Born in Philadelphia to James and Andrea Lawrinson, Michael never really grew out of the boyhood dream to be a cop. Indeed, if you ever asked him, he'd agree with you - he just took that dream and made it into something a little more grounded in reality. Right after he graduated from school, he applied and was accepted to the Police Academy. He studied hard, he practiced day and night to be the best, the toughest and the strongest. Eventually, he got his wish and started walking the beat. Not two years later, he was promoted to Inspector, and was catching eyes much higher up the food chain than he could imagine.
Four years into his career with the P.P.D., Michael was approached by the head of the Special Weapons And Tactics division with the offer of a lifetime: a place in their next training bracket, potentially leading to placement within the S.W.A.T. ranks. Michael jumped at the opportunity, but what came as part of that training he never anticipated. Instead of training for regular S.W.A.T. duties, Michael was instead signed up for the elite branch of S.W.A.T. operatives designed and focused on dealing with rogue meta-humans - the Meta-human Orientation Nexus: Special Tactics, Education and Rehabilitation, or M.O.N.S.T.E.R.
Michael had heard of M.O.N.S.T.E.R. through the grapevine - they were the ones who ran first response on suspected meta-human crimes, doing double duty in both stepping to villains with the aid of the Liberty League (in particular having a standing arrangement with Mechanic to supply non-renewable or easily repaired and maintained technology like grenades or basic power armor) and dealing with collateral damage during such incidents; having a battle rage over the streets of a suburb while M.O.N.S.T.E.R. operatives perform search and rescue operations below were not unusual, as one example. Being a MONSTER, as he saw it, was a chance to perform some of the most difficult and rewarding service a cop could.
With the same verve he showed towards academy training, Michael worked his tail off in the high-security facilities of M.O.N.S.T.E.R. and graduated into their ranks with highest honors. Not content to stop there, Michael dove into the system of Recognized Extra-training Demarcations - studies in xeno/meta/para-biology, technology and sociology metaphysics to name a few. Michael studied as hard as he could in his off time, devoting his time on the force towards being the best he possibly could. As he did on the conventional force, he excelled and was promoted to Lieutenant phenomenally quickly.
When asked about why he gave up what seemed to be his life's work to move to Millennium City, Michael responds that he's looking for a sea-change, a chance to further grow without the strict regimentation and secrecy, as well as "serve and protect, the best he knows how". To that end, he uses a wide variety of tactics, techniques and tools accumulated over his years of S.W.A.T. training to bring the fight to street thugs and villains alike as a registered superhero. His keen eye, almost preternatural skills in live-fire situations and devotion to fighting the good fight have seen him through many an altercation, with mixed success.
Powers, Skills, and Attributes
Powers
Michael has no metahuman powers to speak of. Though his reflexes, perception and knowledge of meta-technology may seem superhuman to average onlookers, his skills have all been derived from training, research and honest to goodness hard work on his part.
Skills
M.O.N.S.T.E.R. Operative Training - the Pennsylvania Police Department's equivalent to M.A.R.S. is just as demanding on those in it's ranks - potentially more so, as M.O.N.S.T.E.R. operatives are not in as much of a hot-zone of illegal metahuman activity as M.A.R.S. tends to be. Training in all physical aspects, as well as basic knowledge of superhuman abilities and technology, is mandatory and, in Michael's case, produces prime physical performance.
Recognized Extra-training Demarcations - R.E.Ds, as they are known to MONSTERs, are areas in which an operative has demonstrated knowledge and aptitude above and beyond the call of duty, to the point where that capability can be relied upon in high threat situations. To date, Michael has earned the most R.E.Ds of any operative to date, in fields including, but not limited to: xeno/para/meta-biology, technology and sociology, chemistry, bomb disposal, hostage negotiation and the "Kaiju Five" - Artillery Training, Rapid Response Evacuation, Large-Scale Meta-human Support, Large-Scale Meta-human Suppression and Altered Gravity Combat Maneuvers, often considered the single most difficult set of R.E.Ds to acquire.
Forensic Training - As well as being an adept first-response unit, Michael is a trained forensic analyst, able to assess a crime scene for evidence most average humans would miss. He is also a skilled witness, a skill he professes is much harder than most believe.
Attributes
Personal Determination - Though not superhuman, Michael's drive and motivation to overcome obstacles is second to none he has met before. He is incredibly implacable once he gets going and just won't give up on a subject of interest until it is known inside and out.
Expert Marksman - Though he's gotten more practice of late than he did on the force, Michael is an expert with most, if not all, firearms including military grade weapons such as rifles, carbines, grenades and fixed weaponry such as artillery stations and point-defense systems.
Gear and Equipment
Gear
Paramilitary Load-out - "Everything a MONSTER needs", according to Michael, all stored in a subspace re-materialization unit (or remat patch) stored on the back of whatever clothing Michael is wearing at the time. Said necessities include pistols, rifles (both semi-automatic and single shot), a shotgun and several personal ordinances including anti-personnel stun mines and smoke grenades. All ammunition is nonlethal and is easily modified on the fly thanks to integration with the microcomputer (see below).
Tactical Body Armor/Mechanic's Special No. 8 - The first is Michael's preferred "everyday" wear - on the surface, it appears to be a smart casual business shirt with blazer and long pants and dress shoes, but in reality the entire outfit is padded with kevlar and the blazer has Kendrium plating sewn into unobtrusive areas. The resulting outfit, while a little warm, is protective against most assaults. The Mechanic's Special No. 8 is a suit of power armor used by M.O.N.S.T.E.R. operatives, designed by the Mechanic to be easily used by those with no meta-technological ability. Fully outfitted with Kendrium plating, an in-built life support system and linked in with most law enforcement databases, it is a hefty boost to the non-powered MONSTERs in supercharged (literally) situations.
Wrist Mounted Microcomputer - Michael's go-to tool for forensic or scholastic analysis, this microcomputer is linked via optical display to Michael's glasses, giving him a live feed while not needing to take his eyes away from potentially vital situations. The rig includes the best miniature processing power available (circa 2009, though still leaps and bounds ahead of civilian tech) and is capable of capturing video and images taken from the point of view of the user. The Wrist Comp, as Michael calls it, is indispensable when assessing crime scenes or trying to determine weaknesses in a fighting style on the fly. It is also linked in to the remat patch, detailing the schematics of the item to be re-materialized. This allows Michael to adapt things such as ammo load-out or main composite material upon retrieval - provided the material is able to be encoded.
Various Tools - As well as weaponry, Michael has the schematics of a dizzying array of items stored in his Wrist Comp that can be accessed via sub-vocalized command. From handcuffs to pepper spray, notepads and pens to automatic lock-pickers (a tool he was loath to add to his list, but necessity drove him to). Memory is limited, though, so not every item can be stored for retrieval, and the remat patch has limitations - roughly 3 cubic feet of most metals, or 5 cubic feet of organic material is able to be in existence at any one time before the patch needs to reabsorb material to replenish reserves, and the items produced generally decay to sludge within 10 minutes.
Relationships
Friends/Allies
Michael doesn't really get out much - he doesn't give himself much down time, finding patrols and spontaneous acts of justice relaxing. As such, he has few contacts within Millennium City he can rely upon.
Enemies
As much as he would have liked to make a clean break from the rogue's gallery of M.O.N.S.T.E.R. in general, Michael has made some enemies that refuse to stay down - and worse, appear to have a grudge against him personally.
The Eternal Somnum
A meta-human with the ability to control people in their sleep, as well as becoming physically more capable asleep than awake due to being able to control her own body without normal physical limitations. She and Michael have fought numerous times in the past, and for good reason - she is responsible for the death of Michael's best friend, who she holds responsible for her incarceration in Stronghold. Michael made sure she went back in again for a long time, but she has re-emerged. More worrying still, it appears her mental powers have grown stronger - she has a limited ability to induce drowsiness and fatigue on people whilst awake, hurrying them towards full control.
General Perception
Michael's public persona is a touch odd - he works almost tirelessly to clean up the streets of Millennium City of gang violence, corporate corruption and invading forces, so his face and name are rather common, but as a non-powered hero, his capability to affect change is limited. Compounding matters are his lack of social graces - without a partner or team to help him phrase things more eloquently, he tends to come off as a touch abrasive or stubborn. Still, people know of him, and know he does good work.
Roleplay Hooks
- If you've been out and about in Millennium City, particularly the more seedy areas at night, odds are you've seen Michael at work. He does what he can to keep the crims down, one take down after another.
- Anybody with police contacts, especially in the PA area will know something about Lieutenant Lawrinson. He was a damn good cop when he was on the force and just as good a S.W.A.T. member. Then he just... dropped off the map. No idea why.
- You know how some people just exude authority? How, no matter what, some people seem to be a magnet for people who need a rock? Well, Michael might not wear the uniform all the time anymore, but he's a cop at heart.
If you have anything you wish to say about Michael, this is the place. Testimonials, expressions of gratitude, requests for court martial... they all go here.
Note: This wiki page is a work in progress. Figures may change slightly as I get a feel for what is appropriate, but the broad strokes are good to go on.
