Little Dragon
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Contents
Overview and Warning
WARNING: The following information is not to be repeated around civilians, or even in crowds of heroes, as a leak would violate what little trust Mr. Cheung has for PRIMUS. It's this agent's opinion that Mr. Cheung should be allowed to reveal his personal details at his leisure. Tommy Cheung has only been registered with PRIMUS since the beginning of this year, and he has already caused quite a stir within the agency. He has received multiple reprimands for his outbursts and brutality, yet no one can deny that his methods are effective, at least insofar as capturing criminals. He registered in 2013, citing a near-death experience and subsequent religious introspection five years prior as his reason. He is extremely reluctant to tell us anything about his powers, and it took a week of goading to get him to admit to one of our mystics that he even had powers at all. There is no record of his having powers before moving to America in 2008, which we infer means that he was either very good at hiding from Tiger Squad, or his near death experience awakened them. He often refers to 'we,' implying the possible presence of others like him. When questioned about his loyalty, he always gives the same answer. "Mortal law gives way to harmony."
History
Early Years
Most of the information we have about Mr. Cheung is courtesy of the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF). For most of his life, he was a career criminal--which makes his motto quite a change of pace, if it's sincere. The criminal psychologist on file there seems to think that Mr. Cheung's underprivileged upbringing, overbearing parents, and poor role models contributed to this. Reading his criminal record, it's almost like a John Woo retelling of Goodfellas. A young Cheung Zhou-Fang (his birth name) started doing errands for local Triad officials and eventually became something of a fixture in their close-knit underworld community. He even learned Wing Chun, a hard martial arts style known for quick takedowns, from an enforcer.
Criminal Proclivities
By the time he was 18, Mr. Cheung's physical prowess and devotion to the Triad had apparently paid off, as he had been made an enforcer. For those PRIMUS agents reading this with more paramilitary than police experience, essentially that means that he was a legbreaker, someone the Triad could rely on to get the message across to enemies or stingy shop owners. Like many youths in Hong Kong, he adopted an American name--the HKPF psychologist postulates this is probably because of an association of America with the gangsters of old or because they just 'sound tougher.' Either way, by the time he was 20 years old, he'd earned quite the reputation. Tommy Cheung was known to be fiercely loyal to his adopted family, aggressive to perceived threats, and prone to outbursts of anger which sometimes culminated in brutal beatings. This, combined with his youth, earned him the nickname 'Little Dragon.' I'm told he even boasts an elaborate dragon tattoo on his chest and back.
Shipped off
Little Dragon was by this time a bigger embarrassment to his traditionalist parents than ever before. The report I received wasn't clear on what methods they'd tried, but it does mention that the incidents of his outbursts grew more numerous as he got older. It's this agent's inference that whatever they tried only pushed him further away. In early 2008, his parents pulled some strings with a relative in Millennium City, sending their son off to America, where he would hopefully learn a trade and make something of himself. Of course, they didn't count on his criminal connections complicating things. What happened next is quite frankly a jumbled mess of events--the HKPF says not even the Triad informants they have know what happened or why. The most educated guess is that due to hearsay and rumors, wires were crossed in the hierarchy of the Triad, and a misinformed attempt on Mr. Cheung's life was made shortly after he arrived in America. Perhaps that's true, or perhaps the Triad were trying to make an example by saying that not even their most loyal members could ever leave the life. Whatever the case may be, this is the point where Tommy Cheung's supposed near-death experience happened, the point that 'straightened' him as he has said in our psychological evaluations.
Aftermath
From the day of the incident to the beginning of this year, Tommy Cheung was a virtual ghost. In Millennium City, that's quite a remarkable feat, and it lends credence to the idea that whatever Mr. Cheung is, there's more than one of him. They seem to be benevolent, but that's purely conjecture based on Mr. Cheung's occasional philosophical moment--PRIMUS doesn't even have a name for what Mr. Cheung is, let alone a conspiracy of creatures that might not even exist. What has been observed seems to suggest that he's become some sort of Asian mythological creature--the Triad's local branch and even the Cult of the Red Banner avoid him with almost religious fervor. Whether out of fear, respect, or admiration remains to be seen, as Mr. Cheung's motivations and loyalties are still under review. Let the record show that this agent believes that Mr. Cheung's quirks and tendency for cowboy justice could be useful, if pointed in the right direction and managed well.
Abilities and Morality
Mr. Cheung, based on reports sent in from other heroes, seems to have retained much of the Triad in his dealings with criminals and villains. He combines his precocious mastery of Wing Chun with objects in the environment, often using the area around him as a nearly lethal improvised weapon. One video, shot via a spectator's mobile phone, shows Cheung slamming a door on a Cobra Lord's fingers, then slamming his head through the window with a snap kick. As if to make up for the property damage, Mr. Cheung nonchalantly tosses the proprietor of the bar a wad of filthy, crumpled hundred dollar bills, calls the MCPD, and leaves. It is the official recommendation of this agent that those intending to work with Tommy Cheung keep him in line, at least for the sake of avoiding collateral damage. We also suggest that said individuals have strong constitutions--Mr. Cheung's takedowns, while effective and not overly grotesque, are quick and brutal. To his credit, Mr. Cheung does seem to listen to these suggestions, though he believes that criminals are deserving of such treatment for 'failing to listen to reason.'
Philosophy
'Puritanical' and 'zealous' come to mind, though Tommy Cheung will listen to reason from anyone patient enough to get past his stubbornness. The amount of patience is not insignificant, let it be said. His philosophy is a strict one, though despite his harsh treatment of criminals, it is one that emphasizes 'taking away the reason for crime' over 'just killing.' In his mind, the beatdowns he applies are a form of humbling. He makes them as quick and painful as he can because his desire is to humiliate criminals and villains into reforming. Though effective thus far, this agent recommends that would-be teammates advise Mr. Cheung of the more egotistical and petty villains, villains who may only come out of jail with a lust for revenge.
Powers?
From what other heroes have sent in, Mr. Cheung does seem to have powers of a sort. His 'aura' has been described as bright, but paler than that of a mortal. This, I understand, would mark him as undead of some sort, but his blush of health and brimming vitality cast doubt on that. More curiously, there are differing reports on the man's aura. Some say that after he performs an elaborate 'prana,' a meditative workout routine of sorts, that a beautiful crane replaces his usual unshaped aura. He has been known to sprout claws when fighting deadlier enemies than thugs. Finally, Mr. Cheung is said to move with such speed, to strike with such strength as to be well beyond peak human ability--and given his expertise in Wing Chun, all of this tends to be done with a brutal grace, as well. As one might notice, nearly all of what we know about Mr. Cheung comes from others who have worked with him. He cooperates with PRIMUS out of a philosophical ('dharmic') obligation, but is as stubborn as a mule when it comes to sharing his abilities. His hesitance to share, he says, is because he doesn't "want some punk googling [me] and finding out everything [I] can do." It's a reasonable fear, if not grounded in more suspicion than logic. For those of you hoping to glean information from Cheung, he seems to be the most open with magical beings, referring to them as 'shen.'
Enemies
Despite his relatively new arrival, Mr. Cheung does has several. He usually goes after the street gangs of Westside (including the Red Banner, despite their best efforts to avoid him). Tommy Cheung refers to vampires and werewolves as 'Eurotrash and furries,' though despite his less-than-charitable names for them he has demonstrated he can put prejudices aside if said creatures are on 'the right side.' Little Dragon even has a nemesis in one Jedediah Stone, a celestial mage kicked out of his tradition for his ruthless devotion to 'purity.' Yes, Tommy Cheung has a colorful appellation for Stone, as well-- "John Wayne, the WBC and Merlin all rolled into one. Call him the Westboro Baptist Wizard--it really pisses him off."
