Ajax Cleaver

[Ajax Cleaver]

Hi, I'm Mike and this is one of my own characters for the game, an OC, I'm going to see if I can’t get some fun threads started. I’ve been RPing for a long time, but am very relaxed about it, I get along with most people, so here’s hoping I’ll get along with you (whoever is reading this.)

Player name: Mike

Contact Info: AIM (food with sauce) Yahoo (Mikesicles) MSN ([e-mail]) email (same as MSN) or just buzz me right here on the board, PM or open-thread, either or, I'm almost always on AIM too if you want to chat or need to ask anything.

Basic Character Information

Ajax is one of the ‘good guys’ I play, a stand-up guy who always tries to do the right thing. He’s a bit boring, to be completely honest, but it depends largely on the environment he's in.

Type: OC

Full name: Ajax Cleaver

Goes by: Ajax

Code name(s)/Alias(es): Ajax

Gender: Male

Age/Birth date: 23, 1st August

Place of birth: Lewisboro, Westchester County, New York,

Hometown: Staton Island, New York, New York.

Height: 6'10

Weight: 748lbs

Hair: Brown

Eyes: Brown

Education: Primary, Secondary & Tertiary. Ajax has completed school and attained his leaving certificate. He has completed various tertiary level courses, attaining basic degrees (roughly equivalent to a college degree) from various specialized branches of the US armed forces.

Occupation: Ajax' job is to demonstrate his physical and psychological aptitude for certain tasks as a model to provide an example of the various enhanced faculties and capabilities which the Tiamat Project can create in its subjects; this has required extensive military training for the purpose of demonstrating drills in which Ajax acts as an NCO in simulations and war-games whereby he demonstrates special forces roles from a soldiers perspective including covert reconnaissance, special reconnaissance, reconnaissance of the deep battlespace, offensive operations in the deep battlespace, infrastructure disruption, capture of subjects of interest and human intelligence collection. Simpler demonstrations include the testing of his limits in regards to endurance, pain tolerance, athletic capacity, injury and his ability to inflict damage upon various persons, animals and objects.

Also Ajax works as an instructor at the Xavier Institute. As he is not a mutant he does not work with younger students to develop their powers, but instead teaches survival and combat skills along with other useful things which Xavier wishes for his students to learn and that Ajax can teach as a result of his background and skills.

Family: Ajax was fostered by one Jason and Mariah Cleaver while in the Tiamat Program and these have been the only parents he’s known. Ajax had one biological sibling, however his current name and whereabouts are unknown. Cyrus Everard and Eris Dubois were essentially his foster siblings (Brother and Sister) during his early life, although as both were transfered to Europe via Tiamat Ajax has not contacted either in several years and is unsure of how to view their relationship to him, though he still feels much affection for them both.

Criminal record/citizenship: Ajax is a citizen of the United States with no criminal record.

Affiliation: The Xavier Institute.

General Appearance: Ajax’ superhuman development invests itself aesthetically through his healthy skin, hair, nails and alert clear eyes along with all the other visible indicators of superb health. From top to bottom his image is clean, well-defined and statuesque. Ajax’ face sports a fine bone structure and symmetric, chiselled features with large passive eyes, a strong jaw-line, high cheek bones and a well defined, if not sharp, aquiline nose. He is certainly not an unattractive man, but his face lacks the careless expression of those who attract praise for their looks; Ajax does not smile often and is not particularly expressive, so it could be said he lacks charm. His unruly light brown hair is a little longer than average and while he endeavours to keep it neat it is just at the length where it usually looks a little scruffy in spite of this. His eyebrows are noticeably dark, thick and somewhat monotonous in expression; either hooding his eyes or raised a touch causing his brow to line in a thoughtful manner. As mentioned before Ajax doesn’t often smile, though this is no indication of his state of mind, he does not generally seem irreproachable, at least not to the people who know him, he rarely looks as though he is angry or upset and to those people who do know him Ajax’ somewhat static expressions present a more laconic, contemplative picture than one of brooding ill moods. Nevertheless in the past he has often been told he should smile more to avoid looking as though something is wrong and although he does smile on occasion it is an easy thing to miss, and this doesn’t help. Ajax doesn’t care for facial hair, despite this he does not shave often and when he does Ajax tends to use something electric which doesn’t cut clean and so he usually sports a day or more of growth around his jaw and chin.

He can generally be found in a black or white gym shirt along with simple trousers or jeans and coloured shoes or knock-off combat boots. His penchant for wearing clothes like this in all but the most harsh weather often leads people to question if he feels the cold,which he does not at least not to any normal extent. A typical guy Ajax prefers older, worn-in clothes to anything he’s just purchased and wears such threads, or overly formal attire with a kind of resigned sulkiness; nevertheless his physique means that suits and other formal, male attire tend to compliment him well and as long as they’re fit to his height, Ajax, despite his proclivities, tends to look very good in such attire. He boasts a downright statuesque sense of poise and a static, upright posture through which he appears to engage only in the most calm, cursive motions but for all that Ajax is a big guy, both heavy and strong, with all the packaged attributes: large hands, big feet, and so on. Though solidly built with strong, broad shoulders and muscular arms Ajax is not stocky; thanks to his towering height and classical physique, whereby his body tapers upward from a slender waist to a powerful upper-body, he seems athletic and strong rather than bulky and muscle-bound. Nevertheless he is noticeably big, standing head and shoulders over most men; and his static posture does nothing to minimize the striking quality of his height. Ajax is a straight-backed fellow even when sitting, otherwise relaxing, and often gives the impression that he is even larger than he is.

Due to the various intense skeletal and muscular modifications which have influenced his height and build Ajax is an incredibly heavy person; very, very heavy in fact but it is through the artificially enhanced density of his bones and muscles that he sports such a monumentally heavy frame, and not through sheer size alone. Were he a natural human, sporting the same size and build as he does, Ajax would only weight a little more than two hundred and ninety pounds. There is hardly an ounce of fat on him, thanks again to his manufactured physique, and his obviously Caucasian complexion is smooth and blemish free, although a little darker than average; suggesting, perhaps, a background of mixed ethnicity and, indeed, Ajax’ biological family members all sport a similar skin-tone due to their Mediterranean roots, nevertheless as Ajax has no contact with his biological family his features remain somewhat ethnically ambiguous, and it would be difficult to state the exact nature of his ancestry upon merely seeing him.

Uniform: Ajax’ uniform consists of a white tank-top and a loose pair of thickly clothed black trousers belted over the waist and with ties at the ankles. A pair of rubber-soled steel-capped high-top combat boots cover his feet and he keeps a black scrim-scarf swathed over the lower part of his face or hanging loose around his neck while his hands are taped almost to the elbow with boxing-style hand-wraps. Ajax wears a belt-bag over one shoulder containing a compass a watch, and storage pockets / rings for various useful items, anything from firearms to torches, although what he actually carries with him in this will be detailed during each mission as it varies widely.

Personality: While first and foremost it may appear that Ajax is a laconic person and something of a compulsive daydreamer, he is in fact a perspicacious, thoughtful and observant young man, and socially rather Spartan in that he does not seem to throw himself among others in seeking companionship or conversation. This is not to say he is shy, no, Ajax may be a little awkward in some situations but he is certainly a confident person who had no trouble making himself heard. He has no problems approaching others when he feels he has a reason to (however trivial that reason might seem) and engages in conversation comfortably, but through all this Ajax’ behaviour is marked with a certain restraint. This restrain carries into almost everything Ajax does and as a result he is an incredibly gentle person who does not visibly become upset or angry save when subjected to extreme provocation. Of course he does at times feel bad, and he does at times get angry but Ajax is simply good at hiding the outward signs of such feelings. In dealing with people he loves ambiguous and aesthetic conversations and consequently any discussion involving personal feelings, intuition, art or metaphorical allusions will immediately attract him to respond.

Coupled with the fact that Ajax takes great pains to be incredibly gentle with people is his somewhat over-protective nature and how Ajax determines whether a person should be entitled to such protection. For him, it is a simple matter, as Ajax does his best to look after everyone who is smaller than he is, which in reality means the majority of people he meets however the smaller the person, the more vulnerable they seem emotionally or physically the more gallant Ajax often becomes. This is especially true of women, and of younger girls in particular. Sometimes this can be taken badly by the people whom Ajax is protecting if it means he becomes over-bearing and overly concerned with their welfare, but for the most part Ajax finds this quality is appreciated by those around him, as he does his best to be a sort of ‘universal big brother’ to all and sundry. Ajax tends to reject violence however and although he is protective, his peaceful nature often over-rules his desire to help; those suggesting he take physical action in the name of protecting another are often met by an unimpressed rebuff. This is not to say that Ajax will not step up to the plate if a violent situation is thrust upon him or his friends, indeed, he would see his duty clear in that instance, but Ajax would object to the idea that he instigate any violent incident.

Ajax has a highly developed sense of ethics and principles and finds himself unable to violate them for almost any reason. His philosophy has its roots in a Confiteor Hominem of sorts where he believes utterly that people potentially possess a near-infinite level of tolerance, endurance, decency and empathy. As a result he almost never complains, regardless of his situation, and will not shirk labour under any circumstances. He tries to help people to the best of his ability and abstain from things he does not feel he needs, to be careful and to not commit to things rashly, but to act with decisiveness when action is required. Ajax does not talk about this side of himself under any circumstances however, not with anyone. It is expressed entirely through his actions and behaviour.

Despite possessing of himself some peculiar philosophical inclinations Ajax is very much a normal person and he is not perfect or infallible in any sense, and despite all the time he spends pensively, in thought, he is consciously of no more than average intelligence. He likes most of the things people his age do as well as some other perhaps more off-beat pastimes such as feeding ducks and reading to children (he has a volunteer position at a local library where he does this) all that said Ajax has a perhaps overdeveloped sense of pride and a stoic attitude which does not allow for much of a sense of humour. He doesn’t often let it lead him into confrontation with people, and it manifests itself more as an almost subconscious motivator; an internal thing which drives on his actions. Although occasionally it leads him to do things which clearly conflict with his best interests such as pushing himself too far or too hard, or going without when he knows it will make him resentful, Ajax does his best to not be unreasonable in what he expects of himself, and, in particular, of those around him however if he has a weakness, a flaw, of note then that is it; Ajax can be very harsh in what he expects of people in regards to what he thinks of as morally upstanding or ethical behaviour and he can be supremely intolerant of lapses or failure in this regard, particularly with those to whom he is close.

Powers: Ajax is not a mutant; it should be noted here that his powers reflect a series of tangible physical modification and they cannot be increased further via special training; they reflect extensive modifications and additions to his physiology which allow him to perform many superhuman feats of strength and endurance. A large number of engineered genetic and surgical changes make him quite different to a normal human being, these processes themselves are described later, in full, in his history, but what these changes enable him to achieve is detailed here.

Ajax’ speed, endurance, flexibility and high level of proportionate strength without excessive development of body-mass characterize the abilities of a fine athlete, though he carries this far beyond the human norm. His strength is enhanced by the structure of his musculature (almost 100% efficient, four times more effective, pound for pound, than human muscles allowing him to lift some ten times his bodyweight) and the fact that it is denser, through hypertrophy, than that of a normal human and he simply has more of it so that his athletic abilities are enhanced to the point where under normal conditions he could lift (military press) some 15,430lbs without strain, bench press 16,985lbs, dead-lift 19,340lbs and squat 26,590lbs, he can sprint 34mph, perform a running jump over 22 feet and operate under stressful conditions without sleep for days. He has an incredible tolerance to toxins, poisons and disease - even powerful poisons and gases generally only knock him out for a time while his body undergoes its detoxification routine - able to operate for extended periods in a hostile atmosphere, to identify many poisons and chemicals on contact, protect his body from the effect of ingested toxins or harmful foodstuffs, and physically he is hard to damage. Ajax bleeds slowly (proportionately) his wounds close quickly and his bones are many times stronger than those of a normal human; his protective bones (skull, sternum, ribs, etc) are quite resistant to small arms fire, in fact Ajax could receive a 9mm round in his skull or sternum and suffer only impact damage (bruising and laceration) without the ordinance actually penetrating the bone. His endurance is greatly enhanced by an ability to benefit from nutrients contained in otherwise inedible products, and Ajax’ body draws the maximum of benefit from the otherwise edible food which he does ingest. Should he suffer any catastrophic damage Ajax has the ability to enter suspended-animation to prevent further injury from occurring until he can be brought to, or visited by outside help, essentially ‘freezing’ his body as-is giving potentially life-saving intervention a longer chance to occur. His incredible weight gives him a point of superb anchorage for committing feats of strength and heavy lifting and it also helps him maintain his balance in the face of anything that would seek to knock him over; his balance is further aided by modifications to his inner ear which allow Ajax to avoid disorientation and or dizziness. Lastly Ajax’ body can secrete a substance which, together with the ability to alter the melanin content within his skin gives him some protection against the effects of heat, cold and certain forms of radiation.

The most noteworthy ability which Ajax possesses, as it complements his physical prowess, is the addition of adrenal duct implants in his brain which greatly accelerate its higher functions and give him a superhuman level of unconscious spatial awareness. Ajax can instinctively analyse complex vectors and trajectories and solve large spatial problems unconsciously in a fraction of a second giving him an unmatched level of intuition regarding balance along with the ability to aim and dodge superbly and with innate precision. By constantly, instinctively second guessing actions and trajectories based on surrounding variables and static modifiers Ajax is, in short, almost impossible to take by surprise. He possesses an intuitive sense of balance and a level of physical grace unmatched by any human. Lastly Ajax’ sense of hearing and sight are slightly better than those of the average person though it is not a huge enhancement and would not be noticeable to most, but with concentration it allows Ajax certain advantages in low light conditions or when listening for a particular sound in an otherwise noisy environment.

Weaknesses: Ajax’ artificially developed body, with its great mass, requires an almost disturbing amount of liquids and nourishment to remain hydrated and in good condition. More importantly the unique nature of his body means that Ajax must be administered medicines and surgery (in emergencies) by personnel who understand his implants and biology; if Ajax were in an accident where he required emergency treatment and was seen by a conventional doctor or surgeon they could well do more harm than good. Further his body also requires certain nutrients, vitamins, chemicals and so on not contained within a normal diet; this supplemental material must be provided for many of Ajax’ enhancements to operate at their peak, or in some cases for them to operate at all.

Power Potential: Special training aside, conventional weight training would increase his strength in proportion due to his heightened muscle density and it would also improve his speed, but he doesn’t see the point of trying it; being large and strong enough already in his own opinion. Also it should be noted as a non-mutant Ajax cannot be detected by technologies developed to detect mutation however cursory analysis can be used to determine that he is, in fact, not entirely human; Ajax has two hearts, for example, so listening to his heart beat would provide this information, as would placing him upon a set of scales or subjecting him to an X-ray or ECG, along with any number of other types of tests, scans or probes which all could reveal the presence of his unconventional faculties.

Skills & Talents: Ajax has had extensive military training in drills, marksmanship and survival disciplines and this training has been constant since his mid-teens, these abilities are integral to his position in the current Tiamat line-up as he is required to display his superior aptitude for such things to prospective buyers. Although not a skill as such, as it is not something Ajax has had to develop, it should nevertheless be noted here that as a result of Ajax’ innate mental abilities stemming from the implantation of Adrenal Ducts into his brain during project Huber he is innately gifted regarding certain physical disciplines and while having had no reason to practise them, he is yet able to outperform most people who have made the development of such skills their life’s work. Regarding balance, acrobatics, flexibility, grace and physical dexterity Ajax is unmatched by any normal human, regarding reaction times, reflexes, hand to hand combat, aim, evading or deflecting ranged attacks, analysing trajectories, second-guessing physical actions, analysis of firing arcs and other skills regarding close or ranged combat Ajax is intuitively gifted far beyond the human norm. He cannot generally be taken off-guard, or by surprise, only those who are markedly faster than him could hope to penetrate his defences, and even those with extensive training in the same fields would be at a disadvantages against Ajax unless they, too, possessed a similarly swift, rugged and powerful physical frame, even so the best one can generally hope for (unless operating at some marked advantage) is an equal playing field.

History

Born Joseph Broz to a mad biological mother who was not exactly the finest parent, to be honest, she was hardly a parent at all; more a drug addicted mess with some bizarre aversion to birth control. Joseph was not wanted, and as a product he was not dealt with. Unlike his brother, Jason, before him who had been palmed off into state care, he was raised by his biological parents for a time. While they were never violent and did not abuse Ajax in any direct fashion, verbally or physically Ajax faced substantial neglect; his mother simply did not care and his father was almost never present although when the two were together it was often simply cause for a screaming match, creating a hostile environment into which to bring a newborn child. When they actually pursued jobs both his parents were low income earners, and his mothers affection for drugs kept them well below the poverty line. Joseph was not a healthy child in any respect. When his father eventually left, not able to cope with the stress of a child, Joseph’s mother hit rock bottom. A string of ejections from rental properties saw her black listed as a tenant and these financial woes saw his mother turn to one of her old fallbacks: prostitution. The hours she kept during this period saw Joseph’s health plummet further due to neglect, but his ordeal was nearly over. Some months later his mother was arrested for soliciting and though it was only a minor charge the legal entanglements saw that Joseph would be taken from his mother to become a ward of the state. Already unstable his mother suffered a nervous breakdown when she was told this and threw her son off a second floor balcony, unwilling to see him taken from her, before she attempted to commit suicide by over-dosing on sleeping tablets. Joseph was very nearly killed but his mother survived her own attempted suicide due to intervention by paramedics.

Ajax was kept in hospital for some time and eventually his mother was able to visit him after she had recovered herself, and when the suicide-watch she had been placed under expired. Ajax was still technically her child, in a legal sense, and because of this fact she found herself talking to two solicitors, a doctor and a psychiatrist representing a man named Julian Drakj, working for something known as Tiamat Holdings. They had an interesting proposition with which to present her. She was told that matters were still ‘touch and go’ with Ajax, and that he might not recover, but that they knew of a surgery where he would be given the best treatment which could give him better and more effective treatment. Further they explained that this facility would not charge her. She would, of course, be compensated if indeed Joseph did not survive, but that if he did not, Tiamat Holdings would take possession of his remains. She agreed to this proposition and did not see the men working for Julian again for several weeks which passed in a mood of great anxiety; she was not able to visit Joseph at the hospital during this time, and was not contacted in any fashion. After this time however she received a letter dictated by one Julian Drakj which informed her of what had occurred. The letter read that Joseph had been tended to with exacting skill and a heroic attempt had been made to keep him alive, but that his injuries were simply too catastrophic for anything to be done, and that he passed away on such and such a date, at some early hour of the morning, and that the company would now be taking custody of his remains. So Joseph Broz passed, and his mother never heard from or saw him again, nor did she ever hear again from anyone affiliated with Tiamat Holdings.

The note had not been entirely truthful with Joseph’s mother. Very little had in fact been done to save him; he had been allowed to die, and he had remained medically dead for some time, long enough so that the company could take possession of his remains. Once this period had elapsed however sophisticated equipment, and highly trained staff were admitted to revive him. Joseph was brought back; reborn, as Ajax Cleaver. After being revived and made stable Ajax was, again, relocated. This time he was taken to an off-shore location to be part what had become known as The Tiamat Project. An extensive system of modifying humans into something more; a long, arduous process that would impact his new life in the most significant ways. Ajax was placed into the care of a surrogate family while he was taken on and off to be put through the Tiamat and Hubur Projects, and shared a close bond with his co-subjects Eris and Cyrus, the three being almost like siblings, often keeping each other company and for many years sharing time with these two was the only social outlet available to Ajax. Due to his early age and the injuries he suffered while in the care of his biological mother Ajax does not, to this day, remember one thing at all beyond coming to the Tiamat Program, and as far as he is aware, having asked his surrogate family, he was adopted into the program via a willing donor. He believes this and sees no reason to doubt it, so far Ajax has felt nothing but trust for the Tiamat Technicians and his other ‘company’ friends, and it is unlikely he will ever know the truth.

The Tiamat Project

A man named Julian Drakj was the driving force behind the program, offering the facilities and finance as well as a certain level of disregard for laws and ethics, but it was not Julian who conceived the program itself in terms of the medical and scientific theory behind it, although Julian was the man who made it possible, not only by working out how it could be done legally, financing it, but also be working out how to turn it into a money-making enterprise. In the very beginning Julian was approached by a woman named Katherine Vircho who had, a few years prior, been the chief scientist working for his company in their studies on mutation. She presented various procedures and ideas to him as a potential means by which one could physically enhance humans so as to give them superhuman abilities comparable to those which Mutants had shown. Where others had denied it on account of the ethical and legal barriers Julian accepted the idea and within months construction and hiring processes had been put into effect. Katherine was placed in charge of the project; her skills being practical as well as theoretical and she had expertise in many fields. Everything involved with the Tiamat project was off the record. Those employed were legally considered to be working for Julian in another capacity. The research crew itself was small and they were receiving indescribably vast amounts of money for their work and for their silence. Construction and things of that nature were all privately arranged and as with his employees everything was off the record. The laboratories were constructed in an off-shore location outside of the US.

The initial stages of the project were all concerned with culturing fabricated organs and keeping these safe in a highly stable environment. This took some time, it took years in fact, and the expenses were vast; requiring the construction of environments known as ‘Zero Rooms‘ which would maintain absolute atmospheric stability. During that time Julian had already started contacting various military and medical organizations about purchasing the finished product although none of these pitches were carried out in an official sense and most of it took place in discrete phone calls and other forms of correspondence. Julian kept well away from the project itself for fear that those he dealt with might discover its location and choose to close it in an official capacity, while in the same motion seizing the information and theory behind it for their own benefit, free of cost. He had trouble communicating with his scientists during this period because of this, but things went smoothly until the early stages were finished.

The central theory of the project was to use implants (cultured zygote-organs genetically engineered from scratch) to enhance the subjects in various theatres or to change their physiological and hormonal processes. These implants were extremely complex and because many of them would only work properly when another implant was present the removal or mutation of one organ could violently effect the exact functioning of the others. For these reasons the implants were constantly monitored, the initial subject had to undergo corrective surgery and chemical therapy to re-balance his metabolisms during the process as their body rejected the fabricated organs. Since the process of culturing implants from zygotes had taken years to finish and it was known they would be violently rejected by the body due to their artificial nature the scientists of project Tiamat had to force the naturalization process, and so the projects namesake (Tiamat Glands) were developed; there are two of these glands, one situated in the neck, the other deep within the chest cavity. Each grows within the subject, absorbing hormonal stimuli and genetic material from the other implants. Once matured each gland contains something designated a ‘progenitor code’ corresponding to each zygote implanted into the recipient. These mature codes could be used to produce a second generation of zygotes-organs who’s makeup corresponded to that of the organs after their forced naturalization through drug therapy; a generation of ‘naturally’ coded strings that could be used to create new implants through a simple process. This led to their first generation subject, Alpha; a special subject to bear the enormous physiological strain of implantation and chemo-therapy that would force the naturalization of its synthetic organs, and so Alpha was created, a bottle-bred, constantly comatose human. An egg treated for genetic superiority was fertilized by sperm similarly treated; using the Bokanovsky process 96 identical twins were created from the same egg and Alpha was chosen from the most genetically robust. The rest were destroyed. He was treated pre-natally with protein poisons to ensure that he would be born a mental vegetable before being subjected to the entire implantation and chemo-therapy procedure: given over thirty five new organs, glands and implants; destabilizing him to the point where if his coma were to break he would immediately die. As soon as his Tiamat glands had matured their progenitor code was retrieved and the project continued.

Julian knew that the creation of Alpha was only the first stage, for if the Tiamat Project were ever to become something he could sell it would need to be possible to implant adult humans with zygote-organs which could begin taking effect immediately, rather than implanting them into children; he knew that more generations of patients would need to be created, with each new generation providing a more naturalized progenitor-code until they eventually reached the point where the development of surgical procedures and the nature of the implants were so advanced that a person of any age could have any number of them implanted. Nevertheless Julian also knew that he would require demonstrable examples of what those so implanted could achieve, and so his first generation of genuine patients were created with two goals in mind. The first was for them to occupy a link in the chain of naturalization; to be implanted, for their progenitor codes to mature and then be implanted into a new generation, and so on, but more important than this Julian wanted subjects who could demonstrate their superior physiology, to show people what the Tiamat Project was capable of achieving by way of its implants. Ajax, Eris and Cyrus were to become this ‘model generation,’ each undergoing the implantation of only a part of the total number of organs available to the project to maximize the stability of their physiology and chance of success in integrating the now naturalized organs into their bodies, in addition the implants that they were given were chosen specifically for their effects when combined so that each would represent one variety of enhanced subject; Ajax would demonstrate brute strength, great durability, survivability and aptitude for physical combat, Cyrus would demonstrate superior mental faculties, information gathering and data analysis, leadership, strategic and tactical skills and Eris would represent speed, reflexes, stealth, information gathering, data retrieval and other skills useful to a lone-agent, a thief or saboteur.

Nevertheless this second generation would still be subjected to a somewhat touch and go procedure. A sub-stage of Project Tiamat was developed (referred to as Project Hubur) where the subjects underwent intensive chemical therapy in an effort to balance their metabolism so as to better integrate the coming implants. They underwent forced development of a hyper-immune system to counter the toxins in the many drugs used to assimilate the implants into their physiological makeup, and this process was arduous and long. The extensive testing, genetic manipulation and drugs turning each subject into a living, breathing experiment. At first results from tests were assessed to determine which alterations would be most suitable for each subject. After that the real experiments started.

The constant redevelopment of the Hubur project led to the creation of a special program of genetics, bio-implants and chemical boosters to enhance the subject’s body far beyond what a normal human could achieve. Without this the constant administration of toxic chemicals and drugs would have been fatal. Restructuring their stamina and aerobic performance (through implanting a second heart; a process so successful it was later integrated into the Tiamat Project itself) to strengthen the body against constant barrage of tranquillization and hyperactivity caused by the drugs. Adrenal ducts were implanted to speed up the brain’s higher functions so the subjects mental development could match their enhanced physical development. Glandular implants that naturally produced and constantly fed the necessary drugs and antidotes into the bloodstream were employed. Further actions were undertaken to bring balance to the subjects when their chemical therapy was complete. Their metabolic rates were forcibly slowed and they were drugged into a semi coherent, almost comatose, state. Their enhanced mental faculty was essentially wired in to their autonomous bodily functions and made able to retune their metabolism. Their dependence on drugs was lessened. Once implanted Ajax, Eris and Cyrus were brought up by surrogate parents within a company-owned facility. They were trained to act as models for the process, able to demonstrate the changes and enhancement to an audience of potential buyers. Aside from the discipline often required of them, the medical procedures and the relative isolation the three where given as normal an upbringing as possible to encourage stable mental development; they were tutored, schooled normally, played sports, etc. Their upbringing was not cruel, though perhaps a little cold nevertheless they were provided for generously, given the very best. Ajax was given the following implants in these stages:

Stage 1 - The simplest and most self sufficient implant. The secondary heart is capable of augmenting the blood supply or maintaining full life functions even with the removal or destruction of the recipient's natural heart.

Stage 2 - A heart shaped organ designed to improves and modify the subjects circulatory system. It is vital to the function of the other implants, functioning as, essentially, a third kidney; designed to filter the subjects blood with great efficiency and able to break-down the various compounds and natural drugs which are secreted into the subjects body to stabilize their metabolism. If this implant is removed or damaged the results will be catastrophic, with the patient quickly succumbing to the harmful toxins and drugs produced naturally by their own body; as such is it protected by implantation deep within the abdomen of the patient shielded by the pelvis and surrounded in a pericardial sac similarly to the heart, the sack being composed of fatty layers wedged between muscular sheets and within it the organ is suspended in an inert plasma designed to absorb shock; it is further protected by a cartilaginous shell within the first layer of the pericardium.

Stage 3 - A long tubular shaped organ is implanted which remains completely dormant until the inclusion of the stage five implant. Once activated though it monitors and secretes hormones to effect the epiphiseal fusion and ossification of the subjects skeleton. This implant hardens and strengthens the skeleton; particularly the long bones, and increases the overall size of the recipients skeleton as well as its strength by allowing the integration of complex protein structures into the tissue composing the subjects bone requiring a modified diet during their developmental years. This organ only functions through the developmental stages and afterwards becomes dormant before eventually being cannibalised by the recipients body.

Stage 4 - This gland is implanted into the chest cavity and though it is small its effects are quite impressive. Through the secretion of altered growth hormones and anabolic compounds it stimulates muscular hypertrophy throughout the body as well as altering the growth patterns and design of the subject musculature to make it more efficient, like the stage four implant it is dependent on the stage five implant, and only truly effects the body through its developmental stages however unlike the stage four implant it is not cannibalised when the body reaches full development but instead continues to function in a limited capacity so that muscle which is damaged or removed grows back in the same modified pattern.

Stage 5 - This implant allows both the stage five and four implants to function correctly. It is implanted into a main blood vessel where it serves its dual purpose. As well as keeping the phase three and four implants in check, this organ also alters the constituent make-up of the recipient's blood to making it much more efficient at carrying oxygen. The increased haemoglobin content of the subjects blood plasma means that arterial bleeding marked by a more vivid, brighter red than that of a normal human, and a substantial increase in the quantity of blood lost (though quantity in proportion lost is, indeed, substantially lower) The subject’s mature body contains roughly 18 litres of blood plasma. For the purpose of comparison a normal male of Ajax’ height and build would possess no more than 7.5.

Stage 6 - An additional, third, lung which activates when the subject needs to breathe in low-oxygen or poisoned atmospheres, or even whilst submerged in liquids. The natural lungs are closed off by a sphincter muscle associated with the multi-lung and the implanted organ takes over breathing operations. It has highly efficient toxin dispersal systems and can extract oxygen from liquids, but the multi-lung cannot extract enough oxygen on its own from a hostile atmosphere to meet the bodies needs. As such the multi-lung cannot replace normal breathing, and instead merely augments the bodies stored supply of oxygen during periods where normal breathing is impossible; extending the period during which the subject may inhabit a hostile atmosphere.

Stage 7 - This implant essentially takes the form of a pre-normal stomach that can neutralise otherwise poisonous or indigestible foods. Along with acting as a decontamination chamber placed before the natural stomach (which can be isolated from the rest of the digestive tract in order to contain any particularly troublesome substance) the pre-normal stomach is also capable of digesting substances which the bodies normal digestive tract cannot, extracting useful nutrients and sustenance from otherwise inedible material.

Stage 8 - This implant controls the amount of melanin in the subjects skin. Exposure to high levels of light or heat will result in the subjects skin darkening to compensate. This implant provides some protection from the effects of certain forms of radiation.

Stage 9 - In conjunction with the secondary heart this implant allows the subject to filter his blood very quickly, rendering him immune to most poisons. This action comes at a price, however, as this emergency detoxification renders the subject unconscious while his blood is circulated at high speed. The organ's everyday function is to monitor the entire circulatory system and allow other organs to function effectively.

Stage 10 - This enhances the subjects sense of taste to such a high degree that he can identify many common chemicals by taste alone. The pre-normal stomach, or multi-lung can then take the appropriate action to prevent injury or the subject can simply elect not to ingest the identified chemical.

Stage 11 - This implant allows the subject to sweat a substance that coats the skin and offers resistance to extreme heat and cold and can even provide some protection within a hard vacuum. This implant often functions when the stage 8 implant has been triggered yet is not able to protect the subject; such as when exposed to intense heat. It should be noted however that the substance which the subject creates is a complex compound composed of a number of otherwise inedible sugars and proteins not found within a normal diet. A special dietary supplement must be administered to the patient or this implant will not function.

Stage 12 - Initially implanted above the brain, this membrane eventually merges with the recipient's entire brain. Ineffective without follow-up chemical therapy and training, but with sufficient training the subject can use this implant to enter a state of suspended animation, consciously or as an automatic reaction to extreme trauma, potentially keeping the subject alive for years, even if he has suffered otherwise mortal wounds. Only the appropriate chemical therapy or auto-suggestion can revive the subject from this state, and no natural healing may occur while in suspended animation, this implant simply allows the subject to prevent further injury from taking place, or from current injuries from developing fatal consequences; it cannot be used to actually heal from injuries.

Stage 13 - This implant is inserted into the back of the skull via a hole drilled into the occipital bone. A tiny implant; it influences the circadian rhythms of sleep and the body's response to sleep deprivation. Normally the subject sleeps like any normal human, but if deprived of sleep this implant kicks in. A person implanted with this node is capable of sleeping and remaining awake at the same time by switching off areas of the brain sequentially. This process cannot replace normal sleep entirely but increases the subjects survivability by allowing for limited perception of the environment while resting in hazardous circumstances or limited rest while active to slow down the effects of fatigue.

Stage 14 - This small slug-like organ sits at the base of the brain. It provides the hormonal and genetic stimuli which enable the subjects eyes to respond to optic-therapy. The organ does not itself improve eyesight, but it allows technicians to make adjustments to the growth patterns of the eye and the light-receptive retinal cells. An adult who had been implanted with this organ has far better eyesight than a normal human, and can see in low light conditions almost as well as in daylight.

Stage 15 - This implant enables the subject to consciously enhance and even filter certain types of background noise. Not only is hearing improved, but they cannot become dizzy or nauseous as a result of extreme disorientation.

Stage 16 - A liver shaped, dark, fleshy organ about the size of a golf ball. It is implanted into the chest cavity along with a complicated array of blood vessels. The organ generates and stores special cells. If the recipient is wounded, these cells are released into the blood stream. They latch onto leucocytes in the blood and are transported to the site of a wound. Once in contact with air, the cells form a skin substitute of instant scar tissue, staunching the flow of blood and protecting any exposed wound area.

Stage 17 - There are two of these glands, one situated in the neck and the other within the chest cavity. These take time (2 years in the first case, 5 in the latter) to mature into new progenitor glands. These allow the subjects ‘naturalized’ organs to be regrown for a new generation of patients. Each gland provides the genetic material to create between forty and one-hundred new series of implants identical to those with which the patient has been implanted. Ajax has already had his neck glands removed. The chest glands cannot be removed without killing the patient and serve only as an emergency backup; Ajax’ chest glands are intact, matured and functioning correctly.

History (Continued)

With the project finished Ajax, still young, was raised in a semi-confined environment, but he was allowed contact with Cyrus and Eris who had become like a little brother and sister to him, and Ajax took to that role with enthusiasm, happy to look out for Cyrus and always quite protective of him and Eris, with the later having a rather mischievous influence on him, often leading he and Cyrus into trouble despite his better judgement. He interacted with them as well as a number of scientists and doctors who were to monitor him and check on him throughout his life. The three attended school with tutors and taught the same curricula as normal children were, literacy, numeracy as well as other more advanced studies and electives from which they were free to choose. Ajax and his surrogate siblings were educated and looked after by people who understood their business and he had affection, company, entertainment and discipline, but there was not much in the way of love; still, Ajax did not want for much and has little in the way of regrets about his life. As he grew older his purpose was made clear; that he would be paid a stipend for remaining within the companies reach as a demonstration; a living, breathing example of what their techniques could do to a person. He was charged to maintain his physical state and to train in various fashions so as to stay in good condition and keep on top of the skills which the Tiamat Reps believed best suited his enhanced body. Often Ajax was led to display his unique skills and tolerances before a small audience of potential investors or buyers, but this was hardly the sum-total of his life. His caretakers were sure to socialize him, at first only in safe environments until he grew older and the physical differences between he and people his age became less dramatic and at this point his freedoms were increased further. He, Cyrus and Eris would often go out together, and the three had allot of fun, but it was not to last. At the age of thirteen Eris elected to leave in order to peruse company business in Europe and although Ajax was upset by this he was perturbed to find that his ‘little brother’ did not seem to care.

For a some time Cyrus had been developing some odd habits, certain unusual traits of character, and Ajax became, himself, quite inconsolable as he felt powerless to help, and Cyrus resented deeply the fact that Ajax felt there was something wrong with him. Ajax’ attempts to help were, as a result, dismissed or met with hostility. Cyrus had become cold, emotionally detached from others, apathetic about life in general, although he continued to excel with his education. One by one Cyrus’ passions seemed to become less wholesome, he gave up many of his pastimes and those which he replaced them with seemed disturbing. Cyrus had always wanted to be a doctor, for example, and often did a great deal of supplementary reading about medicine, but this was forgotten and now Cyrus seemed only interested in vivisection, autopsies, and other morbid studies. He talked of wanting to ‘take apart’ mutants, to see what made them tick. He talked of cutting himself open to learn more about his implants. Ajax eventually went to Cyrus foster parents for help and told them much of what Cyrus was going through, and eventually Cyrus was taken under the wing of Dr. Katherine Vircho, to be her apprentice. Ajax was not sure how to react to this, but since it meant Cyrus was never around anymore, he was, to some degree, upset, but also hopeful that Cyrus might get better. Part of him has always distrusted Dr. Katherine though, and Ajax does not have a good feeling about her acting as a mentor to Cyrus; thinking it will only make things worse.

Ajax was very much alone, as a result, during his middle teenage years, the time during which he truly ‘grew up,’ learning self-sufficiency until he was able to seek his own accommodation as a young adult while still being paid a stipend by the company; he could live more than comfortably without working himself, but often Ajax would take various jobs which he wished to experience, for something to do, and also to meet people and save money. It was suggested he move somewhere less eventful than New York - where he had been situated under company care for some time - and Ajax was happy to, he selected the fairly idyllic seeming town of Bayville which would not burden him with extensive travel in those times when the company requested his presence. Ajax spent some time furthering his education at a nearby college where he studied philosophy and ancient history although he continues these studies only on a part-time basis today.

He experienced many things while living in Bayville, and one of those things was the subject of mutation; Ajax had heard of mutants through the Company, but had never met one. In Bayville he saw several, or at the very least he thought that he had; Ajax did not speak to them or see conclusive proof, but he suspected they were mutants. It seemed Bayville had something of a reputation as a mutant hot-spot, he discovered this through the College, as a Campus Club known as FOH were, one day, holding an anti-mutant rally. They claimed a large number of public damages and other crimes and disasters had been caused by mutants. Ajax refuted them on the basis that they lacked proof, and was given a dark look by one of the clubs members in response. That night when Ajax was walking home six of the clubs members attempted to waylay him, accusing him of being a mutant himself due to his unusually large size. Ajax assured them he was not a mutant, and told them that he had no wish to hurt them, or for things to turn violent. It seemed that they were quite wiling for things to become violent, however but for the intervention of a wheel-chair bound man whom Ajax had met before in passing about the college campus. He suggested they leave and the six college students immediately left as though they had no choice; the wheel-chair bound man then turned to Ajax and asked if he was a mutant. Ajax told him the truth. The man responded that he was Charles Xavier, and that he had founded a safe place for mutants, an institute for the gifted where mutants could learn to control their powers and be safe from discrimination. He suggested that even though Ajax was not a mutant, he would make a good instructor to teach some of his younger students and although Ajax had little stake in mutant affairs the opportunity to help was not something he could lightly turn down. Besides he felt if one group had confused him for a mutant, such things might happen again in future, and that if he could work to benefit mutants it would also benefit himself. He dwelt on it for several days but eventually decided that he would do so. He does not live at the institute permanently but returns to his apartment over the weekend; Ajax has only been there a short time, but Xavier has done much to acquaint him with his new responsibilities.

Ajax, it seems, was primarily concerned with placing himself in the world and developing roots in Bayville. He had been through a few part-time jobs, and done many things in an attempt to meet people and generate friendships, but the social front is a tricky one and he did not met with any overwhelming success. Still Ajax refused to be deterred and knew patience, in time, would find him what he was after. The most exciting thing to happen to him since moving to Bayville, indeed one of the most exciting things Ajax has had happen to him at all was finding out that his long-estranged childhood friend Eris would be moving there as well, that she had completed her travels of Europe, Africa and Asia and was taking a years vacation. One thing which still haunts Ajax is Cyrus, and what has happened to him; since Cyrus took up with Dr. Vircho Ajax has not seen him, and many years have passed. He sometimes wonders whether his one-time little Brother has gotten better, or worse, as he often suspects is more likely the case, and what it would mean if he came back into his life now that Ajax has found a place for himself in the world.

Other: Ajax must deal with certain legalities surrounding his work and condition and one of those is the confidence of his employers. He is under contract to maintain a certain amount of discretion and there are details about his work and nature which he simply cannot disclose to anyone without running the risk of loosing company support and his stipend.

Sample RP: Ajax was excited, but since hearing the good news he had been making an effort not to think about it, knowing that if he did it would only seem to prolong the time between hearing about the event, and the event actually occurring. He’d received the phone-call several hours ago and had immediately gone to the gym thinking that a workout would serve to keep his mind occupied, but Ajax had miscalculated and now, even as he was laying back on a weight-bench lifting the highest weight possible for him to manage in public without arousing suspicion, his mind wandered back to the phone-call and to the event. ‘It’s this gym,’ he muttered to himself, frustrated. ‘It’s this,’ he looked at the Olympic-grade bar suspended across his chest with over three-hundred pounds of weight on it. If he lifted anymore people would become suspicious, but Ajax could easily have lifted five times this weight; as a work-out it was no more than a warm up, and Ajax regretted coming to this gym. He knew now he should have stayed at home and committed to a proper work-out, but he had been hoping that chance might favour him, because last time he had come to this gym Ajax had spoken with a trainer and the two had hit it off well. He could see her now across the floor helping someone on a rowing machine, the two were talking in an animated fashion and seemed to be getting on well. She was attractive; Ajax appreciated that, even from this distance, and he wondered if she might be willing to get a coffee or something after they were finished. ‘Probably not,’ Ajax thought. He knew he wasn’t bad looking, but Ajax lacked confidence in some ways, he thought that most women would prefer a more aggressive man. They seemed to enjoy men with flaws which they could make a hobby of working on. Ajax set the bar back in its cradle, then, and sat up noiselessly as he dusted his hands. He still couldn’t believe it. Eris would be coming to Bayville, and after all this time. That was what the phone-call had been about, his ‘little sister’ was finished with her work in Europe. Ajax wondered, he wondered how much she had changed, he wondered what would be different about her, but more than that he wondered if they would, together, possess the same fondness for each others company which they had once; he remembered clearly those old days when everything had been so ideal. Ajax sighed. It was unlikely. The past was the past, after all.

Activity: I'll try to post at least once a day, and to come online, say, six times a week.