1300ft_freefall

Haven app
Name: Scarlet or Maskdt
Contact info: maskdt_one (AIM), Maskdt (Plurk)
Other Characters Played: none
Preferred Apartment: none

Character Name: Alex Mercer
Canon: [Protoype]
Background/History: http://prototype.wikia.com/wiki/Alex_Mercer

Personality: Alex Mercer is, and always has been, somewhat cold. His initial instinct when meeting someone new is to be at least somewhat suspicious of their motives; a childhood spent in foster care, as well as several recent weeks of being hunted like a dangerous wild animal, almost losing his sister, discovering the unpleasant nature of his affliction, and betrayal have taught him that anyone, absolutely anyone, might turn around and stab you in the back for their own gain.

However, this isn’t to say that he shuns all human contact. There is no one he cares for more than his little sister (even going so far as to risk his life tracking the monster that kidnapped her). There were three others he trusted as well: his ex-girlfriend Karen Parker (who later betrayed him and nearly got him killed), a doctor by the name of Dr. Ragland who’d been given the blessing of his sister (who saved his and his sister’s lives) and a Blackwatch agent named Robert Cross who’d turned to him in an effort to both take down Blackwatch and to end the Blacklight plague (this, unfortunately, did not end well, but not through any fault of the agent). Thus, although Alex is typically at least somewhat paranoid, once someone has earned his trust he can be an invaluable ally.

A combination of Alex’s amnesia (and re-discovery of his identity/history), his epiphany of the true nature of his condition, the actions he’d been forced to take in order to survive and the get his revenge, and the memories of the hundreds of people and creatures he’d been forced to consume has given him something of an identity crisis. On the one hand, he does have a very strong moral compass as evidenced by his disgust with Blackwatch’s actions and his own actions from before he became infected with Blacklight, as well as some reluctance to reveal how he was getting top-secret information to his sister. On the other, he is a predator in a very literal sense, and is reminded of his actions by the final memories of his victims every time he closes his eyes. Compounding this is the fact that he isn’t exactly human, and has capabilities far beyond that of both humans and machines. This has left him with the dilemma of either trying to fit into society again despite knowing all too well just how flawed all human beings really are and having to constantly keep himself in check; or embracing his new, more violent nature to alter the world to better fit his own ideals, even though this would result in the extinction of the human species.

Finally, Alex is gifted in a number of fields thanks to the memories he’s acquired from his many victims. He is an expert in genetics, possessing the memories of many of the field’s best and brightest, and has extensive knowledge in US military doctrine, techniques, and equipment.

Abilities/Powers:

- Shape-shifting (primarily to turn his body into a weapon, to make a natural shield or armour, or to take on the physical appearance of another person)
-Extreme physical strength (“cutting through tanks” strong)
-Infrared vision
-Instant healing (only if he’s well-fed; making new, healthy tissue costs energy and mass)
-Extreme durability (via instant healing)
-Enhanced speed and jumping; combines with his gliding, air dashing, and climbing abilities to allow him to travel over land very quickly despite any obstacles that might be in the way.
-The ability to consume living organisms in order to add to his mass and to absorb their memories (the latter only works if the brain is intact).
-Gliding over short distances (requires the ejection of a small amount of biomass in order to provide some propulsion, however)
-“Air dashes” that allow him to change direction in mid-air, add more horizontal distance to a jump, or to add more propulsion to allow him to glide longer.

Essentially, he’s about the greatest security threat ever; he can steal an employee’s identity and memories to slip right through even a heavily guarded entrance, or he could just tear his way through the door. There’s also the possibility that he’s fire-proof, although the lack of fire damage in-game could have simply been a pragmatic choice to prevent near-constant fire damage during fights and can thus be cut from role-playing. The nature of the Blacklight virus means that he has a natural aversion to water, as evidenced by his tendency to leap high into the air to try to escape it if he becomes submerged rather than simply swimming to dry land.
It is important to note that Alex is not immortal; he was infected with a parasite that undoubtedly would have eventually killed him, and Blackwatch did manage to create a gas that would have killed him as well with enough exposure. Conventional weapons do not seem to be able to kill him, but they can weaken him to the point of being completely unable to defend himself (he can survive a nuclear blast, but reconstructing himself from puddles of goo took some time and some additional biomass from at least one unlucky crow.)

Sample Entry One:

[Alex crouches atop the billboard near the well, looking out across the rundown city toward the bright beacon that is the convenience store. He’d heard about it from the other residents, had even asked a few questions. They’d said it was “impenetrable.” Of course it would seem impenetrable to them; about the most powerful weapon he’d seen anyone carrying was a sword. How could they reasonably expect to break in without the right tools? A few good blows in just the right place with a blade arm (or just about any of his other modifications, really), and he could probably break in with little effort.

And yet, he hesitates. He’d heard about the subway, too. Under normal circumstances, he’d think nothing of diving right in to fight through the horde; the lack of real food here, however...he’s already just getting by. A serious fight or even a decent trap would likely be enough to seriously hinder him. He could have sworn he’d seen something moving in the store’s windows, too, as if someone was in there. If they’d been the one to board the place up, then they clearly wanted to keep everyone else out, and they might have some means of defending themselves...

He sits on the billboard instead, making himself more comfortable as he waits for someone to come to the well. As much as he hates to admit it, he does need their help; it’d be a surprise if no one has spent any time searching the place for a way in, after all. Someone must know something...]

Sample entry two

Alex stumbles as his feet hit the roof of the apartment building, his body weakening as the parasite digs deeper into him. He can feel the ache throughout his body as it fights back; already the fight has cost him his weapons, his shield. Judging by how deep the pain is...a flash of panic, and he tries to push the thought out of his mind. He’ll find a cure, or fight it off before it gets him killed. That’s a certainty. Can’t let Dana down. Can’t let their crimes go unpunished.

He takes a breath, pushes open the door, heads for the apartment. Dragging himself inside, Dana notices him. Worry crosses her face for a moment.
“Man, you look like shit, but, this might help.”
There’s something on her laptop, more research conducted while he was out. He steps closer, sees something about a doctor; his mildly fevered mind jumps to a conclusion.
“McMullen?”

“No, but they’re watching someone for him, ‘kay. It’s this doctor named Bradley Ragland.”

A name. Someone with answers, someone he can hunt. Alex jumps at the opportunity.
“Where is he?”

Dana raises a hand to assuage his sudden flare-up.

“He’s a good guy. ‘Kay, you find him, he helps us get to McMullen. He’s uptown at St. Paul’s hospital, he runs the morgue there.”

He turns to head out. Right. This “Ragland” has information, but if Dana believes he’s more useful alive, then he’ll just have to try talking the man into co-operating.
“W-wait, hold up! There’s more.”

He turns to listen.

“Alright, so, I did some research on Hope, Idaho. It was an army town. On July 21st, 1969, it vanished...”

She goes on, explaining things he already knows, but that he shouldn’t know. Memories from dead soldiers, frightened scientists who’d been unfortunate to possess some of the knowledge he needed to piece together what the hell was going on. Fragments of their memories line up, creating a narrative that matches what she’s saying. He even contributes Elizabeth Greene’s name at the correct moment when Dana asks if he recognizes the girl in the photograph. So caught up is he in the spinning memories that he continues the narrative:

“Hope, Idaho was an experiment.”

Dana stands up, surprised.

“How could you possibly know that?”
Shit. Well...no sense hiding it from her. She’ll probe, and...someone else needs to know.
“The people I’ve killed...they’re in me.”

His heart sinks when he sees the fear in her face; it’s just like the night he woke up all over again. Too late to stop, though; it comes out seemingly on its own, taking some small fraction of the burden with it. He turns away from her; he doesn’t want to see her taking all these hideous things in. He feels her grab his arm anyway, demanding his attention.

“What the fuck are you talking about?!”

“I can understand it all. I’m supposed to do these things.” It spills out now; someone else needs to know, she needs to know the hell he’s been through, what he’s been forced to do. “But it’s right, I can feel it!”

Desperation kicks in; his heart starts pounding as the realization that she might very well reject him sinks in. No...no, she has to understand! He doesn’t even notice that he’s been forcing her back like some kind of predatory animal cornering its prey until she bumps into the computer desk. Guilty, he backs off to give her space to breathe. Hearing the undercurrent of fear in her voice when she speaks again is heartbreaking. She’s being brave...she shouldn’t need to be brave, not when they’re just talking. Not around him.

“Find Ragland...and ask him about McMullen...” Oh god...Oh god, no. He can hear revulsion in her voice; she must think he’s a monster, a murderer no better than Blackwatch. He reaches out, hoping to comfort and reassure her that he hasn’t changed; that hope is dashed when she turns away and blocks him with her own hand. Dejected, he slips out. Maybe...maybe she’ll forgive him if he leaves for a while. Maybe he’ll forgive himself. At least there’s still work to do; maybe when it’s done, he’ll have thought of how to apologize.