Post by Michael Anderson on Oct 3, 2009 8:38:13 GMT -5
;;Karel Dante Kitano;;
Is Entering Sins of Impunity
Is Entering Sins of Impunity
It’s All About You
Behind the Puppet Master
::NAME::[/blockquote]
Chief
::AGE:
20~21? I forget, to be honest.
::GENDER::
Male
::RP EXPERIENCE::
Long enough to tell you I can't remember when I started.
::CONTACTING YOU::
PM me for my IM details. I've got MSN, YIM and AIM.
::ACTIVITY::
GMT+10. I'm on all the time but my muse spikes from flat line to hyperactive.
::THE PUPPETS::
On this site, no.
The Identification Tag
Character Basics
::ALIAS::
Michael Anderson (current alias), Mike, Michael, Karel, Alpha 35, Epsilon 01
::NAME::
Karel Dante Kitano
::AGE::
28
::GENDER::
Male
::ORIENTATION::
Heterosexual
::SPECIES::
Human
::JOB::
- Contractor
Receives most of his contracts from the ICCD (The International Collective of Contracting Directorate), working only high-paying contracts, hits require minimum six figure per head – variable pricing depending on profile of target. Client must pay double if they wish to remain anonymous. Contracting not limited to assassination. Special requests and secondary parameters are usually free with base fee. Other operations require estimated pricing, with fee on item procurement depending on the size and weight of the cargo and tge cargo itself (going after material possessions with subjective value, i.e. antiques, jewelry is lower profile than going after experimental technology belonging to a government superpower).- Night Club Owner
He owns a night club called “The Bunker” in New York. Leaving the management to his staff, it is the most prominent business he owns. The owning of the nightclub itself leads to a small cut of the profits while he leaves the daily going ons to the hired management. Of note is the staff he employs -- all staff are required to undergo private military training; while training is obviously expensive the addition of the night club to a frequent client list leads to hefty discounts and doubles as a screening process. The nightclub goes literally underground, hence the name, a bar at the entrance and dance floors on the lower floor with rooms in the staff area which was used for private dealings and emergency accommodation for select individuals. It has served as a base of operations when he was part of a gang in his youth but ownership has since come to him through windfall at its disbanding and has been more successful ever since. Because he is rather private, he has since transferred ownership to someone he would call his brother -- who manages his businesses legitimate holdings with unparalleled discretion; only accessing any money in extreme needs of large amounts of money.- Apartment Leasing
Originally living in a penthouse apartment within the quieter areas of the city paid for in blood money, it was the first business and most profitable one he owns. The list of apartment renters consist almost entirely of those from the higher class – it houses many of his employees from other businesses. The name of the building itself changes every few years as do the rooms itself -- originally beginning as a budget apartment building it and the area around it has seen rapid development sky-rocketing prices and bringing in the bulk of the money that is used to maintain the night club. With two security centers and another silent one, the building itself is secure -- a point which greatly interests those of the upper class who prefer having their pleasure in quiet. Because all of its profits are re-invested within other projects, renovations maintenance, high-end staff training and payroll little of the money is ever sent to himself (only around one to two million are ever sent his way annually which, given the scale of its profits is minuscule).- Volgana's Business Partner
Currently his most active means of employment. Karel handles the higher-end and more sensitive contracts. Otherwise, he is there to provide tactical information and support for a discounted fee and does custom orders for weapons. Tinkering with bits and pieces of unused guns, he maintains and creates firearms, formulates and procures foreign poisons and designer drugs. Maybe even packing enough pounds of plastique for Santa. And, on occasion he makes fine cuisine.
::RELIGIOUS AFFILATION::
Agnosticism/Nihilism
Where Your Abilities Fall
The Character Talents
::STRENGTHS::
- Telekinetic
Hunter Traits
- Fight Tactics
- Knowledge of Vampires and Were's
- Seal your mind from mind reading
- Creature tracking
- Peak Physique/Master Martial Artist
- Intuitive
- Survivalist
- Master Tactician
- Skilled
- Marksman
::SUMMARY::
Karel's telekinesis is a bit of an anomaly. Because of the way from which he was raised and of the lack of study of his lineage it is difficult to tell if he was born with the gift or developed it through extreme disciplinary training. Never the less, his telekinesis first showed itself when he was thirteen years of age; when he was to be executed he showed his bizarre ability to stay alive by rolling over to his side; the bullet which was originally intended for his temple instead was introduced with a sudden reaction which is known to ballistics experts as yaw. This yaw shredded the bullet like it would when hitting body armor or hard targets but at the time due to the close range of the intended execution (or perhaps the weakness as his skill had just awakened) it was simply seen as grazing the side of his head; a fatal attack had been turned into a flesh wound. Sixteen years later, his control is much more refined and exercised rather passively. While he avoids relying on this unnatural ability, he knows its uses well and has even found a rather unique use for it as to give him a seemingly impenetrable skin and even a telekinetic-aided punch. Still, some times pulling the pin on a claymore mine that wasn't even set has led to some interesting results in the past and despite it all, he's an extremely powerful telekinetic although never public about it one should never let push come to shove.
For someone his age, he displays rather impressive feats of athleticism. This is owing to his Asian descent; having leaner frames and a straighter vertebrae, agility comes rather naturally. But the greatest blessing is being able to pack quite a large amount of muscle into a more unassuming figure. On the scale of things, he is an Olympic level athlete; having grown up in the city of New York and having operated within its underbelly, he knows full well how to run at his peak speed and maneuver himself over and around obstacles without breaking his stride. But he is no gym junkie -- the only lifting he ever does is that of his own bodyweight. To have more muscular mass than is needed is simply a burden to him.
Intuition is a natural blessing. It is also the means by which he quickly picks up on his skills and certain scenarios. He knows when he's in danger or walking into a trap for the same reason as he knows how to set them. Even when learning a new language he comes to grips fairly quickly on how to understand it by instead of learning words and lettering he finds syntax and expression. It is also the reason as to why he can be such an expert survivalist; knowing when danger is present due to past experiences and intricate knowledge of vulnerable positions he knows how to keep his head down when things go from bad to worse. But all qualities are linked; for without any of them he would surely be dead. He knows the meaning of necessity and is always cautious. Trusting his well-trained gut, he's Death's best dancing partner with immunity from most conventional poisons, a high pain threshold and mental barriers to resist torture, he's someone who'll keep ticking even when things go directly to hell. Meditation and resilience to torture have rendered his mind rather closed and quite immune to telepathy rendering him as apt as any Hunter and perhaps more so due to the nature of his work.
A Master tactician and strategist. If one were to evaluated his combat abilities then you could summarize that he is of the physique of an Olympic-level athlete while simultaneously defeating four chess computers in his head. He is rarely ever surprised; and even when so his many laid out contingency plans provide many options of fight or flight; whichever option is weighed out to be more successful. He never loses an initiative; always a step ahead planning elaborate schemes and procedures are almost second nature. A natural pragmatic, every effort is made to ensure every single percent to formulate success in his endeavors are secured before setting out for whatever his goals are defined.
He is skilled. There is no other real way of puttying it -- as a tracker, scout, stealth fighter, assassin he is competent in all skills required to do the job and have it done with such subtlety his involvement becomes doubtful. Being multilingual he can speak fluent Chinese, Japanese and Tagalog as well as mainstream languages such as French and Italian. Picking the average lock can be hastily done within a second and even carefully done within five. He is good with hardware and electronics; putting together plastic explosives and re-wired cell-phones he can create remote detonators or even improvised explosive devices. And because of his need of certain drugs he knows more than a few things about chemistry -- awarding him an intimate understanding of exotic poisons. If an assassin's skill is measured by their proximity to his target then his wide array of skills will enable him to get as close as possible all the time.
And the one thing that enables him to do all this is summarized -- always with a single word; necessity.
::WEAKNESSES::
- Trust Issues
- Over Analytical
- Ambidextrous
- Human
- Wounds
- Insomniac
::SUMMARY::
Trust issues come with the territory. While he has no specific problem with being betrayed, he is constantly weary of others and even his surroundings. While his experience has shaped this hyper-awareness to be more useful than absolute paranoia, it has on more than one occasion prevented him from creating a good long-term financial relationship. Still, it's a rather natural weakness considered the many times an attempt has been made on his life; from dumb gangsters thinking it best to kill the middle man to another within his profession looking to liquidate competition. This also leads to another weakness; being over analytical. Most of the time it is far from necessary and although full knowing that a rock on the ground isn't out to kill him the very thought that there's a land mine right next to it does tend to seem excessive. It can slow him down. It can also leave him into wasting valuable resources checking something that is already known to be secure. Being cautious in that case can always be a limitation. And despite being paid with numbers using lots of zeros, there is no true compensation for time.
And yet, this idea of being over analytical is personified within his own physical body. Being ambidextrous is a valuable strength, surely -- when an act is pre-meditated, it affords him quite a lot of flexibility. And, being able to use both hands with equal strength may be a plus... but even so, using two guns in a mobile firefight like in the movies is purely fictional. Still, despite the orchestra he could conduct with what Deadpool refers to as 'doorknobs', the tragic drawback of this feat is the potentially fatal delay in reaction time. Case in point is when someone is shot at their reflex kicks in then a small reaction time goes into gear and they swiftly withdraw a weapon and return fire. Now think in the mind of an ambidextrous gunman; the complication is deciding on which hand to use to grip the weapon. While it may seem like a small problem, consider the idea that by having two equal hands instead of a single dominant one you now have twice the possibilities to evaluate and in a heated situation which requires immediate action this delay is never welcome.
He is human. He can bleed. He can die. There is no shortage of ways from which a human can be extinguished and he's seen and even had a hand in quite a large amount of them. Given the supernatural beings in existence, physically, he's still at disadvantage despite being able to compete if only for a while. And despite his tactical and martial arts ability being the underdog in terms of strength or speed is never really fun despite the diverse methods he employs.
It's this same humanity which is his weakness. Truth be told that despite his relatively young age his experiences make him out to be older than he really is. And even his many skills come at a cost -- to learn things and be even more dangerous, he's had to find out the hard way. That is to say, he has sustained more than his fair share of wounds over the years having far too many brushes with death. Not all wounds heal. On the surface, his many scars are barely visible, pale and smoothed over his skin but he's been stabbed, shot at and had bones broken and torn up by shrapnel more than should be possible. Always, he had somehow walked away alive. He suffers from two main ailments -- the constant pain from old injuries sometimes plays up but in return he retains full mobility and while the pain itself strengthens his will, it is nonetheless otherwise an inconvenience and an annoying reminder of how he is still alive. The second ailment is the inert designer drug labeled Tu137 still present within his respiratory system consisting of heavy metals, often leading to debilitating stamina and severe heart pains. While a virus and poison in itself the cure from which he obtained has prevented it from ever being lethal and yet the traces are so small in scale heart surgery is an unnecessary risk. It is said to take more than a decade for a body to completely metabolize it and he still has at least six years to go.
It also doesn't help that he's an insomniac. Having quite the varied amount of rest he's often had to take sleep replacement pills and large amounts of caffeine to retain constant consciousness in dire situations. His job has no specific business hours and the length of his operations are never the same so his sleeping pattern is erratic and in terms of what his body is truly capable of he is rarely at his peak.
The More Human Side of Things
Human Appearance
::HAIR:: Black[/size]
::EYES:: Grey Brown
::HEIGHT:: 6'0
::WEIGHT::179 lbs
:MARKS::
Over his left eye there is a feint scar from his brow extending to the bone of his cheek. Barely noticeable, it appears as a slight discoloration when observed from right in front of him. The same sort of scarring appears around his torso, calves and biceps. These wounds were originally received from shallow cuts or straight edged penetration from either shrapnel or bladed weapons. These wounds healed well -- and in cases where stitches and a bandage simply wouldn't cut it, cosmetic surgery has aided in removing his scarring.
He has a small print of his original designation A35 on the underside of his right middle finger (opposite his smallest finger), below the first knuckle.
Preferring to have as few distinguishing marks as possible, it is not uncommon for him to have temporary tattoos so as to build cover identities when on certain jobs.
::SKIN TONE:: Fair-tanned.
::BODY TYPE::
Athletic. Being Asian, his figure is unassuming on the surface – but when the clothes come off his frame is packed with toned muscles, tight, without a trace of fat.
::CLOTHES::
A fairly simple dresser, Karel takes to wearing quite the same thing. While he's not out to make a fashion statement he is always presentable. Wearing different attire depending on the situation, none of his clothes are cheap barring the typical underwear and socks -- instead, he uses custom clothing to afford him some measure of protection even during the regular day.
- Formal/Semi-formal
On most days and in business, he wears a solid beige coloured ARMANI label suit. Tailored and fitting perfectly, the European cut single breasted suit is of fine quality, the most significant change is within the blazer; the lining and inner layers of the interior is padded with the same mesh and design employed in dragon skin body armor making him rather immune to all personal firearms. The mesh itself contains circular ceramic plates arrayed and layered to absorb impact from a projectile. On a much finer level it is also lined within the leggings of the trousers, while his microfiber business shirt covers his torso underneath his blazer. It offers the highest level of concealed full-body protection. Naturally, it's still a suit and it's to be expected that he would lose some level of mobility in action. But on the whole, it helps retain the same professional air from which he could meet with prospective clients and power dressing while insignificant in his line of work still has some use. He has a few suits in line; for when he needs a replacement it is a custom order commissioned by a designer who used to work for Pinnacle Armor.- Casual
Some days require a lower profile form of dress. His dark navy jeans are bought in bulk; made of stretch-to-fit fabric for pro-longed use, light and loose fitting to accommodate for any extra padding he might choose to wear for his legs. For his torso he wears a white tank-top with the same stretch-to-fit principle. Made of three layers of ironed cotton, it is form fitting -- statically charged to cover wounds by binding itself in the presence of blood, dramatically slowing down bleeding and preventing scarring as well as acting as a sort of instant first-aid. Likewise, it can be used as a good make-shift bandage. He always puts on a faded black-leather jacket with fur-lining around the neck. The jacket itself contains two side zippers and several on the inside and despite its appearance it acts like an insulate, allowing easy flow of air when it's hot and warm protection when cold. The jacket, unlike any other of his apparel is one of a kind and is one he has owned since he can remember even starting high school. Ten years after graduating, it's still a good fit. He keeps it open to reveal the tank top underneath.
::SUMMARY::
Chiseled features, intense eyes, tanned skin and a tight physique. Karel is attractive and appears his physical age but the very feel him of makes him seem centuries older than he is. His face is almost completely free of wrinkles due to his habit of avoiding extreme emotional expressions, while the facial hair is kept short and clean he shaves once every few days to keep it in check and keeps a perpetual stubble patterned about his mouth and shin. His head is otherwise curved and cut, keeping true to being more than simply presentable. His eyes hold an intense gaze that is both distant and present at the same time – his experiences in life, while traumatic to most, have only aided in him appearing to be numb while the darkened bags show his lack of sleep. On some days this changes and his face may seem refreshed usually to a good amount of rest. But his glare is empowering, one can feel emboldened and confident when staring into his hallowed orbs but in turn those same eyes could make you want to hide under the nearest rock. His hair is well kept, short but free of products his hair styling is quite natural after running water through it.
Standing at six feet tall, average for his age, height and ethnicity, this male specimen's musculature is most definitely cut but certainly not ripped. Taut arms and firmed legs and not a trim of fat his figure has achieved athleticism beyond the fittest of soldiers and firmer than the finest athlete. Guaranteeing full mobility his frame is upright and never slouching while his walk is godly, he carries himself with unprecedented practice and discipline it is difficult for most to discern what he does for a living and even among the very few that do, they would certainly know how well he does it. Even with his many scars the cosmetic appearance makes him seem unblemished to all save to those who take a closer look.
Pragmatic at what he wraps his body in, Karel prefers comfortable clothing to designer labels but even more so he would even sometimes have custom ordered clothes ordered in bulk. Like most guys he rotates his clothing, wearing whatever back from being washed, clean clothes are a given for personal hygiene. Unless using a cover ID on a job, he'll never bother with unnecessary items including accessories. On his neck he sometimes wears ID tags (two his own, a third is rusted from dried blood) from his original past, and a stainless steel watch. He rarely wears shorts in public.
But take caution; rarely is he ever unarmed. In terms of concealed weaponry there are two items he is rarely without; his extensively customized Automag V (designated AMT AV, “Reverse Charity”) and his wakizashi sized Kanemichi katana (designated “Silent Serenity”). His firearm is usually carried in a shoulder holster while his blade is strapped diagonally down his back (the handle of his blade is reachable at his waist).
Personality is Everything
How They Might Act
::LIKES::[/size]
- Cigars
- Cooking
- Mango Smoothies
- Vanilla
- Reece's Buttercups
- Star Gazing/Night
- Engineering and Mechanics
- Weaponry
::DISLIKES::
- Excessive noise
- Cheap/Fake cigars
- Idleness
- Tactically vulnerable locations
- Gangsters/Mobsters
::FLAWS::
- Passive cynic
- Intimidating (to certain profiles of people)
- Morally ambiguous (grey)
::BLESSINGS::
(What makes people like them? Are they gentle, loving, loyal?)
- Pragmatic
- Extremely skilled
- Excellent teacher/natural leader
- Cool headed
- Keen/Attentive to detail, extremely good judge of character
::SUMMARY::
Karel is an individual who wastes no time; every moment of his life is spent and never wasted. When on the job he is calm, collected and focused and when things suddenly get exciting he can do more than keep up. He's the type of person who builds himself on a disciplined variable routine -- every moment off the job is spent in some form of training, having more than one motive for participating in certain activities. He needs no equipment to workout and is the poster boy of self-reliance. He is efficient -- and deadly so. His wide array of skills was built over the years through research, observation and careful practice. Always learning something new or sharpening an already obtained skill, there are too few things for him to do and he always finds or otherwise makes time to learn it.
He meditates. While he is far from religious or perhaps even spiritual, there is some level of philosophical understanding of what he does and what he trains himself to do. Using meditation, he has found himself more at peace with what needs to be done and at the same time grasping the idea of controlling various aspects of his psych. From sitting down, controlling his breathing and even inducing an adrenaline rush, nulling pain, focusing his senses and tuning things in and out, managing thoughts and levitating objects he is always present; always aware of where he is and what situation he is in. To delve into his mind would find him contemplating more efficient ways to practice his skills or reassessing situations both present and past, how to better them, which aspects were particularly effective, how to approach the current job, how to field strip a weapon, how to redesign it, how to improve and maintain it, how to build a new improvised explosive device.... evidently, even in meditation he doesn't waste time.
His senses are keen with an eidetic memory to match and at any given time he can evaluate an area from a tactical perspective giving you the number of people in the room -- the notable individuals, their weight, height, marital status, colors of their eyes and hair, personality archetype, whether or not they can handle themselves. And he can tell just from how a person walks or how they carry themselves what their nature and background is from the competent carpenter to the cold blooded killer he is able to psychologically discern what build another person and on some level empathize with their situation through how they hold a weapon to their zoning out. Karel isn't the type of person to rely on any given talent or skill or object for that matter. He improvises most of his tools while still retaining a strategical advantage. In that sense, he is pragmatic. Every step of a plan is useful and none of it is gone to waste -- from contingencies and allowances for unknown factors to unlikely scenarios to reading the opponent on the psychological level, there is no shortage of vulnerability from his approaches be it lateral to traditional and unorthodox.
There is a multitude of things he does enjoy -- the comfort of a well-spent night with women is a given although naturally the emotional distance does lead to it being rather empty. He likes his coffee as a cappuccino or black -- when having a latte he prefers it with vanilla syrup and two sugars, his enjoyment of the vanilla flavor is explained from his quote on its comparison to sex. “Vanilla is like foreplay... giving you a taste of sweetness the way foreplay is a taste of the sex to come.” He likes mango smoothies (more accurately mango and banana) for much less the same reason a spy loves yogurt, in fact, smoothies usually contain yogurt itself which is packed with nutrients and a good treat ideal for both desert and snack without as cold as ice cream to give you an unwanted brain-freeze; it's also a better companion than ice cream for a long hour of surveillance. His fascination with cigars relates to much the same idea, tasting the tobacco without having its fumes enter the system the risk of lung cancer is almost non-existent. And the only time he'd usually bother lighting up is under the night sky. The stars and the illuminated night has been a constant in his life, like a wolf that howls for the moon he has shared the longing of freedom that began ever since he was in captivity so many years ago. Had he been any bit religious, it would be his god.
On a social level, Karel can easily inspire both fear and awe. Having lead a gang once before, he wouldn't be so effective if he couldn't lead -- with that very same natural pragmatism and strategical thinking, his gang was able to climb the ladder and stay at the top before he chose to eventually walk away. Certain people -- dangerous people, have some sense when it comes to others, while perhaps not sharing his same ability to discern the natures of others such as him, they know the feel of another and depending on what culture you belong to that feeling that a person gives out is called their aura. His is a presence that some go far as to choke on; there is no messing around. One can know him for but a minute and still feel that at any minute their life could come to an end. On the whole, he's not a bad person to befriend. He's not some animal who murders when the mood strikes and he sees people as assets -- weighing their worthy by measuring whether they are an asset worth building or maintaining. He is otherwise fairly unassuming -- to the untrained eye he's simply some well-presented figure with clean cuts and a personalized sense of style.
With all the things he's been through and the life he's led, he is no altruist. He sees things as they are and doesn't dice words when describing it. He rarely voices his opinion unless asked, but the tint of cynicism comes through when asked about how he feels on certain aspirations or even personal goals. He keeps to himself when engaging his own activities and for that reason prefers silence, quietly irritated when the volume on a speaker is higher than necessary outside of a club. His dislike of gangsters and mobsters stems from a petty sense of camaraderie, bad sense of danger and amateur perspective on loose ends. In addition, the contracts from gangs are never good in pay and the amount of work that is asked to be done is more than what his price tag would ever ask for.
Checking Out the Background
Historical Stuff
::FAMILY MEMBERS::[/size]
Kaede Dalluwan(father, deceased), Sakurako Kitano(mother, deceased), Irisis (half-sister), surviving Alphas (surrogate brothers and sisters)
::SCHOOL::
Dimir's Academy, New York
::GRADUATION YEAR::
1999 (high school)
::HISTORY::
History is a measurement to one's life. And if a man's age is dictated not by the numbers since the years he was born, but by the countless experiences and events that mold him then this is the accounting of one man who is more than a century old.Prologue
Even long before the year 2000, gang activity rose beyond a predictable peak. Undermanned police forces found themselves caught up in the corruption and it was clear that profit, information and the vast vices quickly dictated those who were kings of the streets. As time passed, many gangs came to realize that the strength of their shady organizations could not be supported without the men and women working from within. Above all, a new appreciation of skilled individuals drove groups of the underground in the pursuit of skilled personnel and over the years the continuous struggle, sabotage and raids upon one another increased the rarity of these select commodities. Assassins, gamblers, smugglers, slavers, drug dealers... of these had a price that slowly rose over material merchandice.
Some organizations looked to experimental drugs... others towards breeding of “super humans” and fantasy based concepts while others who knew the truth of the world's horrors even attempted to tame the beings of the supernatural. In the end, most proved to be failures and while there were some successes in the way of enhanced medicine, many gangs collapsed from the lack of money to sustain research in such clandestine means... but not all. One group had a different idea... a long shot to what was supposed to be impossible. And in this story... the very obscene concept from which the still unborn child's plot begins, lies the most unlikely survivor of a millenium...Genesis
A philipino man was born in Japan. His name was Kaede Dullawan -- there, he grew up as an alien in a busy and evolving culture. Over time he came to love his country. His life was, by comparison, uneventful until he reached his final year in high school. His family moved to Tokyo and it was there he met the love of his life, a native named Sakurako Kitano. She'd come from a traditional family, an off-shoot from Yakuza life somewhere in her family line. But, all the same, the two became sweethearts. Both attended the illustrious University of Tokyo. Intelligent and hard-working, their social status was barely spectacular but as they graduated they were married and built a life together. With a new home and detached from their roots it wasn't long before Sakurako was waking up in the early hours of the morning, feeling sick...and within nine months they had their first child. Their only child. And his name? Karel -- in tribute to their nation's history with Holland, his name was the Dutch equivalent of Charles.
For a while, they were happy. But the economy of Japan was far from merciful and soon they came upon hard times. Expenses rose as did the mortgage. But what a single couple wouldn't know was the things bigger than they -- the land on which they lived was desired by one of the local Yakuza. Despite being pressured by the rising costs of staying... they were stubborn. While they struggled to make each payment they survived... and finally, growing impatient from waiting, the local Yakuza would come to evict them through force. And so one one winter night, a mere week from Christmas and two days from their child's birthday a black sedan pulled into their drive way as armed men stormed the front and back the couple was put to a bloody rest. And among their fallen bodies lay the quiet Karel. Eyes brown grew shades of grey.Project PRODIGY
His fate wasn't death. And every moment since surviving that night lead only to the tarnishing of his soul. For the fate of an orphaned child caused by gang violence was to be property. Like all things, human life had its price paid for in dirty cash, it wasn't uncommon for disgraced military leaders to to buy a child and use them for personal gratification. Much like prostitutes, sometimes the gratification was sexual in nature... sometimes they were simply meat to be used for sadistic purposes or in pedophilic snuff, other times... they were taken in and trained to personal assassins or raised into fighters for underground deathmatches. But it was at this time that he, not much more than a toddler was inducted into program by a clandestine organization... whose intentions was simple and yet extremely ambiguous; to cultivate the young to become the perfect solution to any problem.
It was later discovered on electronic documents that this program was called Project PRODIGY, a black operation for whom the one responsible was never found -- governments, gangs, drug cartels, no one came to know... perhaps it was simply the product of a system formulated by the machine known as human nature. And so, within a week like all the things belonging to his family he was bought and sold, shipped onboard an unmarked freight container to America; the land of opportunity.
It was one big divine joke.
But for a time, Project PRODIGY ensured his well-being. Right until he was 3 and a half years old and able to speak coherently, he became like everyone else. They were educated -- but, as cruel as life always was they were not taught by loving mothers and fathers nor was this some form of kindergarten. Punishments were severe and never did the lack creativity. Never intended to leave them with long-term injuries, they were controlled by fear and discipline as they studied and learned skills that no primary schooler would ever use. He proved himself right from the start... like any gifted child his education was streamlined. No idle moment was ever allowed and seven hours was all that was ever allocated for sleep. And of the 47, he was the youngest. But he had no name -- designated, instead, as Alpha 35 (A35 for short). With a mortality rate of over 50%, he was one of those that had once again beaten the odds... he survived and even excelled. But it wasn't his skills that made him a prospective candidate for success... but the emotional growth. Perhaps he was traumatized or simply the very obedient solution they had planned for him to be.
He was not alone. All children taken in came to be gifted in certain crafts while he and only five others became the ideal jack of trades that adapted and took to all training that was provided. Whenever they fell behind or came short of perfection they were denied a meal. And he was only severely punished once; at 9 years old he was expected to defeat the eldest male in hand-to-hand combat, Alpha 17 was 13 years of age and like Karel he was one of the five whom had no specialty and would later become the Karel's surrogate elder brother . He was defeated easily and as a punishment his wrists were bound in chains to the roof of their dormitory, his feet a whole three metres off the ground. And yet, as gravity demanded he be put to the floor his arms strained... and after the fifth hour his wrists broke... held up as one arm was dislocated. And yet through his entire ordeal all the Alphas stayed up to offer him support. Taking turns as they created a body pyramid for him to stand on, he took to the eldest female who had done all she could -- kind, loving, almost motherly. An elder sister to them all. She was beautiful and though she like them had been given a number even they refused to call her it... knowing only the name “Shisei” for if any of them deserved a name then she was it. It was a simple oversight that their supervisors never foresaw... the simple human need for fraternal relationships held the entire Alpha group together... and in the long dark afterhours when they there were supposed to sleep they came to find solace in the illumination of the night that crawled in from the high windows of their concrete room. Originally 47, their numbers declined and yet... at 9 years old, wrists bound high... he could finally see more than the stars... and even more than the god they knew as the moon. He could finally see the world outside... weak links in the high fencing and a crack of city life that seeped in from the hedge growth.
He wanted out. Like all the assembled children that was supporting his weight he, now more than anything wanted to leave. In the nights to come, he would hide his face in Shisei's long hair – he was quiet, as always... but perhaps in her long locks he was crying. But it was known for sure that it was a place he felt safe to be.
And the change in psyche was made a note by his trainers. The mental cage from which they controlled him was crumbling and they sought to remind him of what he was... to break him and eliminated any hope he had of freedom. And so, at the age of twelve they put him through the greatest torture they ever had. Assembling the entire Alpha group they took a particular individual amonst them and had her kneel then facing what had come to be known as her brother and sisters. They all knew her face. Forcing Karel to his feet they brought him behind her and gave him a loaded gun and a simple order. Execute Shisei. And to his surprise... and that of his brothers and sisters he did it. There were no false promise; no honeyed words... just a simple order to murder one of their own in front for all to see.
And he did. There were no tears. No restraint... not a tremble in his grip... he could have easily turned on his trainers -- his masters and yet in spite of everything he wanted... he obeyed. Cooly. Unconditionally. Without hesitation.
Without remorse.Salvation in Chaos
For another year he endured. As did his fellow Alphas. Less than 20 in number, the loss of Shisei, despite being killed by one of their own drove the rest of them to bide their time -- to wait, and want evermore their freedom. Among his fellow Alphas, he came to be ranked third for his sheer potential due to his young age. And he still, despite having gone quiet longed for the same thing. And it came. As secluded as they were in this insular world, the reality was that the world changes. And while the evolution of America was steady, it changed to taking leaps at a time with dramatic changes in politics... it shifted the underworld. And so, finally, Project PRODIGY would experience a change of its own. Having been ordered a shutdown of the operation, many of the trainers felt that too much had gone into the development of the Alphas for them all to come out with nothing. And so, the trainers and its administration was splintered... and the powers that be would come down and liquidate the project through force. In the coming struggle, Karel as the most prospective Alpha was the first to be lined up and executed. Brought to his knees and a gun pressed to the back of his head...it was over.
But his story didn't end there. For more than a decade they'd been trained... and a child, malleable as they were had instincts for survival that the Program's conditioning had instilled their minds. And that same training had brought forth something more from him – as he protected himself and moved out of the way, his telekinetic ability became his saving grace. He knew it... he felt it, and while no one else saw it, he was sure that without it he would have died. And it was an amazing discovery; for he had a power that was pure fantasy even among the supernatural world. Like a game of poker, his by-now developed instincts told him to keep this little surprise private. And as he opened his eyes he found his to-be executioner subdued, Juyo was his savior. Patching up the bleeding on the side of his head with a piece of cloth the Alphas gathered and made their escape – the training they'd done over the last ten years made them both efficient and deadly... suffering 2 casualties and no deaths, they, as a team were able to make their way out. But as any tactician knows, a single target no matter how deadly is easy to track down. And so, all 17 of them scattered into the city, the streets and in to the white darkness of the cold winter night of New York.Lifeless Life
For a year he moved about. He was smart and knew how to avoid trouble, he could move and not attract any attention. As young as he was, he knew the risks of finding shelter at places people called missions. He was too young to work – with no documentation to prove his existence and mugging people was simply out of the question. It would mean allowing people to see you and identify you... and while surely, he could get away with it for about a week he knew he couldn't afford the raised profile if he started killing. He needed to survive... and he did so with empty-minded cunning. The answer came on a cold night when he considered sleeping in an alley using newspaper as a blanket... the estates, apartments, properties and leasing... they were being advertised and now he knew the addresses. So, every night when the sun was down and most people were sleeping he'd infiltrate empty lots and apartments to sleep for the night. Many times, water and electricity was available for him to use, to clean himself... and he cleaned up after himself so as to remove traces of him ever being there. There was a close call, he'd had a close call and made it a habit to damage the hinges or locks of a door with pliers to give him more time to escape in the event of an unexpected visit.
But as he gained money from pickpocketing or selling valuable items he finally put together enough cash to buy himself a proper apartment where he stayed for minimum rent. It was more or less a loft – a room with only a toilet and a sink. No hot water... minimal electricity and even went back to school. Eventually, when he was old enough to, his new identity had even allowed him to get a job.
But that was it, wasn't it? Assess. Adapt. Survive.Highschool
Things... settled down. Despite the violence of highschool gangs at the time, he was prepared for whatever came -- having endured hell made him fairly numb to the normal goings on and he focused on his grades. Things became easier and with a job and sensible income he could afford his bare minimum requirements to keep his apartment, training his telekinetic abilities in private. That was until a riot broke out -- a vicious one which caught all in its flames... at its end, he ended up in a long free fall which left his body battered and in hospital for months at a time. It was at this point he knew he was most vulnerable... and he wasn't to know that he'd been found by the very same organization which he'd tried to escape. Somehwere in the back of his mind, he knew the identity he bought was too perfect. Unconcious in his hospital bed, they paid him a visit. The designer drug they infected him with created the appearance of death that was otherwise undetectable by many conventional means. Brought down to the morgue, he was left alone... only to suddenly reawaken. Finding himself in a severely weakened state from months of inactivity he went home and was forced to restart his life.
It wasn't hard. He'd learned a good deal of things the first time around. He was already in his sophomore year and his intelligence and aptitude allowed him to learn new concepts rather quickly. It was what those ten years had instilled within him... teaching someone mathematics was limited... but teaching them how to learn mathematics was much less so and soon he made easy work of his academics -- finding time to learn additional skills on the side. Because his form of physical training required little to no equipment, he got back into shape aided by the fierce fights defending himself from gang violence and while he felt like a shadow of what he once was, he'd learned to apply his telekinesis in a more passive role... adding additional force to a simple flick or even a punch... his ability was otherwise developing at a faster rate than even he had anticipated. After joining a gang he'd come to learn different values... and a good enough reason to apply his many skills. He soon developed a reputation within as an efficient Hitman after bringing down the most number of enemies on the gang's hit-list. When the leader left, the second in command asked him to be co-leader... by that time, he was already a senior. Her name was Celeste... and despite their gang's history of violence she was perhaps the most diplomatic figure. He made it his own operation to obtain what later became “The Bunker”, a nightclub which was having troubles keeping itself open. Thanks to the gang's activities he was even able to see targets of opportunity and many shady deals which allowed him to buy his penthouse apartment.
He had even trained Celeste and despite her formidable counter-attacks, she fell easily to his techniques. On one night he took her as his date to the prom to which the two became closer... and officially became an item.
During their time together he was eventually contacted by his fellow Alphas. Many of which were doing well in the world, Juyo himself was on his way to becoming a lawyer and was an extremely successful businessman and stock broker on the side. Nikita, another Alpha who (with Shisei dead) was now the eldest female of their group was his promiscuous girlfriend and working for various firearms companies. She was the very one who designed Karel's pistol -- the “Reverse Charity” during her time working for Arcadia Machine and Tools (AMT). But after their reunion they and the remaining Alphas left and went back to Japan to clean up their troubled past. Well-armed, experienced and on the initiative they were able to find and bring down all that they had known, washing away the chapter in their lives which gave birth to the many horrors left in their minds. They had so many questions and too few answers... with little documentation they were left in the dark as to who it was that was responsible for the traumatic events that shaped who they were. Karel went home -- only to find his Penthouse Apartment empty and the gang which he helped lead in disarray... Celeste had told him of her life and how in some way it mirrored his. But she had literally gone missing... and while rumors circulated of her death, he didn't for a second believe it was true. Still, he saw it as a betrayal of sorts... her lack of presence made things harder than they should have been. With her gone he had no desire to lead the gang and soon it collapsed from the lack of leadership.
He graduated.The Wanderer, The Vagrant
For a full two years he was restless. With a bag of cash he roamed the country, living a life of vagrancy he continued training and cultivating his skills, buying false identities to keep the heat away, picking up a few courses and earning Diplomas in various areas his skills grew without interruptions. He stayed for two weeks then moved -- doing jobs in assassination he came across a new profession from which he could build a wealth upon. And there was no shortage of people who needed to die; even less so of people who simply wanted others dead.
It was in this time he was contacted by the ICCD and given better job offers and even support from which to carry it out. Obtaining cover identities became streamlined and easy as he built his own private list of contacts around the country -- even, around the world. He travelled quite frequently to Europe often to put down werewolves and the odd vampire. Although he never considered himself a hunter as he'd encountered others who did the same, the times he hunted the supernatural creatures proved to be no different than the humans that became his prey... though they were stronger and faster, he was never the sort to rely on bodily strength to begin with and though he never considered what he did to be a sport, it was no particular thrill and the pay was lousy -- barely better than the gang hits he'd always turn down. Eventually, he settled down again in California where he met a girl with a very familiar set of skills. But his diminishing mental health and perhaps particular drugs made him do something to her which he refused to forgive himself for. And so, leaving the second love of his life he continued to roam.The Third Betrayal
22 now, he'd come back to New York after what felt like a lifetime. He'd gone back to his Penthouse apartment and collected his money from the nightclub which had built up a till for him, and, using it together with his stockpiled cash he was able to buy the entire building and renovate his businesses, contacting his fellow Alphas and allowing Juyo to manage his finances, he was well off. Never needing to work again, he found himself taking jobs for the ICCD and designing his own equipment... and his fellow Alphas who specialized in other areas helped in his training as he sharpened his skills. Of note, he was an extraordinary cook... the precision, efficiency and timing plus the occasional party allowed him to sharpen more than his telekinetic abilities in addition to his agility. It kept his mind alert and managed... it was a hobby.
He eventually met the third girl in his life. While she was nothing like the other two, he found a distinct rapport with her and their relationship only grew... within the coming months they'd grown closer and while she may not have known the dark chapters in his life she knew so much more and likewise... so did he. On one Valentines day, he'd planned a trip to Venice. She told him a tale of how lovesick couples would kiss under every bridge on a gondola ride and he swore they would do the same. Under the biggest bridge towards the end of their ride, however, he slipped a ring on her finger and proposed. For a while, both he and she were on Cloud 9, but things never remained. Karel began experiencing difficulties with his heart and after seeing a private doctor they came to know why. The exotic drug, Tu137 was finally detected... with heavy metals and being located mostly in his heart -- there was no cure. And within weeks his life had come to an end.
Or so they all thought. He awoke to find himself on top of an operating table from which he swiftly got to his feet. A certain party from his past had come to reclaim him. Being told he was what they desired, moving on his own proved to be an enormous strain. The drug, they claimed, was never intended to kill him... re-designated Epsilon 01, he was threatened to do as they ask or they would eliminate the one whom he sought to marry. But unlucky for them, Juyo had noticed the change in funeral plans and after calling all the Alphas together had already begun liquidating the threat. And Karel, given a dose of Epinephrine was able to move as he wished under extreme amounts of pain... but he moved none the less, the telekinetic ability which he'd hidden finally showed itself in front of others for the first time as snapped necks, stole weapons and stopped bullets; the entire room was a storm of automatic fire and he decimated those who sought to do him harm. And after his combat high he collapsed, wounded in more than five places, drifting in and out of conciousness. It was Juyo who found him first, bringing him home and performing advanced field surgery they managed to keep him from death. As one of his surrogate brothers and sisters would stay with him every day to nurse him back to health.
He practiced a different skills with his telekinesis... by now his ability with his power had grown to even greater heights and while he could easily tear things apart he found it to be more practical for smaller things. And he practiced forcing his heart to beat... the strain of the exotic drug still in his system, he was examined by one of the other Alphas who found that it wasn't simply the Epinephrine that helped -- but the adrenaline which had forced it from his heart. It was inert, thick and painful... within the coming months the majority of the drug was metabolized. And when he found the girl whom he'd fought so hard to live for... he found she was already with another man. Not even acknowledging what they once had, he knew something was... off. And so he walked away, only to come back on his own time to take out the trash. He took no pleasure in the task but... oddly, felt no remorse over her death.Six Years Standing
Life continues. Time passes by, events unfold... he gets smarter and his telekinesis grows stronger. More and more he found himself encountering supernatural beings. He was the only operative in the ICCD that was extremely efficient at hunting both vampires and were's, and as a result his fee was doubly increased with urgencies of removing certain pests. He wasn't the only one to notice the increase of hunters... and so, he'd begun even interfering in the jobs of others to get his own quarry. He met Volgana on a job and the two became business partners for Karel sought a quieter alternative to his current life. Still busy with many jobs he'd finally caught a break only to catch wind that a certain someone was looking to find him...
