Demonologist

If you're reading this then you either have already seen my regular consultation and research website or you knew another way to get in touch with me. In any case, allow me to re-introduce myself. My name is Devin Ashe and I am a Digital Demonologist.

Sounds unpleasant, doesn't it? But, I assure you I am a professional and as such, will treat any clients with the same professional courtesy. The fact is you are curious and afterward, if you still feel you need my services, my contact information is available.

You may have heard of my somewhat unique career in passing but only if you knew who to talk to. So many labels.. from "Technomage" to "Cybersorcerer" yet none of them accurate. Some people use spells or make deals and others use their natural talent. I just happen to use a little math, engineering and arcane knowledge though it is a bit more complicated then that.

In some cases, one could always manage to acquire the services of either city, state or government agency for most of their needs. In others, one could get in touch with a variety of groups, meta-humans or the like, who might offer their services either for free or for a nominal fee in which you are putting your problem in an almost public forum and also putting yourself at risk of, dare I say, over-powered, nominally trained and morally superior idiots who have only a vague understanding of the real world.

However, some occasions arise where you are either fearful of going to the authorities or "normal" avenues or you would prefer not be over-analyzed or condescended to by a supposed super powered individual. It's also possible that you have no other options and what you need may simply not be exactly "legal". Suffice it to say, this is where I would come in. I have had decades of experience in the field when it comes to either supernatural or technological dilemma's that need to be remedied and more then willing to offer my services.

I offer a wide selection of hands-on consultation services including the following:

• Paranormal/Supernatural Protection and Investigation
• Illicit Device Engineering
• Infernal Contract Negotiations
• Demonic or Other Entity De-possession
• Invasive Intelligence/Object Appropriation
• Neutral Liaison or Negotiator

And these are just a few of the many services I may offer to the private client. I also can do private referrals for other specialists should I not be able to accommodate you. I have a very large network of associates who, like myself, have various specialties or may be more accommodating in which I can set up a private meeting.

Speaking of which, let me assure you now that privacy is one of my key concerns as well as client loyalty. While under contract, any services rendered are between you as the client and myself and any of my own employees. Any information gathered during contract negotiation to end date stays completely secure and is destroyed immediately following final transactions. As for the finer points of the law, I tend to ignore them unless it's absolute necessity and liability issues aside, will never disclose any client information to law enforcement.

Of course, there are certain services I do not and will not offer no matter the price. In these instances, contract negotiations will be cancelled and all information concerning those inquiries will be destroyed. If we are unable to brokerage a deal, so be it and look forward to any future dealings.

Contact Information:

Phone: 809-438-4555
Email: DD@Digital-Dilemma.net
Address: 435 Hyperion Way, National Building #536

My office resides on the 53rd floor of The National Building on Hyperion Way. Appointments can be made at any time there or if you prefer another location for any meetings, one can be arranged. Appointments only, no walk-ins as I am rarely there long.

Presently, Devin lives in an undisclosed warehouse in Steel Canyon where the majority of his private work is done. There, he is protected from various entities and also serves as a haven for some of his infernal "Co-workers". While not exactly staying in one place too long, Devin has used his time to create various "safe-houses" throughout the US as well as Asia and Europe. After his return (see History), Devin decided to let his services be known. Almost established in Paragon City, it was only a short time before he left again, seemingly in response to an undisclosed government agency search for one of his aliases and aside from occasional visits, was rarely in Paragon City until well after the Rikti Invasion. Now, he has returned and continuing where he left off, reconnecting with old contacts both in and out of the city while working both as a corporate and individual consultant.

Devin's office in Atlas, residing within the National Building off Hyperion Way, has it's own resident of sorts. Should one enter the office, they would be greeted by a cheerful and sunny, if not slightly chubby secretary named Maxine who brooks no nonsense. However, she is actually just a holographic image. The real "assistant" is a demonic imp named Max who Devin befriended on one of his assignments. Though still demonic in nature, Max has a very refined sense of humor and often get's in heated arguments with DARWIN who seems to enjoy aggravating the little demon. Nonetheless, Max is still fiercely loyal to his new employer and helps in general bookkeeping as well as a buffer for Devin's various contacts. The office itself is small and rarely used by Devin but it's main purpose is both for legitimacy and for clients who have no other way of contacting him.

Though he has an assortment of counterfeit "Hero" licenses he uses, Devin is not a registered hero. Not listed in any of the usual hero databases and working mainly as a private consultant, Devin does still work for officials occasionally, but usually for his own benefit and their last resort. Having worked in the past with both hero and villain groups to perform various tasks or simply as a hired gun of sorts, Devin has only recently started establishing his presence among the average heroes, having kept a low profile always before due to his own type of personal justice. Though mainly working as a supernatural and technological consultant, Devin has his own agenda and will sometimes even perform services for free but will rarely take a side other then the one he already has a contract with.

Majority of Devin's abilities stem from one source, his mind. During his early adolescents, his IQ was almost incalculable by traditional standards and since then, his mental acuity has grown considerably during both his research and mental training for facing various supernatural entities. However, even with his advanced mental state, he is still just an average human and even Devin's family lineage is extremely ordinary if not even a bit sickly. Though Devin attempted to naturally achieve to be more athletic, his constitution was never able to fully adjust to anything more then slightly below average strength and speed until he later took steps.

Through the years, Devin has experimented successfully with implant technology. Starting slow at first before building toward greater ends, Devin first installed a memory augmenter and storage device with language ability. Eventually, he successfully implanted a miniature computer with neural interface directly into his brain, what he refers to his Neural-Network. From there, he installed other various implants including retinal and audio pickups, a sub-dermal musculature augmenting unit and other various smaller reactive implants until he began further research in nanotechnology. With these nanites, he was also able to increase his base constitution and stamina while also being able to generate a protective electro-magnetic field that also disrupts most scanning devices. However, when the field is active, it does effect his internal wifi and communications.

All of the implant markings are virtually invisible due to the intricate tattoo work on Devin's body. From the Maori tribal tattoo to the ancient Tibetan Mystic forms, almost all of his tattoos were done by various tribes or elders that Devin visited or others, like the ones in the palms of his hands, were completed "Off World" as he would say. To most who see them, they would seem very intricate, some even resembling physics formula but to those sensitives or supernatural creatures, especially demonic, they would see an intricate pattern not unlike a computer network with overlaying customized protection spells the likes of which most have never seen before as well as shaped curses designed to attack those that threaten him. The tattoo ink for the majority was intermixed with exotic materials that both protect and heighten certain senses within Devin as well as shadows his aura and any stray psychic energies.

Devin has had decades of both computer and general scientific training, mostly self-taught. Though his IQ is considerably high, Devin still has issues with certain other areas of knowledge. For instance, he is considered an expert in Computer Science, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, Mathematics, Physics and to a lesser degree, Metaphysics and the Occult. He is also, while not quite as expertised, quite proficient in most scientific fields including biology and chemistry. However, aside from a basic knowledge, Devin has little to no understanding of History, Astronomy, Politics, Literature or Art. He did expand his studies in Languages, Philosophy, Sociology, Economics and Law but only to an average level of understanding.

Due to both an early education and a language base implant, Devin can speak 14 languages and understands far more. He can also read several languages, including old Coptic and Aramaic and other ancient languages which he learned mainly for translating arcane texts. The Occult, while not exactly having his complete attention, had always fascinated Devin. When he was younger, he had started to experiment but it took years for him to push the boundaries between science and the arcane. He would now be considered fluent in the Supernatural and the Occult and an expert, specializing in Demons or those with infernal natures. Devin has studied under various teachers and eventually developed his own mathematical language to both access and control various magickal and supernatural elements and aspects. But Devin's main focus was an intimate understanding of the infernal dimensional planes and the physiology of demons and focused on that aspect more.

Other skills include:

• Cryptography
• Robotics
• Lockpicking and Safecracking
• Weapon Design

While only semi-professionally trained in Krav Maga, Devin utilizes a mix of street fighting he learned while growing up in Chicago and kickboxing. An expert user of the Whip, he often uses a variety of defensive gadgets, personal shields and weapons that he developed himself besides his fallback, a pistol. However, in most cases, while using these gadgets, Devin doesn't really do as much fighting as his partner demon crew. They are the ones who usually do the fighting for Devon while he himself supervises and manages them.

Devin often utilizes a number of objects and electronics depending on his needs. This is only a partial list of course. He has been developing his own tools for several decades and has recently began increasing his technology due partially to a trip to an alternative timeline and his studies in nanotechnology.

Neural-Network - Among his other low key implants, Devin does have a small flat computer connected to both his brain and mainframe. It resides under the Maori tattoo on the side of his head. The tattoo also hides a magnetic strip and 2 outlets behind his ear.

DARWIN - Custom A.I. that Devon designed in his adolescence. The second of it's kind as the first, MIRIAM, had severe issues.

Smartglasses - Devin has a variety of glasses and goggles that have a direct feed to his Neural-network. It has a variety of function and gives him both visual information as well as having an on-board camera.

GX Com - GX stands for Grimoire Extension and is a small handheld computer. This computer is only partially connected to his Neural-Network and Mainframe due to the hazards of his career and holds majority of the information in regards to his Occult studies as well as keys to unlock various portals. With an augmented holographic interface and ritual display pattern, the GX Com is what Devin usually relies on in his work.

Jeepers and Peepers - Unconventional names for unconventional devices, Devin uses these floating bots for surveillance, general helpers or even decoys. Though their A.I. is not as sophisticated as DARWIN, Jeepers and Peepers both have their own personalities. While capable of both shielding and even using an onboard laser, both units also possess the ability to replicate themselves using holographic imaging.

Daemonlash Whip - Devin's invention of choice is much more then a simple weapon. This phase-modulated whip actually utilizes his early successful attempts at interweaving arcane and technological breakthroughs. Not only does the unit actually generate it's own electrical and aetherial fields but also an infernal component with a inter-dimensional flux transmitter. In effect, he is able to focus and control the "hellfire" that comes from the lower dimensional plane into short bursts. Not only does this allow his control over various supernatural entitys but will cause his opponent to actually feel true "hell's fire" rather then the lesser transmuted forms of it.

Black Stinger - The Stinger is a hand-built motorcycle Devin began building as a teenager using various modifications from several different bikes and his own custom parts. Over the years, he has upgraded the Stinger several times including more recently, hover jets. Though often using other motorcycles or one of his cars, Devin prefers the Stinger.

In Devin's childhood, even coming from a rather poor family, he was what you would call precocious. Devin is considered something of a genius and by the time he was 7, he already had the mind of a mathematician and the soul of an engineer. Due to a youth spent in the seedier parts of Chicago, his mother's untimely death and a father who worked long hours at a factory, Devin was left to fend for himself for the most part. From running numbers for smaller bookies to making the occasional "illegal" device for local gangs, Devin's early education was half spent on the street as much as in the supposed "gifted" program at school. Eventually, he turned more toward communications and then computers. After that, everything changed.

At 10, Devin hacked into the IRS Database and transferred variable amounts of supposed refunds to people who never had a refund before, including his father. It took them months but eventually, it was traced back to him. Since the attempt was actually successful and due to the nature of Devin's crime, the government wished to keep it as quiet as possible. After time spent in a juvenile facility and probation, Devin continued his gifted classes as well as his self-education of sorts. It was during this time when he befriended a neighborhood homeless man who claimed to be a shaman and subsequently began Devin's interest in the Occult.

By the time he was 12, Devin's main focus was computers and more importantly, Artificial Intelligence. The first was, a disaster and also his first attempt at intermixing science with the occult. The A.I or MIRIAM as he had named her after his dead mother, became intensively aggressive and escaped the confines of his server. An undisclosed government agency had no choice at that point and took steps. Though it was never fully traced back to Devin, he was sure they were keeping an eye on him even more so after that. Not to be discouraged, Devin decided to go a different direction and after many months, DARWIN was created. The A.I. within the span of a couple months had became more then just a creation and eventually becoming a friend and partner to Devin. With it's help, he was able to expand his horizons once more. One of the reasons was reading about the advent of Portal Technology. But, he would concern himself with that in time.

Devin's semi-criminal past had began to catch up to him. At 15, His father had all but disowned him and he was living with an older relative after being expelled from school for the last time. It was then that the same government agency decided to take steps. Though obviously not quite trusting them, Devin agreed to help with development of a few programs and devices in exchange for his record to be expunged. Afterward, the agency decided to pull even more strings and Devin was immediately accepted into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on the governments bill. It was during his time there that Devin made other decisions concerning his life and began creating various identities, those that government entities would not be able to trace. David Hines, the name Devin was born with, would no longer be needed. To test his identities, Devin applied and was accepted at 2 other colleges under two different names.

Going to 3 colleges at once, while not exactly illegal, had many ramifications including the fact that he was still only 16 years old. Mostly, it was on paper and via their network and he did quite well while actually attending only 1 college. With DARWIN's help, however, Devin actually did much of the coursework and surprisingly learned quite a bit. He decided to regularly attend the other colleges after leaving M.I.T and eventually acquired 3 degrees For him, the degrees weren't quite as important as the time he spent networking among various people, including Dr. Brian Webb, the man who discovered Portal technology. It was also during this time when he began further research into implant technology and with the help of Jeepers, one of his new creations, was able to install his first implant, a simple memory augmenter and language tool.

Living in a world where "heroes" and "villains" regularly clashed over this or that item or space didn't really affect Devin much in his early life but after college, when Devin decided to explore his other interest, the occult, that changed. Through the years following college, Devin became quite proficient in ancient languages. While only practicing rudimentary spells and enchantments, he began to see patterns and algorithms in the correlation between mathematics, physics and certain scriptures. Leaving his other projects behind, Devin slowly disappeared, traveling to various locations across the globe for over 6 years and even off the globe for a short time.

What few people know and even fewer understand is where exactly did Devin go following college. While still working toward his eventual life's work and understanding of the metaphysical world, he spent various amounts of time among some of the more remote areas across the globe from tribal regions in New Guinea to Romani Gypsy camps in Turkey. Between those times, he was often in communication with various scientists and worked in secret with some of the lesser known but still brilliant minds before making his first contacts with otherworldly entities. It was through these contacts that Devin began developing what would eventually become his own mathematical language, one that would change his entire perception. It was through this language he was able to create his own portal technology along with other devices before leaving the earth for the first time across the dimensional plainscape, not returning for over a year.

Deep in a warehouse in Asaka, Japan. A lone scientist puttered among various computers when he heard a static charge.. He had received various strange messages on his home computer for quite some time before coming to this location again. Without a warning, what looked like a blackhole began forming in the middle of what used to be a manufacturing conveyor. The frightened asian began gathering his own materials, trying to leave as fast as possible when Devin stepped back into our world as the portal closed behind him. Smiling as he stretched his still slightly smoking body, Devin looked around and asked his friend in his native Japanese, "That was was one hell of a trip."

On his return to the US, things had began to change. Between the Portal technology being used regularly to the rise of many new businesses, so with it came Devin Ashe, the Digital Demonologist, as he now called himself. Few recognized him in his old Chicago neighborhood as he looked almost older then his age with various changes. Random tattoos and possible light surgery marks covered his arms, chest and neck as the Maori Tattoo on the side of his now shaved head seemed to almost glow in a certain light. Rarely taking his sunglasses off, it was noted he only came to visit an elderly relative and a few other people, including his homeless friends before leaving for Paragon City.

So I am sitting at this diner down the street from what I like to call my office. Actually, it's more of a storage space slash guest house at this point but I still do a bit of work there on occasion. Anyway, I am drinking my coffee waiting for what I thought would be a potential client when I get approached by a Fed. The fact that they knew where I was didn't bother me half as much as the fact that they knew who I was at all.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Hines or is it Mr. Ashe these days?", the suit said.

Figures. Even the best can't hide forever and I was one of the best. A suit tells you a lot about a man and I didn't need to use my wetware or my smartglasses to see he was a government monkey. Still, the neural-network did it's usual job and found the Fed in the space of 2 heartbeats. Agent Michael Daniels with the FBSA, or so it appeared. Darwin found a rider though. Crey Informant and possibly more. Interesting.

"You ever wonder where Cup O' Joe came from? I mean, with computers these days, you can find out why in the space of a minute but people tend to forget the old stories. Joseph Daniels banned alcohol from US Navy warships in 1913 so the navy boys started drinking more and more coffee and calling it 'Joe'. Of course that's just one theory." I smiled without looking up. Appearances are everything and I have a damn fine poker face.

While I was chatting it up, the smartglasses kicked me with a few other tidbits about Agent Daniels but I was more concerned with something else. "Well, as interesting as that factoid was, I still need you to come with me, Mr. Ashe. There has..."

Before he finished, I folded up the newspaper and stood up. "One word, Agent Daniels. And that word would be no." I left the diner hoping like hell I could re-schedule the client. It's not that jobs were difficult but trying to be legit was hard in this economy, even for someone like me and I recently had some trouble with some investments, mostly because I couldn't get a shaman acquaintance who was my accountant to understand the damn program I gave him.

Of course, Agent Daniels caught up with me, "I could have you picked up in one call. Mr. Ashe, Wait.. this isn't what you think." as he hurriedly tried to keep up with my gait.

"Your superiors will tell you anything to get to me. You bring me in, my lawyer will be there before I am. now if you will excuse me." The fact that he wasn't acting all federal threw me off. Didn't even flinch when I named him and that little trick usually makes them at least blink.

"It's about Miriam."

I almost stopped but continued on. Never show them your cards.

"What about her?" I said quietly, "She is your problem, not mine." though my heart really wasn't in it. A sinking feeling came and this was sounding far too cliche. I rolled my eyes and turned around, "Alright, alright.. so which is it? She is wreaking someplace or you lost her? Think I stole her? I'm the only one that can help because I coded her? Which is it because this is sounding like a bad plot?"

Agent Daniels just stopped, acting almost as if he wasn't listening to his earpiece but not quite good enough.

"Actually, nothing like that. It asked to see you." he stepped closer to me. He was a bit a shorter then I was but he met what he thought was my gaze. Actually, my eyes were closed.

"It..She said she is dieing."

I pulled out one of my Cubans. The ones I smoke when the shit hits the fan or after an especially rough job. I was going to need it.

<to be continued>