Wildeye
History
Monster Island
The cybernetic manimal known as Wildeye began life as one of the many unfortunate creations of the infamous supervillain, Dr. Moreau. He and his two brothers, Ironfang and Quickclaw, were once ordinary cheetah cubs, snatched from their homes in Africa to be mutated into one of the doctors many minions. Though much of their youths were spent in slavery deep within a VIPER laboratory, the three brothers found an opportunity to escape to freedom shortly after Moreaus move to Monster Island. There, they were among the various other defectors of the mad doctor to unite under Father Elk in the village of New Gornaj.
Though they sought to live a life of peace, Monster Island was hardly the paradise they hoped to escape to. With the active volcano, constant warfare with Mal Zver, Moreaus escaped experiments, and the kaiju previously trapped here, the three soon learned that survival would be a constant battle. Together, the trio became part of the villages protectors, facing the worst the island could throw at them to keep their fellow manimals safe.
None of them could have expected to be undone so easily by something as simple as VIPER coming to reclaim the island for their new favorite mad scientist, Teleios.
Before they knew it, a massacre had broken out, with VIPER capturing or killing every one of Moreaus creations in sight. Dr, Telios’ creations ran rampant on the island, and what little pretense of peace they had was quickly going up in smoke. The cheetah brothers attempted to drive off this new threat, but were quickly overwhelmed, with Ironfang and Quickclaw driven off, and Wildeye finding himself captured by VIPER troops.
Caged up like many of the other manimal captives, Wildeye could do little more than pace around in his tiny cell as hell broke loose around him. Trapped, helpless, and forced to watch the bloodshed at the hands of VIPER, panic soon set in, and soon the quietest of the trio was erupting a screaming frenzy. Something that ended up making Ironfang and Quickclaws jobs easier, as they’d already snuck behind enemy lines to rescue their brother. Unfortunately, while his cries caught the attention of his rescuers, it also gave the guards watching over them reason to investigate.
They barely had time to get out of the cage before the three escapees were mowed down in a hail of gunfire.
The last thing Wildeye remembers was watching his only family drop to the ground before the guns were turned on him
A New World
...The next thing Wildeye knew, the world he’d become so familiar with was gone in an instant. Around him, tall structures stretched up into the sky, the ground under him was a hard, black pavement, and all around him was a crowd of very confused humans. Somehow, Wildeye had found himself, in an instant, transported into the middle of the road in downtown Millennium City.
Something he barely had time to appreciate the significance of, because he was dying.
Perhaps it was some twisted kind of fortune that the sudden appearance a six foot tall cheetahman, riddled with bullets and bleeding all over 16th Street, tended to attract a lot of attention. Before long, calls were made and EMTs were on the scene. Wildeye was taken away to see if he could be saved.
Miraculously, thanks the marvels of modern medicine, he survived.
Most of him did, anyway.
Those VIPER troops had a little too much fun playing target practice, and much of Wildeye was mangled beyond recognition. When he finally awoke, it was with one less eye, one less arm, and no feeling in his legs. What’s worse, he slowly began to realize, was that he was the only one who ended up where he did. Ironfang and Quickclaw were nowhere to be found. And wherever they were, it was unlikely they’d have the kind of help he did.
For the first time, he was alone. Crippled, lost, and racked with grief.
UNTIL
Meanwhile, the story of a manimal appearing out of thin air in Millennium City didn’t go unnoticed by UNTIL. This happening so soon after the Monster Island Crisis didn’t bode well. Once they caught the news that his condition was stable, it was decided that he would be released into their care. Free from a hospital bed in a strange new place and set in a wheelchair in another strange new place, Wildeye would spend the next few months under the watchful eye of UNTIL as he was questioned, rehabilitated, and studied. From there, the story of this mysterious manimal only got weirder.
Wildeye couldn’t put his finger on it, but something about him felt different ever since he found himself in human land. Not from the damage he’d sustained physically or emotionally, though having only one working limb was no small feat to adjust to. Something about how he perceived the world around him felt different somehow. His mind began to work faster, smarter. What was once an uneducated mutant from a secluded island, barely able to hold a coherent conversation with his caretakers months ago, had taught himself to read and write. Before long, he was studying and retaining information at a superhuman level. Mechanics, robotics, and cybernetics were particularly fascinating to him. Seeing how augmentation had helped so many others who had been crippled like him caught his eye. Even moreso, the few famous people who turned their weaknesses into strengths and used their enhancements for crimefighting. Putting themselves at risk to spare others a greater pain.
One day, a little over a year since UNTIL had taken him in, Wildeye came forth with two things he’d spent some time working on:
His designs for a series of cybernetic enhancements designed to restore his functionality and push his physical capabilities to superhuman levels.
And an offer. Build these cybernetics for him, and he’d work off the debt as one of their agents.
And with that, Wildeye would be rebuilt, and reborn. Once, little more than a slave. Now, a force to fight back against the very evil that created him.
Description
Physical Description
Right off the bat, Wildeye is an unusual sight; what with being a six foot tall anthropomorphic cheetah. Yellowish brown, spotted fur covers his body, with a white chest and stomach. Golden eyes, with the usual cheetah black "tear lines" streaming down his face. On closer inspection, though, one might notice that his left eye is actually cybernetic, with what you see being an electronic display. His build tends to fluctuate greatly, given the nature of his enhancements, but Wildeye is usually seen with a slim, athletic body. Lean muscle, not unlike an olympic runner. Various surgical scars can be seen at various points on his body, most notably one across his left eye.
Though the use of his holo-imager, Wildeye can create a holographic human disguise for himself, taking on the persona of Hermes Balewa. He appears as a young man of African descent with black, shoulder length, braided hair. Brown eyes hide behind a pair of round glasses.
From his stance, to his expression, to his speech patterns, Wildeye keeps a constant air of seriousness and alertness around him. His face often either stoic, or a hardened frown. His voice is deep and emotionless, with a hint of an African accent. His smiles are rare, and seldom anything more than a cocksure smirk; and his laugh is almost always cold and distant. He fidgets with his hands constantly, and he's always glancing in an almost paranoid fashion at all times, often having trouble looking someone in the eyes as he talks.
Psychiatric Evaluation
Wildeye's personality can be best described as "rough around the edges". He's always been the type to keep to himself, lost in his own thoughts. Combined with his outright shyness in unfamiliar groups of people, he tends to distance himself the best he can. He has difficulty discussing his feelings with others, often forcing people trying to get to know him to break through a shield of sarcasm, deflection, and humor as a barely disguised coping mechanism. He's highly competitive, and enjoys anyone who can challenge him. In combat, he's quick to insult and mock his enemies, putting just as much work as throwing them off mentally as he does physically. He's a terrible workaholic, and usually absorbs himself completely on the task at hand.
Those who do manage to get close to him can see that his attitude is little more than a shield that was made to allow him to deal with his insecurities. His crabbiness is his way to discourage others from picking up on the way he tends to push down his feelings when he's upset. The law of the jungle is friendly to no one, and Wildeye has had his share of tragedies throughout his life, leaving him slow to open his heart to people who might not be around tomorrow. Those he does get close to, however, will find he's fiercely loyal and protective of them. Though he'll rarely verbally express his fondness for the people around him, he lets his actions do the talking.
Despite having been born a cheetah, Wildeye holds a lot of pride over his artificial humanity. Like many manimals, he puts a lot of effort into avoiding falling into his animal instincts, preferring to rely on his human intuition. One of the fastest ways to upset him, as a result, is to treat him like an animal. He hates being called a cat, and often refers to people he finds truly despicable as "filthy animals" without a trace of irony. Though he's easy to anger, it's hard to provoke him into a full outburst, seeing it beneath him to lose his temper.
Despite his high intelligence, his lack of charisma leads to him often stumbling over his words and coming off more thick-headed than he intended. As a result, he rarely, if ever, uses "techno-speak" on those around him, both from a mix of not wanting to confuse people who might not understand him, and his own tendency to lose the words he's trying to say.
Abilities
Equipment
- Staff A kendrium pole that Wildeye uses as his weapon of choice. Good for smacking some sense into a bad guy, as well as a handy javelin to throw when he needs a ranged weapon. Through his cybernetic arm, he can magnetically pull the staff back to his hand whenever he needs it.
- Holo-Com- The Holo-Com is a device directed from his arm and voice activated. When enabled, this device creates a holographic screen and keyboard down Wildeye's arm and hand. The holo-com has several functions, including communication, hacking, data storage and transference, vital scanning, and accessing his computer mainframe for teleportation of himself or his equipment to and from HQ.
- Holo-Imager Built into his arm, this device projects a hologram around Wildeye, allowing him to appear as his human alter-ego. The change is only visual, and any physical contact going right through the hologram and blowing his cover. Wildeye mostly uses this to keep a low profile as he goes about his business in his downtime.
- Poseidon Armor Armored scuba gear designed for underwater exploration.
Cybernetics and Other Enhancements
- Kinetic Acceleration Technology, Mark 2: Usually shortened to KAT, this is the centerpiece to the entire cybernetic project and is what allows Wildeye to reach superhuman speeds. By hyper-accelerating the blood flow throughout his body, increased oxygen is sent to his brain and muscle tissue. His already quick, feline body is then overclocked, making Wildeye capable of reaching hyper sonic speeds of up to mach 10 (roughly 7000 mph). However, it is not possible to maintain this sort of speed for long. Much like how a cheetah is built more for speed than long distance running, Wildeye can only hold this stride for a ten to fifteen second period without risking serious injury to himself. He can use this speed to also create sonic blasts in his wake. The Mark 2 version has also enhanced his brain activity slightly. He is able to comprehend and process visual information at incredibly high speeds and react accordingly, giving him an overall much faster reaction time, even while he is not running.
- Cybernetic arm: Wildeyes left arm, having needed to be amputated, has since been replaced with a fully functional robot arm. This new arm, predictably, comes with an array of handy-dandy features. He can send a powerful electric charge through anything he touches, as well as create a weak magnetic field to pull light metal objects to him. Combined with his staff, his combat capabilities become much more versatile.
- Kendrium Claws: Though Wildeye considers clawing something apart beneath him, he's replaced his feline claws with kendrium blades. He much prefers using them to climb or dig into the ground for a quick, superspeed turn.
- Plasma Shielding: When Wildeye is in motion using his KAT, his nervous system assists in releasing an ionized plasma shield about him. This reduces the friction of his body in movement as well as provides protection against attack and impact, making him impervious to things such as small arms fire and the like while using his super speed. His shielding becomes stronger by an amount proportionate to his speed. In essence, he becomes a one man battering ram if and when his KAT is activated.
- Cybernetic Eye: A cybernetic ocular installed in Hermes' left eye providing several enhancements to his vision; including night and thermal vision, vital scanning, and telescopic vision. Though the use of his holo-com, he's also able to display a HUD into his own vision.
- Cranial Implants: More of a necessity to make his cybernetic eye work, the machines he's wired into his head come with some secondary uses. A chip in his brain allows him to store and process information faster and more efficiently. It also allows him to plug himself into most computers, allowing him to try and hack into most systems as quickly as he can think.
- Medical Nanites: A number of nanomachines which are typically dormant into Wildeye's bloodstream are activated when his body recognizes he has sustained an injury. They can quickly repair most wounds to his cybernetics and/or body within a matter of minutes to a few hours. While he could not repair a fully lost limb, cybernetic device or recover from death- inducing trauma, these protect him from most things while operating in the field which might impair him.
- Gyroscopic Stabilizer: Allows Wildeye to automatically right himself feet first in the air. In other words, this cat can always land on his feet.
- Shock Absorbers: Protects Wildeye by absorbing much of the impact of most anything he can be hit by. Used alongside his gyroscopic stabilizer, it can even absorb the impact of a fall from nearly any height, preventing Wildeye from being splattered by a drop. Combined with his KAT abilities, Wildeye can jump several stories in the air.
Weaknesses
- Cybernetically reliant: With much of his body being cybernetic, an immensely strong electric shock or EMP detonation runs the risk of temporarily shorting out Wildeye's system, leaving him powerless until he has a chance to repair.
- Overheating: Wildeyes speed builds up considerable heat, requiring he run in short bursts, lest he risk burning himself alive.
- Paraplegia: During the Monster Island Crisis, a stray bullet fired by a VIPER goon struck Wildeye in the spine, rendering him paralyzed from the waist down. His cybernetic implants allow him to walk again, though anything that shuts them down will leave the manimal immobile.
- Trauma: From his time in Dr. Moreaus labs, to his daily struggles on Monster Island, Wildeye deals with severe psychological trauma. Knowing his very existence comes as the result of a supervillain seeking to use him as a weapon leaves him with little belief in his self-worth. He suffers from Survivors Guilt due to his brothers dying in an attempt to save him. Though not directly suicidal, Wildeye spent many years using his superhero work as a means to die in battle and sacrifice what he considered a worthless life to accomplish a greater good. These are issues he has trouble bringing up, and is more likely to try and deflect when confronted with.
Friends and Foes(Hermes has FRIENDS??)
Allies
- Skarius Snowtalon A big, friendly draconic alien from another planet, and a regular drinking buddy of Hermes. He sometimes finds Snow to be a bit too open and energetic for his taste (though the same could be said of most anyone he hangs out with), but the two have backed each other up more than enough times for the manimal to take a liking to him.
- Taki A fellow manimal and martial artist. The cat seems to be trying his best to get Wildeye out of his shell somewhat and, being one of the few people from the island Hermes has been able to find around Millennium City, he's at least making some small effort in going along with it. Time will tell if it succeeds, of course.
- Persephone Wildeye's own fixation on the Greek pantheon made it no wonder why he became friends with this musclebound goddess. Her generally friendly demeanor has allowed her to be one of the few people Hermes has occasionally opened up to, and he often looks forward to their meetings; both ripping all that stands in their path asunder in battle, or just hanging out at Club Caprice.
- Bronx After taking down a VIPER nest together, Wildeye has taken a bit of a liking to this hulking beast of a man. Words between them tend to be few, but the manimal can tell the kind heart under his fearsome exterior. Though the well-meaning comments about Wild's weight do have a tendency to cut the manimal a little deeper than he'll admit.
- Feral Wildeye is no stranger to victims of Dr. Moreau. Seeing one this far away from the island, where she can watch the change screw up her former life, is something he never thought he'd see. Seeing Lydia manage to shoulder the burden and carry on despite it has earned her deep respect from the manimal. Cheetahface aside, Wildeye finds her to be an intelligent and determined person, and enjoys her company.
- Sparrowhawk As the leader of the Protectors, Wildeye shows his respect to her like he would any superior of his. The two share a professional relationship, Wildeye's tendency to go off on his own for periods of time and his own inability to open up to others keeping the two from getting to know each other too well beyond that just yet. Sparrowhawk did assist Wildeye with upgrading his cybernetics and equipment in order to move past his time with ARGENT and become an even more capable (and stronger) hero.
- Razira With Razira's kindness being something Wildeye's not all that used to from other people, he finds the white wolf manages to be off putting, disarming, and strangely endearing. He's come to enjoy her company, though he finds difficulty admitting it.
- C.O.P. Under normal circumstance, the fact a machine is capable of such human thought and emotion would blow Wildeyes mind. Yet, he finds himself seldom thinking about such around him. Having fought side by side on more than one occasion, Wildeye's happy to have him as an ally and friend.
- Armory Wildeye met Michael "Armory" Renik while taking down a rampaging Kaiju storming out of the river. Impressed by his combat ability, Wildeye occasionally took to contacting him whenever he needed backup in a fight. Over time, the two began to bond a little; culminating during the Destroid invasion, where the two found themselves on opposite rooftops, entertaining themselves by trying to out shoot one another with the Destroids being their unfortunate targets. Wildeye has yet to admit it out loud, but he's come to respect the marksman, and might almost even consider him a friend. As such, he was quite delighted to find out that Armory was also to join the Protectors. He looks forward to fighting at his side once more.
Enemies
- VIPER Most everything that's made Wildeyes life miserable has tied back to VIPER in some way. He'll take any chance he can to make pay the favor back tenfold.
- Dr.Smolder A pyromaniac anti-mutant Frenchman in a heavy armored suit whom Wildeye first met during his attempts to burn down a manimal village, and all inside. After an enraged Wildeye delivered a painful and humiliating defeat to Smolder, it seems he began to hold a grudge. Smolder has gone one to make other attempts on Wildeye's life since. Hermes sees Dr. Smolder as little more than an overemotional fool with a lot of mindless followers and fancy equipment. This, in his opinion, potentially makes him just as dangerous as any criminal mastermind. It may be easy to make a bull charge, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't take his horns seriously. Still, he would be lying if he didn't admit he found some enjoyment in watching the fat bastard bluster as he berates him.
- He A wolf manimal turned into a gaseous state in a lab accident. While not a particularly dangerous nemesis of Wildeyes, he's certainly one of the strangest. Wildeye has foiled many a crazy caper concocted by this vaporous villain and his multitude of manimal minions. However, He is more interested in his own amusement and the satisfaction of putting on a spectacular show for his audience (victims). As a result, the stakes are seldom high and He and Wildeyes confrontations are more a battle of wits and style than a bloodsoaked battle for life and limb. A very refreshing change for Wildeye.
While the two are technically enemies, the exact nature of their relationship is... complicated. He seems to have a lot of respect (and a possible crush) for Wildeye. The two have joined forces on multiple occasions to take down a greater foe, and He has even occasionally tipped Wildeye into the goings on in the criminal underground. He's also prone to inviting (kidnapping) Wildeye back to his flying fortress, the Air Tank, subjecting him to such tortures and humiliations as being extremely nice to him and letting him live in the lap of luxury for a few days.
...Wildeye isn't sure if He understands what a villain is supposed to do. Since he's never actually bested He in a direct fight, he'd rather He stay just how he is.
Misc
Trivia
- Hermes enjoys reading, but has a lot of trouble relaxing with a book because his mental enhancements make him get through books within a matter of minutes. He tends to only read books digitally now so as not to fill his living space with books.
- Eats a lot. He requires a lot of calories to not burn out when his cybernetics enhance his physical capabilities. He always seems to be snacking on something in his downtime. When he gets to relax for an extended period of time, this catches up to him fast. It's amazing how quickly he can gain and lose fifty or more pounds over the course of a weekend.
- Ironically, can't cook very well. Not used to food preparation beyond killing something in the wild and roasting it on a stick, Wildeyes meals tend to consist only of things he can throw in the oven for a few hours and not have to think about, and seasoning seems like an alien concept to him. He often eats out or buys things pre-made.
- If the name he chose for himself among humans wasn't enough of an indication, Hermes is fascinated by Greek mythology. He owns several books on Greek myth, and knows the stories by heart.
- He enjoys playing video games to unwind more than he's immediately admit, mostly because their programing prevents them from being something he can rush through with his super speed. He seems to prefer games from the SNES era or earlier, finding them to be simpler to learn, and thus easier to shut his brain off for. He enjoys the challenge of playing against others, which is usually about the only way he'll loosen up enough to play them in front of anyone.
- On that note, has been heard humming the music from the NES game Cheetahmen on more than one occasion when he thought he was alone.
- Has been heard purring when he's pleased, though he goes to great lengths to hide it if he thinks others can hear him, and vehemently denies it when brought up.
- For as uptight as he is in nearly every other regard, Hermes seems to have no reservations about nudity, surprising people who have come to his quarters unannounced. Side effect of spending ones life in a loincloth, I guess.
- He has absolutely no organizational skills. His room is always a mess. He claims that he still knows where everything is among the clutter, though there's no evidence that this is or isn't true.
- He made a Foxbat costume to blend in during Foxbatcon. He has since made use of it by putting it on one of his training dummies. Only one picture of him wearing it has avoided deletion. He refuses to comment on it beyond a sharp glare.
- Wildeye keeps a picture drawn by Psions four year old daughter, Brianna hung up on his wall. He finds the fact he has a fan heartwarming.
- His favorite movie is The Iron Giant. Appropriately, his favorite fictional superhero is Superman.
- He's developed several artistic skills as a hobby. He does a lot of drawing and painting in his off time, as well woodcarving. He's been meaning to pick up a musical instrument, but doubts it'll be long before he gets around to it.
- He's also a surprisingly talented dancer, though he's too embarrassed to show anyone.
- Not knowing when he was born, and not exactly able to ask Moreau when he was created, Wildeyes birthday is celebrated on April 10, the day he joined the Protectors of the World
Public Opinions
"Damn fast and damn smart. We may not see him in the Barlowe as much as I'd prefer, but no one can refute his abilities or skills. I wish we had more of him around." - Sparrowhawk
"Wildeye is far different than any sort of 'beast' you might find on say, Monster Island. He's smart, strong, and insanely fast. I thought I was rather speedy in the skies but it's nothing compared to how fast he can run when he goes full throttle. Now only if he'd open up just a bit more when he was around the team..." - Razira
"Wait. He's on the team?" - Artifist
"I might give him a hard time when he's around, but Hermes is one of the few team mates I consider a friend. Actually, he's the only one." - C.O.P.
"He's a little brash and quick to act without thinking. Still, his speed is impressive, and his heart is in the right place. Keep an eye on this guy." - Detective Lydia Grayle Aka Feral
"Wild... wild... Wildeye GOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Side note: He does not like being called 'Kitty'." - Keioseth II
"Kitty!" - Imp
"Hermes has a good head on his shoulders. He's come through some serious adversity with a positive outlook. That's important. With some training, he'll be able to focus that speed, and I wonder if anything could stop him then." - Captain Adamant
"Wildeye? He's alright by me. Helped me and my buddy get off the island and get settled into the city, and he taught me some things about fightin'. Man, though, you should see him scarf down those burgers!" - Funk
"I've always wanted a pet cheetah! Or a pet rhino. Or a monkey! But this is so much better. And he already knows the best tricks!" - Jinn
"I like him. Definitely seems like a cool cat to me. Um... sorry. No pun intended, chief." - Gold Rush
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|---|---|---|
| Team Leader Sparrowhawk | ||
| Field Leaders: Captain Adamant • Peacemaker • Razira • Thundrax | ||
| Protectors Charter Members: African Violet • Atomac • Blue Cyclone • Blue Pheasant • Citizen 13 • Cosmic Glory • Fahrenheit • Gold Rush • Hydro Light Of Being • Lucky Shot • Marauder • Mercuriel • Oni • Sinsonte Azul • Tesseract • Wildeye • Witchery Way | ||
| Protectors Reserve Members: Aura • Noble • Psion • Wolfgirl | ||
