Basic InformationName: Martin Kirkman
Nickname/Alias/Etc: Gender: Male
Age: Thirty Two
Height: 6’0
Weight: 171 lbs
Home District: Currently Lower Union-Point Hills apartment on the top floor
AppearanceHair Color:Black streaked with grey.
Eye Color:Grey
Ethnicity:Caucasian
Physical Appearance:Martin is a thin man bordering on lanky in stature. Though muscled he is far from an Adonis too thin to be particularly appealing in appearance. It’s clear from his build he’s fought to survive rather than by immediate choice.
His face could be described as hawkish if not for his nose. Clearly broken at some early point and badly set it is squashed with a septum bent to the right. A thin jaw accentuates a prominent chin in a less than flattering style. High cheek bones leave his cheeks slightly gaunt with a thin mouth and permanently furrowed brows.
The only feature Martin has any love for is his eyes. They appear to have an expression all of their own in defiance of his severe face. One of mirth that he likes to think shines out for the observant to see.
His posture is one of a practiced fighter in his environment, straight backed with slightly rolled back shoulders. Swaying slightly on his feet speaks less of ease and more of acceptance, a stance for rolling with the blows both real and metaphorical.
Attire: A casual attitude is apparent from the combination of a colourful open shirts over a plain vest. It’s rare to see Martin in anything other than beat up jeans. After all his few pairs have been though it would be a shame to change. Walking boots make for a comfortable day on the feet. Add plenty breathability to help combat the Californian summer for good measure.
Some find the combination of laidback clothing and grim features comical but Martin sees no reason for dressing to impress these days.
On the job Martin cuts quite a different figure. A black jumpsuit followed by connected combat boots and gloves. The chest, thighs, groin, forearms and shins are girded with “plates”. A gorget of the same material obscures the neck. This kit bash is topped with a helmet comprised of a single piece.
Martin holds no particular loyalty to any one weapon but prefers Russian construction. At the end of the day no matter how fancy a gun is, if it doesn’t fire it is worthless.
PersonalityInnate & Outward Personality:Martin’s youth left him with considerable anger and a conscious desire to belong. When The Children of the Iron Cross were only too happy to take him into their arms they encouraged the anger and frustrations so common to young men in such situations. During his time with them he behaved as one would expect of an aspiring Child of the Iron Cross.
When Martin realised the almost cult like effect The Children of the Iron Cross were having on him his attitude change radically in a matter of weeks.
Polite and quiet Martin tends toward contemplative observation if no input is requested of him. Whilst those who like to hear themselves talk do so Martin must admit he enjoys the simple pastime of listening to others speak. The anecdotes of a person’s life can weave tapestries and even the simplest of tapestries can be admirable. Much of his newfound interests are a response to leaving the oppressive lifestyle of The Children behind.
Though aggression is well known to him, Martin firmly believes that a self respecting man should not allow it influence his decisions. He strives to separate emotion from even his work. Even when hunting the worst of criminals, anger benefits no one.
(I tend to prefer to make personality known through interaction, please excuse me if this seems a little light).
Hobbies/Interests:Martin finds tending his rooftop greenhouse therapeutic and a valuable distraction from the day to day misfortune that seems to plague so many in this city. Perhaps this is a reaction to his inability to affect living matter. Being Incapable of cheating means he cannot correct mistakes later which lends a kind of weight to his actions.
Experimenting with his power is a constant source of interest to Martin. He often behaves like a child with a new toy when making new discoveries. Since this has also served as his main source of income he’s considered himself quite lucky in recent years.
Martin can be found sitting in cafes and public places when not working on his other interests. He finds just watching people go about their daily lives fascinating. As a bonus objective, Martin enjoys sampling the menus of the various cafes he visits. One day he hopes to find the perfect biscuit to go with Darjeeling tea.
He also considers it important to keep up with his personal fitness and the news. Much of this he does whilst practicing his power.
Skills/Talents: Martin’s military skills are fairly excellent. He is capable of hitting a moving target at two hundred feet with a properly braced rifle. He is also proficient with pistols out too thirty feet. Above average driving skills regularly come in useful both in and out of the military. His mundane skills with explosives is highly developed.
Martin excels in hand to hand combat. Using a mixture of experience street brawling and unorthodox judo he is an adept grappler with outstanding skills in striking and evasion.
He has a good grounding in physics, particularly relating to the application of practical forces. This is however superseded by his high level of chemistry theory and practical experience.
Martin also displays patience when dealing with difficult individuals and limited but effective interpersonal skills. Not leadership material, he struggles to deal with problems outside his experience with anything other than lending an open ear.
Prized Possession:A rooftop greenhouse he built bit by bit over a year till it stood two meters wide by eight long. The shutters took the longest but eventually Martin found enough discarded from run down businesses to cover the whole affair during high winds and storm.
A black Toyota Explorer subtly reinforced beyond their already supernatural resilience. [Can provide reference to the clearly whitchcraftian nature of the normal Toyota Explorer if required.]
His homemade battledress.
Quote(s): Optional
History/Bio:Martin’s home was never one of violence but certainly one of anger. Mom and Pop Kirckman weren’t exactly happily married. As a child Martin grew to resent his parents and so spent more and more time on the streets in Bazaar Riviera. It was here Martin first met the Children.
Quickly taken in by tales of brotherhood, at fourteen Martin found himself an aspiring member of The Children of the Iron Cross. So young perhaps it would be more accurate to call Martin a mascot but they taught him to fight, to drive, to shoot. After all before too long children become soldiers.
Martin’s parents did come looking for him. Though when they realised where he had been going and who he had been meeting they quickly backed off and being an angry young man Martin had no intentions of changing that.
At sixteen Martin was joining the Children’s “Street Patrols”. Even young and stupid he quickly realised he didn’t quite have the stomach for beating random people for no other reason than their background. This however didn’t mean he turned from violence. Martin found clashes with The Red Crowns exhilarating. Quickly the lack of desire to beat the defenceless was covered behind a faux disgust at the weak whilst relishing a true fight.
By the time he was eighteen he was a valued soldier with a record of “Great Bravery”. At least that’s what The Children call it when you don’t fall back just cause you’ve taken a couple swings of the bat.
As he got older however Martin started to have doubts. The sermons on purity and brotherhood of Aryans were seaming more and more contrived and foolish. Did beating people In the streets and worse really uphold any “family values”? Nor could he ignore the packages of money being passed from subordinate to superior. Feeling like he was seeing straight for the first time in his life Martin made plans to run.
Making trips to the recruiting office in secret was not difficult. As the process went on Martin requested transfer east. The recruiting officer looked Martin up and down and with a knowing nod stamped his papers. “Report to the barracks tomorrow at oh eight hundred sharp. You’ll be bussed out to Arizona. Hope you like sand, you’re gonna be seeing a whole lot of it.” How right he was, 2003 brought the second gulf war.
Basic seemed to fly by after the almost cult like ministrations of The Children of the Iron Cross. Martin unsurprisingly considering his background displayed swift advancement in combat drills. Unfortunately due to his childhood his formal education was lacking and many a night was spent pouring over text books. In an effort to bring himself up to speed he made full use of the educational support provided by the military.
On completion of training Martin shipped out to his first tour. In Iraq he continued his studies as best he could during operation Iraqi Freedom. The thirteen month tour had its intense moments but other than a couple of meta incidents went fairly well.
Upon shipping back to Arizona Martin undertook exams in English, Maths, Chemistry and Physics. Passing comfortably he requested transfer to receive EOD technical training. Considering the mounting need for willing specialists the army confirmed his request.
At Fort Lee Martin underwent the thirty nine week course required of an Explosive Ordinance Disposal Specialist. During his third tour in Iraq Martin was disarming an IED when he first noticed his power. After recovering from the surprise that lasted several intense minutes he realised he could perceive and manipulate the inner workings of the bomb. Slowly over the course of five minutes he was able to deactivate the detonator by mixing the accelerant with silica molecules from the sand.
Awakened to a whole new sense Martin spent much of his time experimenting with his power both utilizing and improving his knowledge of chemistry. Martin went out of his way to take the most dangerous jobs knowing his chance of being killed by a bomb had dropped exponentially. Alongside this he swiftly advanced his academic study of chemistry.
After his fourth tour Martin left the army to study the applications of his power full time. A process he named “Refinement” allowed him to recycle various types of waste or natural resources into basic molecules and atoms. These “Refined” resources could then be “Graded” to turn them into sheets of high quality aramids or metals or potentially anything. Graded materials could then be “Fabricated”. Aramids Fabricated into seamless jumpsuits or metals Fabricated into perfect machine casings.
Money became a small issue when he was able to meet near any requirement for high quality parts for any client. The only limiting factor was the speed by which he could work. Assuming the material was one he was familiar with only a few square feet of material could be produced a day. This put him at just over what the average middle class citizen could make a month for the same number of hours.
Of course Martin knew that metas were required to register with the government. However funnily enough he wasn’t enthralled by the idea of having a chip put in him. Luckily his power was discreet as long as he didn’t try selling large quantities of high quality material to the wrong people.
With so much time to himself using his power Martin could not quite shake the shame he felt at his behaviour before he joined the army. He felt he had a debt to pay. A debt of pain and suffering caused by him and his one time friends.
Martin spent several weeks producing the equipment he would need. Once complete, he set out. Martin Kirkman was returning home.
RelationshipsFamily: Status of parents: Unknown.
Status of remaining Children of the Iron Cross Associates: Unknown.
Status of old adversaries: Unknown.
AbilitiesPower Class:Elemental
Power: Small Scale Matter Manipulation or Fabrication for short
Fabrication can be split into two main components sensory and manipulation.
The sensory element allows Martin to perceive the structure of things within ten meters this extends down to their very atomic makeup. Whilst this perception has no concept of such things as colour or texture Martin is able to make educated guesses based on his knowledge of chemistry.
The manipulation element constitutes the separation, combination and movement of atoms, molecules and groups thereof. Martin has found that the use of this power allows for various shortcuts to the construction of high quality equipment.
For example when constructing machinery such as his semi-closed circuit breathing apparatus it is easiest to construct the casing as a single piece and work inward since no line of sight is required. This leads to extremely compact and strong construction.
The true strength of this power is the ability to produce extremely rare materials relatively easily.
Further exposition- If Martin takes one molecule of water he can split that down to two hydrogen and one oxygen atom. He can then use these however he wishes. Due to these being gasses he must maintain control of them or place them in an appropriate container if he wishes to prevent them just floating off into the atmosphere.
Martin cannot achieve anything without the prerequisite materials. He cannot produce iron from thin air. He could create good iron from rusty iron however by removing the Oxygen from Iron Oxide. This would be "Refining". He could then take the iron powder and form a sheet/ingot of iron the exact same mass as the total of the iron powder. This would be "Grading". Taking this iron ingot he could make nails or hinges or anything that required only as much iron as he has.
Martin cannot just improve a substance. He must obey the laws of chemistry. He could turn an iron ingot into steel by adding the prerequisite carbon atoms/granules though this would be massively less efficient than adding them to the iron powder.
The only law of physics that Martin's ability messes with is that bonds do not require the natural conditions to occur or break.
Producing Iron dust from iron oxide: Easy
Producing carbon from pencils: Relatively simple but time consuming.
Producing Graphene from pure carbon: Relatively simple but requires considerable quantities of carbon due to graphene's atomic structure.
Producing aramid fibers: Moderately complicated and requiring fairly large quantity of materials. Time consuming due to both moderate complexity of the chemical formula and atomic structure.
Synthesizing pharmaceuticals: Massively complicated and whilst possible it would be far more effective to produce high quality materials and trade or sell for the money to buy the pharmaceuticals.
Complexity here refers to the chemical formula of the target substance. Hence the folly of producing most pharmaceuticals.
Whilst Martin can do simple tasks with most of his attention elsewhere this is not possible with new or even moderately complex tasks.
Limits:Living material appears as a void and cannot be manipulated at all. Interestingly objects such as pacemakers and surgical plates are fully visible within a person. What seperates these things from, for example iron in the blood stream is a mystery.
A considerable lack of range limits Martin to affecting or “seeing” only up to ten meters away.
To put it simply, speed. It takes several minutes of concentration to make basic changes to the makeup of an already existing object. Any outside interference with an object such as movement results in a great increase of difficulty in the task.
Weaknesses/Drawbacks: Martin seems to be further grounded in the trappings of mundane science than most. Effects that breach one or more laws of science will have exaggerated effect on Martin. Meta fire will be hotter and Meta kinetics will hit harder. Particularly outrageous flaunting of universal laws will produce an effect comparable to mental static, dulling the senses and leaving migraines in its wake.
Effectively meta abilities hit Martin harder.
Armoury: Weapons:
Martins firearms are built from scratch. Based largely on their mass produced counterparts they are made of higher quality materials in order to withstand the higher pressure of Martin’s custom loads. Individual customizations listed below.
AN-94 Abakan: Martin selected this assault rifle to be his main weapon of the line for its unique recoil absorption technique. The barrel, gas tube, receiver, and bolt carrier all exist as a single component group moving back and forth along an axis parallel to the bore. This produces what the designers call an Effect-Envelope. The practical result of this is that little to no recoil is felt by the operator until the burst is finished. The only factor preventing the AN-94 from seeing proliferation is the cost of production which resulted in only certain units being equipped with this gun.
Martin’s AN-94 has undergone his standard reinforcement procedures. IT has also been re-chambered for the larger and more locally common 7.62x51mm NATO round giving the gun significantly more punch. The gun is also designed to break down into three separate parts. In only five minutes Martin can assemble or disassemble it using pre-designed break lines compatible with his power.
M1911: If you don’t know this gun you don’t know guns. Reinforced and slightly wider than most Martin’s can accept larger staggered magazines giving the weapon a capacity of 11 rounds in the magazine. The bottom of these custom magazines are also weighted and studded to provide a solid striking face. This also doubles as extra grip when reloading.
Remote Charges:In certain situations it can be bad to be alone. To somewhat combat this problem Martin has designed a series of grenade like charges with a remote detonator. These devices are entirely safe until detonated and have no anti-tamper features meaning that any left behind are safe for extraction and safe detonation by authorities.
They come in three varieties currently. One Is the concussion charge intended for use against vehicles, structures or hardened targets. Similar to the MK3. Second is the Anti-personnel variety for un-armoured targets or giving a strong warning to those armoured enough to survive.
Last is the Stun Grenade. This is non-lethal grenade similar to a flash bang with a strong emphasis on sonic blast. The loud blast causes temporary loss of hearing and disturbs the fluid in the inner ear causing severe loss of balance and sense of direction.
Taking cues from the individuals he worked against in Iraq Martin creates a concealing layer around the body of each charge in the shape and design of common fizzy drink cans. This allows for inconspicuous placement before a mission. Due to all instances of these charges being both naturally inert and remote detonated there is no chance of civilian casualties.
Apparel:
Hound Pattern Battle Dress: The suit is one piece including boots and gloves. It un-straps at the back but if long-term use is required even this seam can be fused closed. The main material is a homemade aramid fibre termed E-27 painted with chemical sealant I-2. This layer is itself comparable in strength to currant high level ballistic plates capable of rebounding .30-06 rounds at a 30 degree angle. However such impacts will still tear flesh and break bones.
To combat this problem plates of E-27/S-4 are placed at strategic points on the body. These plates are made of several layers of E-27 impregnated with S-4. S-4 is a shear thickening fluid comprised of polyethylene glycol and graphene particles. Applied together these substances produce plates that bend easily for very high mobility but harden on impact by forming graphene hydroclusters. These plates are almost impossible to penetrate with conventional small arms. Death will occur in the wearer through kinetic impact long before the plate is ruptured.
The helmet attaches directly to the suit via hermetic clamps. It is comprised of two pieces. The face, skull and upper back of the head are covered by the main section whilst the back of the neck and lower back of the head are covered by a section permanently attached to the suit. The tinted visor is actually the same substance as the rest of the piece but with a different molecular structure to render it clear.
The suit’s interior environment is managed by a semi-closed cycle system similar to those used by divers and fire fighters. This keeps the suit from getting humid whilst also preventing the wearer from inhaling foreign substances. There is a small ten minute reservoir for zero oxygen environments. This is mounted on the lower back
The suit’s technological functions can be accessed via a control pad on the right forearm. There are also limited emergency controls mounted in the helmet. The suit also contains a short range radio and a graphene capacitor/battery to power itself. The power source is located in small pouches on the belt.
Thermals: These so called thermals are a pair of leggings and a hooded short sleeved top designed to be worn under normal clothes. Intended with comfort in mind they are breathable whilst also maintaining some of their namesake in the cold. Comprised of E-15 which is a lightweight aramid they turn aside low calibre rounds or knives with ease. Larger rounds are turned aside at angles over 55 degrees. AP rounds will pass through. Of course it is essential to remember that even deflected rounds impart kinetic energy and can still cause severe bruising, broken bones, internal bleeding and even death.
Ammunition:
MK1 Rounds: Martin’s standard round. They are overpressured with increased mass giving each shot more impact with slightly more recoil. The recoil is manageable for a professional though an amateur may be surprised.
MK2-S rounds: These are similar to MK1 rounds but are loaded to be sub-sonic. These give far less report, especially when silenced. They have less penetration power due to their much lower speed however. This prevents bullets from over penetrating targets which is dangerous to potential bystanders. The upside is that unarmored targets suffer more dramatic wounds from the lack of an exit point. Needless to say these are practically useless against body armour or hardened targets. Furthermore the recoil of each shot is reduced. Useful for shooters unused to the kick of larger guns.
Mixtape Ghost N