Death Watch Beetle
Contents
Appearance
Derin's Death Watch Beetle armor is black and green with heavy bracers, non-functioning mandibles and a few skulls for decoration. Outside of this costume he is an older man with a decent build for his age and a trimmed beard and moustache. His eyes are usually covered by cybernetic enhancers to combat his failing vision and his ears by matching hookups to counter his hearing loss.
Background
He heard the ticking. The noise from the beetles in the dingy, cheap apartment he grew up in with his extended family when his grandfather died. Over the whole week he was bed ridden it had slowly built up, becoming louder and louder until it finally stopped on the night he passed. It had been a horrible experience. One that hadn't been any better when it repeated during the time his mother was ill. Death Watch Beetles they called them. It was all superstition of course, they usually ticked away even when someone wasn't going to die. It was probably just that they seemed worse at the time. Still, the noise stuck with him and inspired him when he found that odd little pack containing some body armor and an energy pistol stashed away in a storage shed in the 70s...
Derin Kemp was a small time thug for most of his life. He wasn't a big guy, but he was mean and didn't know when to give up. He played enforcer to several criminal types around his old neighborhood, renting himself out for intimidation, extortion and vandalism. Things didn't really turn around until he found a strange, technologically advanced energy pistol in the 70s that made a familiar, intimidating ticking sound as it powered up.
Soon he was on the scene as the Death Watch Beetle, a more capable enforcer able to command higher rates thanks to his intimidating weapon and armor. He even fought supers sometimes when the odd villain decided they needed a higher degree of goon. Unfortunately, time was not kind to Derin and his gear. He soon found himself falling behind in firepower and protection. Even the most basic goons began having an edge over him! So he decided he needed to upgrade... and not being the techy kind of guy, he decided the best way to do that was to kidnap someone to do it for him!
He settled on weapons designer and roboticist Kathleen Ling and forced her to upgrade his gear. Over the months she worked with him she managed to improve his armor and weaponry! Surprisingly, during this time the two also fell for each other. Ling, a rather unscrupulous woman herself was charmed by Derin's no-nonsense attitude and toughness and he with her skill and sarcastic wit. They were married soon after he began his mercenary career again and have been together for nearly twenty years!
Today, Death Watch Beetle is still something of a villain, but his heart doesn't seem to be in it as much as it was when he was a younger man. He has lost most of his ambition and is perfectly content to hire himself out to small timers looking for someone with a little above average firepower and intimidation factor. From time to time he contemplates leaving the life and just staying at home with his wife but so far hasn't fully retired...
Personality
Derin was once a very mean, tenacious man who refused to let anyone get the best of him. He held grudges like nobodies business and was known for his love of getting up close and personal with anyone that he felt had insulted him.
He's since mellowed with age. Getting beaten on by metas was apparently a very humbling experience. He keeps a cooler head and doesn't mind taking orders, but is likely to take charge if no one else will. He doesn't seem to care about anyone but his wife, but has taken a shine to a few up and coming rookies and is willing to give advice... not caring if they really want it or not.
Abilities
Death Watch Beetle is a good marksmen, knows how to handle weapons both mundane and energy based and can maintain even exotic weapons if necessary. If forced into close range combat he has a pair of spiked knuckles in his suit's gauntlets that he can use to defend himself with against most normal attackers.
Equipment
The MK II Death Watch Beetle armor provides excellent defense against attacks and can stand up well to most metahuman offense. It contains digging and fighting claws, sensors that can help regulate extreme pressure and temperatures and a limited air supply and filtration system. He also carries several energy weapons capable of projecting heat or concussive force rays or create intense bursts of sound. He also carries a few other odd bits of gear on his person depending on what he's after.
Derin also wears cybernetic devices over his eyes and ears so that he can see and hear. These devices improve both sight and hearing to above normal levels and are adjustable via mental commands.
Death Watch Squad
Every now and then, Death Watch Beetle needs a team to pull off big jobs. For this, he has the Death Watch Squad. Equipped with disruptive energy weapons and armor, this small group of former thugs trained by the old mercenary can usually be counted on to show up when he needs them. They tend to be very loyal to Derin and more competent than average gangers.
Trivia
-Derin and his wife are childless, but own a cat, two dogs and a parrot. Neither one of them has ever wanted children.
-Death Watch Beetle has been known to work on the side of heroes... if the pay is right. He's not picky when it comes to clients, but he has a set of rules he follows when taking jobs. He won't hurt children and will not take assassination contracts.
-Is well aware that he is not, and never has been, a big league player. He doesn't even consider himself a supervillain. He's just a mercenary.
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| Heroes: American Witch • Doll • General Freedom • Nightfang • Surova Grimwish Dobergirl • Violet Mask • Mercy • Lorekeeper • Impsblood • Midas • Greymist Wanderer Zee the Zombie • Ada Clover • Whitecloak • Ember • Tartolmec • Ultima King • Crash Fist • Bom-Pom • Aqualung | ||
| Villains: MetaCorp • Death Watch Beetle • Mindleech • Magpie Family • Other Villains • Cerulean Steel | ||
| Places & Things: PsyKiss • The Bracen Institute • The Forever Night | ||
| Groups: New Vigil (Leader) • Protectors of the World (Member) • Frontiersmen (Member) • Gen Prime (Leader) | ||
