for that. He'll probably have overrides and even a backup generator. And if he doesn't? I don't want to risk accidentally disabling Nora Fries' cryo-chamber. As such, we'll just override the cameras instead."

Upon arriving in the warehouse, Red Robin towards the right wall, behind a series of crates. Poking his head out above them, his eyes scanned the room, searching out for any cameras. He soon spotted a number of them, their flashing red LEDs acting as targets. Tossing a number of small circular devices of his invention towards Robin, he gestured towards them, before scurrying stealthily towards his own targets.

The metallic discs chimed with a satisfying beep as he attached them against the side of the cameras. Once connected, the cameras were his to control, with them now outputting repeated footage from the last few nights. It was an easy trick but a necessary one.

"We'll have a lot of these cameras to disable, so I say we take a side of the building each. We loop around, before meeting in the southern corridor. That's where we'll find the entrance to where Freeze has set up shop."

Giving a nod across the room towards Damian, Tim turned towards down one of the nearby side corridors. Despite his speed, his movements were silent as he dodged and weaved from wall to wall, slotting on more of his CTV Disruptors as he went.

It was all going perfect until just after placing a disruptor, the door to the nearby restroom opened before him. A lone man, a heavy parka wrapped around his sweaty body, stepped out into the room, his hands fiddling down at his pants to do up his flies.

"Get there without being seen, and we're golden."

There was no time for Red Robin to dart into the shadows and hide. The man's eyes were already on him. He'd been spotted. Now he needed to act.

Before the man could even let out a gasp, Red Robin was jolting forward with the flat of his palm. He needed to stop the man from talking, so he collided hard against his windpipe. The goon stumbled backwards against the door, clutching his throat as a wheeze escaped him.

Then Red Robin was upon him once again.

Reaching forward with both of his hands to grab him by his jacket, Tim pushed forward with his body weight, pushing him through the door, losing his balance and causing his shoulders to disengage. With the shoulders disengaged in this manner, his arms swung open, opening himself up to the vigilante once more.

Tim yanked him back towards him, before bringing the side of his head down against his oncoming nose.

As the man's body drifted into unconsciousness, Tim helped ease them down onto the floor. Heaving, he moved him across the room, pulling him inside one of the restroom stalls, before taking a glance at the mirror. Tim let out a heavy breath, as he moved to wipe some blood from the top of his cowl.

It hadn't been a pretty job, but a necessary one.

Leaving the restroom, he continued on his route towards the southern corridor.




B L A C K A N T
B L A C K A N T

"I died a hero and you know what? Really wasn't worth the hassle."
C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T
C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y
C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y
_________________________________________________________
Life Model Decoy of Eric O'Grady
_________________________________________________________
Ex - S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent | Recently Deceased
_________________________________________________________
Criminal Scum

C H A R A C T E R N O T E S
C H A R A C T E R N O T E S
_________________________________________________________
P O S T C A T A L O G
P O S T C A T A L O G
_________________________________________________________
C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T
C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T
________________________________________________________________________________________
To put it lightly, Eric O'Grady was always a bit of a jackass. A lowly employee of S.H.I.E.L.D. who only got the job as a favor from Eric's brother-in-law. He often found himself stationed working security within one of the labs, the items inside leaving the man in constant awe. It was during one of these shifts that the helicopter found itself under attack, and fearing for his life, Eric decided to jump ship. It was while looting the lab on his exit that he came across the thing that would change his life forever. A prototype Ant-Man suit.

Eric O'Grady spent the next few months on the run, utilizing the stolen suit repeatedly for his own gain, temporarily taking on the identity of Ant-Man himself. This wouldn't last forever of course, and soon Eric found himself the target of the Avengers, who sought to retrieve their stolen property. In the ensuing chaos, Eric ended up saving the life of a young child, which paired with his skill at using the suit, prompted him to receive an invitation to join the initiative on a probationary trial; if he could use the suit, then he may as well try and use it for good.

That probationary trial did not last long, however, with Eric finding himself beaten to death on his very first mission when the team found themselves going up again Amazo.

Death wouldn't be the end of Eric O'Grady, though. Professor Ivo, Amazo's creator, built a Life Model Decoy of Eric, presumably in an attempt to send him back into the Avengers undercover. Fortunately, the scientist was captured before his plans could be put into motion. The life model decoy of Eric, installed with all of the memories and personality of his previous self, escaped.

Deciding that the life of a hero just wasn't worth the risk (despite his new form fundamentally leaving him immortal), Eric returned to what he knew best; crime. Years later, and with a newfound reputation, he found himself approached by an individual known as the Hood, with a very unique invitation.

P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S )
P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S )
________________________________________________________________________________________
Sometimes it's just really fun to play the bad guy. Especially when that bad guy is just an awful person, and very in it just for the money. Eric gives me a great opportunity to explore some of the criminal underworlds in this world that we have all established, as well as also give me a chance to play a character who's very different from all the usual heroes I play.

Eric will be a roaming character, with me aiming to use him to interact with a number of the more villainous characters in the roster.
R O A M I N G
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
HELL TO PAY

After a heist goes sour, the Black Ant finds himself on the run as all eyes turn on him and the mysterious item in his possession.
Characters Involved: Any hero, villain, or mercenary who wishes to join.




Red Robin #5 - The replacement
Location - Snowy Cones Ice Cream Factory, Gotham City, New Jersey.



“By the way, I have a message. From Wilson. She wishes to inform you that she sorely misses ‘messing’ with you and wonders when you’ll be done pretending to be ‘your own man’.”
Robin, the short, mean one


If there was one thing that Damian Wayne was good at, it was finding a way to get under someone's skin. It was a talent that Tim had been all so familiar with ever since the little twerp had made his way into their lives.

Heir to the infamous Ra's al Ghul, Damian was born and raised within the League of Shadows, trained from birth to be the perfect killing machine. It was only when he was deemed “ready” that the boy eventually met his father, Batman. It was safe to say that his arrival made a lasting impact on the “family” and Gotham itself. The role Tim and his brothers played in protecting this city, was something they had earned, through hard work and loyalty. Tim had proved himself to Bruce time and time again to get to where he was. Damian however expected to simply walk in and take the mantle he felt he had earned. Violent and self-important, his adoption of Robin was unlike anything Tim had ever seen before. It was dangerous.

The last Tim had heard, Damian had become the Titan’s newest nuisance. Bruce and Dick had pushed the idea, thinking that it would teach the boy how to work within a team. The idea made sense; although as Tim had learned from his last call from the team’s current leader, Wonder Girl, it seemed Damian’s attitude hadn’t changed much in the slightest.

This was highlighted again by his comments now.

Bringing up his old teammate, Rose Wilson, the Ravager. Judging him for trying to find his own way. The comments stung. Mostly because it was true. Tim had given up the Titans. He was on a ridiculous quest for identity. Red Robin proved that.

He’d spent years yearning to become just like Bruce. To be the Batman. Yet here, standing before him, was his mentor’s actual son. The true heir. As such, what did that make him?
He wanted to hold his tongue. To not give in to Damian’s taunt. Sadly, that was too difficult to do.

Well, at least I’m being missed during my leave of absence.” What was the harm in a few insults anyway? It’s not Damian was the kind of person to let it bother him.

He moved away from his shorter companion, and looked down upon the factory once more, as he readjusted his grappling gun.

Now if you are assisting me with this, we do it my way.” He realized how patronising he must’ve sounded as he spoke, yet Tim didn’t stop. “Freeze isn’t someone I want to just go in swinging against. We could actually help him here.
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