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Revision as of 15:40, 17 October 2013
Contents
History
The Crucible, Rough draft
Part Narrative, part outline
Bryan Quinn began his career as a young engineer employed by Argent. Even at an early age Bryan realized that he had the uncanny ability to analyze designs and be able to optimize them to their full potential. But when it came to creating his own designs he often was at a loss. At argent he made name for himself by solving design flaws in other engineers work which earned him the nick name "The Finisher" with the top brass. However, his colleagues had other, less flattering names for him when he was assigned to solve problems they could not. Bryan became involved in improving and upgrading the power armor that many of the operatives of Argent wore. He saw that Argent had really only scratched surface of the potential of the suits and advocated a huge capital investment to improve the technology but was opposed by another research team that wanted to see that money go to their cyborg development.
After a particularly tense meeting in which Bryan pointed out the many flaws in the cyborg systems, Quinn retreated to his lab where his newest prototype was nearing completion. There he was confronted by Dr. Schubert, the lead engineer of the cyborg project. They argued fiercely till Schubert pressed a small remote control and a hulking cyborg came into the lab. As he retreated, Schubert commanded the cyborg to kill Bryan and to trash the lab and set it on fire. Bryan tried to flee as the cyborg chased him around the lab but was finally struck down by the the Borg and left to perish in the fire. Bryan was revived by the searing pain of his flesh beginning to burn and believed all was lost when suddenly the windows to his lab burst inward. Bryan saw a large copper colored power suit begin to spray retardant on the fire. But it quickly became apparent that it was too far along to be stopped and Bryan would not last much longer. The figure picked up Bryan and turned to leave when Bryan cried to save the prototype. His rescuer paused for a second then moved Bryan to one arm and grabbed the suit with the other and then flew out of the inferno in a roar of boot jets. Even in his debilitated state, Bryan could almost sense the exquisite power of the suit that carried him and thought that he must try to study it some day, if he survives. The suit carrying him landed a short distance away from the argent building and Bryan experienced a sudden lessening of pain and a brightness that consumed all else, this must be the end he thought as he lost consciousness. In time though he did struggle back to consciousness to find himself suspended in some sort of vat of liquid. A sudden languid panic arose in him as realized he was not wearing any kind of breathing apparatus and his lungs were filled with the liquid. As he tried to find some way out of the vat he saw a figure approach, this time it was golden, and slimmer, but still obviously a power suit of some kind. It touched a few controls and Bryan suddenly fell unconscious again. For a long time he was insensate. Then the dreams began to come, nightmares of fire and burning. Again he awoke, he had the sensation that a considerable amount of time had passed. He found himself in a bed this time, surprisingly primitive, in simple room with rustic features and log walls.
A cabin? Bryan roused himself from the bed and dressed himself in the clothes he found waiting for him. He moved into the next room and found, to his amazement, his power suit on a table surrounded by various diagnostic equipment and supplies. He moved to the small kitchen and all the cupboards fully stocked and a small note on the fridge which read, "Stay as long as you like, you're safe here for the time being and will not be disturbed." Bryan decided to take the advice of his benefactors and stayed to work on his suit while he planned his next move. As his suit neared completion Bryans' thirst for revenge began to grow along with his determination to show just what his technology could do. But he also realized that his own flaw, a lack of true creativity, prevented him from taking the next steps he knew must be taken if he was to achieve a superior design. He thought again of his rescuer, if only he could examine that magnificent suit! But he realized that there were many places where he might find the technology he needed, much of it in the hands of people completely undeserving of it. Groups like Viper, the Hunter Patriots, and his own Argent. And while this refuge did have the components to finish his design, he would need a place with manufacturing facilities, a place like his old lab had had, in the sub-basements. Bryan thought that they might still be intact after the fire and with the strength of his suit he might be able to scrounge what he needed. As Bryan prepared to leave he realized he had no idea where he was. He had looked around the cabin briefly, enough to see that he was in a remote, arid region with no apparent roads to or from his hideout. Which was fine since his suit could fly, but he wasn't sure how far.
The Mission
As Bryan prepared to leave he was confronted by what he recognized as his Copper power suited savior. He was told that he had been rescued for a reason and that the interested parties were willing to help him with his endeavors. Bryan was a little suspicious but accepted the help. His benefactors had arranged to demolish the building but save the foundries below since ARGENT had believed the entire facility was lost. Bryan was able to create a "production" model of his blue power suit which he dubbed Cobalt 1, and began to raid ARGENT facilities to gain the technology and raw materials needed to continue the improvement of his suit, and to learn the location of Dr. Schubert. During one of these raids he came across data ARGENT had on Viper and it's bases in the southwestern desert. Bryan realized that he was already reaching the limit of ARGENT technology and that he would need to expand his activities if he were to build the ultimate power suit. He was especially interested in the fabled "Area 51" and it's supposed access to alien technology. Bryan completed a second suit, Cobalt 2, and used that to raid the Viper bases in the SW desert. He was able to gain more intelligence from Viper which would lead him to the base in Africa they were constructing. He also learned that Argent and Viper were now sharing information about him with each other and that they had given his file the code name, HALON. Bryan was not sure what it was meant to signify but realized that this was how his enemies, and possibly the world, would know him. So he also began to use the name himself.
Since information about the African base was very limited, Bryan created a new stealth suit, incorporating some of Vipers' camouflage technology, which he called Halon:Tungsten, to scout the base. What he found there unnerved him. Viper was delving into arcane research and wielding forces Bryan could not comprehend. He began to doubt whether he could handle what lay in the bowels of the installation, and it made him afraid. But he chanced upon the plans for the new "Golden Nest" armor and also discovered that the material they were mining here, called Serpentium, was able to channel and redirect some of these supernatural energies. Bryan renewed his resolve and incorporated both the new armor designs and the serpentium into a new suit that he called Halon:Iodine. With the Iodine suit, Bryan was able to assault the African Viper nest and bring their plans there to an end, for the time being. But his brush with the supernatural world left a cold dark pit of fear in his mind and he would not willingly faces that power again. Bryan returned to raiding Area 51 in the Iodine suit in an effort to retrieve alien technology and was eventually successful, even though Vipers defenses became increasingly difficult to penetrate. Bryan found it nearly impossible to integrate the alien bio-technology with human designs, as had everyone else, but he did make more progress than others, and created an experimental prototype called Halon:Carbon but the alien interfaces were ultimately unreliable and he abandoned this design before it saw combat. With this setback it was becoming clear that he was again on the verge of losing his edge over his adversaries.
So he began his search for Dr. Schubert in earnest while he still felt confident of victory. His search lead him to the fabled Monster Island where Argent and Viper were collaborating on several projects. One of which was his eventual elimination, being led by none other than Dr. Schubert. Bryan readied his newest suit Halon:Cobalt 3, and journeyed to the island to meet his destiny.
There he encountered an environment he was completely unprepared for and unwittingly walked into a trap that not only would catch him, but also use him as bait to catch his benefactors. Bryan was repulsed by the raw savagery on Monster Island and the bizarre experiments of Teleios and Moreau. It goaded him into acting rashly with a simple frontal assault on the base, fighting his way to the lower labs to find his quarry. There he faced something he had never expected, Dr. Schubert was there waiting for him, with a small army of Moreau's poor manimal creatures augmented and controlled with cybernetic implants. Bryan had never faced such foes and they were more than a match for him even in his latest suit.
The Turning Point, Rough draft
But at his darkest moment, help arrived in a brilliant flash of energy, the Copper power suit appeared in the underground lair and began to battle along side him. Even now it was obvious that the Copper suit was as magnificent as ever and the tide began turn, but then the room began to be flooded by robot troopers of a design that was completely unknown to Bryan. Their weaponry was devastatingly effective, but suddenly 2 more flashes illuminated the room and to Bryans astonishment, 2 more power suited figures appeared. One Gold, and one Silver. The new suits were not as robust as the copper one, the gold one was a similar design but sleeker, with apparently fewer weapons. The silver suit seemed to be an almost entirely different design, it clung to the human form underneath like liquid metal and was apparently built for extreme speed. Again the tide of battle began to shift but Bryan was losing his momentum. He had always fought in small quick engagements, this was quickly turning into a war.
Then he spied Dr. Schubert watching from a raised viewing room at he far end of the chamber and began to force his way there when he was stopped by a yawning opening appearing in the floor in front him. At that moment he was forced to conclude that he had been an utter fool come here. Rising out of the opening was the massive form of a MegaDestroid, retro-fitted with Argent and Viper technology. Bryan was so dumbfounded that he almost didn't notice the black power-suited form perched on it's shoulder. All fighting stopped as an amplified feminine voice filled the room with diabolical laughter.
(To be filled in later),
... and then her arm lanced out as she fired a hot red beam from the strange long barreled canon mounted on her left arm. The beam didn't seem strong enough to cause serious harm but as it struck Copper, he cried out in pain and the fighting resumed as the Destroid and the black figure joined the fray. Most of the original foes had been vanquished but the giant robot was more than a match for the 4 heroes and they began to fall. The 3 that had come to Bryans' rescue seemed to be especially susceptible to the black figures arm canon, Copper had continued to fight and it was Gold who was the first to fall to her attack. Then Silver was struck down by the MegaDeatroids' lightning strike. Copper then faced it head on while Bryan faced the black figure which he now could tell must have belonged to a woman.
The black and blue figures fought back and forth to a stand still but Copper began to weaken against the Destroid. Bryan knew it would be his turn next. As his mind raced trying to figure a way out, he became aware that the entire chamber was rumbling and shaking. Suddenly a massive shaft of energy burst through the ceiling and engulfed the Destroid just as Copper fell for the last time. The head of the giant robot sparked and exploded and the rest of it's body then slowly melted into slag. The black armored figure gave a sudden cry of alarm and stood away from Bryan and then disappeared in her own flash of energy. Bryan slumped to the floor in the sudden silence, he saw that Dr. Schubert had also vanished, he was alone. He felt a strange sensation, one he had felt before, a sudden lessening of feeling and a bright flash and he found himself somewhere else.
The men wearing the Gold and Silver power suits were dead, their suits nearly destroyed. Eric Dahaffabee, the man wearing the Copper suit, survived but would be in the regen tank for months. Bryan learned their origin and was allowed to study the ruined suits in order to augment his own. Bryan was confronted by Zoar with the truth of his existence and he has temporarily agreed to fulfill the role that the three men before him had, to protect the prime progenitors, of which he was one.
The encounter on Monster Island left Bryan drained and scarred. Before this it had been a bit of a game, a competition to see who had the best tech, but now people had lost their lives, to protect him, and he felt an obligation repay them. He also learned that the black figure was a woman known as The Marquess, who had dedicated herself to the destruction of the Prime, and was also now the sworn enemy of Halon. Although she was now the primary threat, Bryan would continue to harry Argent and Viper and one day, Dr. Schubert would also pay for his crimes.
Aftermath
The complexity of the Zoar suits daunted Bryan at first. So much so that he was only able to incorporate the most obvious upgrades into his new model, Halon: Cobalt 4. Even after it was completed he was in no rush to don it and begin his work again. He began to wander the streets of Millennium City to reconnect with it's people. He no longer feared that his enemies would recognize him and possibly catch him unawares. One of the best enhancements from Zoar was the use of it's matter transportation beam which could deliver and encapsulate Bryan in his armor in a matter of seconds.
It was during one of his walks that he heard the general alarm about a Mega-Destroid active in the city. Bryan decided it would be a good shake down for his new suit and had it beamed to him. As Halon, Bryan lept into the fray already in progress, battering away at the giant robots legs trying to get it to fall. the battle touched his recent memories but he was determined to overcome his fear. The gigantic machine was a formidable adversary and heroes began to fall. Bryan noticed an oddly equipped hero flinging lightning bolts, jump in front of the Destroids own lightning attack and absorb it, saving the already incapacitated Catwoman lying on the ground near him. But the worst thing about the Mega-Destroid is it's ability to adapt to it's enemies and it quickly switched to a missile attack that took apart the other heroes' suit and laid him out. Bryan acted immediately and fired his own missile launcher in conjunction with his chest beam which tore a large chunk out of the robots head and gained its undivided attention. But the damage it was sustaining was making it falter and Bryan and the other heroes finally brought it down. Bryan went over to check on the fallen hero in the odd suit and to congratulate him on his bravery, if he was still alive. Pieces of the odd suit were scattered across the ground, none of them really seemed to match well. Bryan could see the mans helmet had come off and stopped in his tracks when he saw his face. It was none other than his own brother Norman, now known as Sigma. After Bryan got over the initial shock he ordered a transport beam for the both of them back to his hidden labs. Bryan was pleased to discover that Norman was only dazed and quickly recovered. The two brothers exchanged their own incredible stories that led to this encounter. Bryan realized that his brother had finally accomplished something worthwhile on his own and Norman understood what had happened to his older brother and why he had had to allow everyone to believe him dead. The two of them immediately vowed to work together and shared their technology with each other. With access to Bryans manufacturing facilities, Norman was able to construct a brand new suit, that matched, and greatly increased his survivability. By studying Normans designs, Bryan was able to increase the power and efficiency of both suits and together, they began to come up with some radical new designs including some fully robotic types.
The brothers worked well together and the kernel of an idea began to form in Bryans mind. Not long after this. Bryan was contacted by the hero known as Quartermoon, and the idea took hold. Bryan decided that working solo would eventually lead to his own defeat, and invited Quartermoon to join he and Norman to destroy Viper and Argent. Quartermoon agreed and Strike Team Zulu was born.
Bryan decided to use Quartermoons social contacts to try to find a robotics expert to aid them in their new projects and was delighted when Q introduced him to a retired industrialist, Alexander Hartenau, who in turn would introduce them to another man known as Heron who was an inventor and accomplished roboticist. Mr Hartenau also introduced them to a mighty hero named Count Ubiquitous, who preferred to simply be called, the Count. With Herons help, Bryan and Norman were able to construct a massive machine they called Sigmalon, in order to battle things like the Mega-Destroid on an even footing. Bryan invited both Heron and The Count to join the strike team and they agreed. During this time Halon saw almost nothing of the Marquess or her minions. Whenever they did appear to threaten him, he soundly defeated them, thus ensuring that their attacks were even fewer and farther between. But Bryan knew she was out there, waiting.
Overlord
The team did well together right from the beginning. There were very few threats put forth by Viper or Argent that they could not deal with handily. With Quartermoon providing intelligence and Heron providing the technical back up, the brute force team of Halon, Sigma, and Count Ubiquitous crushed their foes. They had such an effect that Viper and Argent began to change their operations considerably to reduce their losses. They began to break apart into small cells scattered across the world instead of the large fortresses that had proved to be ineffective against the team. This tactic forced the team to slow their pace, as it took time to track down all the new cells and then decided which ones would actually be worth striking at. Their foes even begins setting up dozens of fake cells designed to divide and waste the efforts of the STZ. And whenever a fake cell was struck, it gave the real cells time to evacuate and hide again. This began to frustrate Bryan immensely. One day, while gazing at the earth from the observation deck of Zoars moon base, he hit upon an idea. His enemies were becoming harder to crush because they were a huge machine with thousands of moving parts, and none of those parts, by themselves, were vital to it's function. In order to beat their enemy, they would have to become more like them. They would have to become bigger, with a larger strike team they could hit multiple targets simultaneously and catch all the little snakes before they could slither away. Heron had already created several new prototypes for combat robots and their newest weapon, Sigmalon, was just about to come online. Bryan decided that the team should become an organization with each member a leader of a particular unit. He called a meeting of the team and discussed it with them. As he expected, his brother Norman and Quartermoon backed the motion immediately, they would follow any decision he made. Count Ubiquitous expressed considerable concern about the idea, and made many good points. Bryan was realizing what a brilliant strategist the Count was and frankly was beginning to feel a little uneasy about whether he could be fully trusted. Heron was excited for any reason to expand his research and a chance to see some action himself. Bryan had grown quite fond of the old man and felt trepidation at the thought of anything happening to him. But in the end it was an unanimous decision to create this new force which one day might bring peace and safety to the entire planet. Bryan, Norman and Heron immediately retreated to the labs to begin designing and building new weapons, armor and androids that would make up the new Strike Team Zulu. And in the meantime Quartermoon and Count Ubiquitous took their new roles as heads of the newly formed Strike Team Zulu Signal Corps and Strike Team Zulu Battleforce respectively. The Signal Corps was the intelligence and communications arm which would be made up of covert operatives spying on the various targets of the Strike Team. The Battleforce would be the actual combat troops that would be deployed according to Count Ubiquitous's strategies and battle plans. All of this would overseen by Halon with his brother Sigma as second in command, although Norman really couldn't stand being in charge of anything and would usually defer to the Count if Bryan was not available. Heron of course was in charge of Research and Development. Almost immediately Bryan began to find new allies if not outright recruits to join the team. Shortly after this plan was put into motion he was able to convince Eric Dahaffabee, the former hero known as Copper, to join him again and he became the first officer in the Signal Corps, Avenger 1. Not long after that Heron was reunited with a very old friend that had been known as the Sky Marshal during World War 1 but was really a time traveler that had been forced to stop at this place and time and had agreed to help as much as he could.
Another bold move was to establish a new base and production facilities on Earth. The moon base was more than adequate for their needs but Bryan wanted to make sure he always had a secret and nearly unassailable location to fall back on. Ferrying troops and equipment back and forth between to the moon and the earth was going to attract someone's attention sooner or later so it was decided to choose a new location on Earth. Bryan still wanted a remote and isolated place and so chose Antarctica. From there they set up a transport system across the globe and could tap the untouched resources beneath the icy surface. In the mean time they began to produce the first android soldiers on the moon and began to deploy them in small skirmishes and as workers building the new Antarctic base. In the beginning there were some small set backs, but the the cunning plans of the Count snatched victory from the jaws of defeat every time. Bryan was beginning to feel a great sense of satisfaction at what they had accomplished, what he had accomplished. He began to withdraw from his comrades, even his brother, as directing his growing force began to consume his every thought. From his vantage point on the moon he saw everything. The whole of the Earth, every country, every despot, every empire. He saw what his enemies were doing, and began to think that maybe they had the right idea. Everything down there would be much simpler if he ran everything, for the good of mankind. And if he were to rule, perhaps he should set himself apart. He began working secretly on a new armor. One that was powerful yet regal as well, one that bespoke leadership and control. Rather than being a continuation of the Cobalt series, this one he called "Overlord".
About this time he was contacted by a powerful sorcerer known as Lord Xanadu. Lord Xanadu had seen and heard about The Strike Team and sought allies against another force that threatened to grow like a cancer and engulf the entire planet. Bryan still despised magic and refused to meet with him personally and so Lord Xanadu sent a representative named Captain Arcane. Bryan was immediately intrigued by the captain since he was clad in a well built and attractive armored suit that seemed more akin to the old destroyed Zoar suits than to anything terrestrial. The Captain was also strangely persuasive and convinced Bryan to ally with Lord Xanadu against this new threat, Karactacus and his techromantic army. Captain Arcane also asked to formally join the Team, which Bryan heartily agreed to when he also offered access to his battle suit which he revealed was in fact of extraterrestrial origin. The suit turned out to have many advances and was the basis for a whole new line of medium armored suits that became the standard battle suit for the entire strike force. Bryan was even inspired to abandon his "Overlord" suit and build a new battle suit of his own, Halon: Cobalt 5. It was lighter and faster than his previous suits without sacrificing any of the durability. Captain Arcane officially joined the Signal Corps as he was a superlative spy, and his endless flood of information about enemy targets kept Bryan so busy, he began to forget all about his plans for world domination and got back to simple revenge.
--LXD 23:38, 25 September 2010 (UTC)
Powers and Equipment
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Halon Cobalt 1
First combat ready model. |
Halon Cobalt 5
Current model |
Halon Carbon
Experimental Prototype. |
Halon Tungsten
The stealth model. |
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Halon Iodine
The Serpentium based model. |
Halon Gold
Undersea model based on Zoar Gold |
Halon Silver
High refraction model based on Zoar Silver |
Halon Copper
Extra heavy combat model based on Zoar Copper. |
