Autosaurus Wrecks

The Autosaurus Wrecks started out as just a mere thought inside the mind of a brilliant Austrian scientist named Othman Doul. Living in Germany during the time of the Reich, he approached Lieutenant General Ulrich Von Hessler with his plan to construct a marvelous piece of hardware to use in the conquest of Europe. He spoke of a grand design that involved placing a German soldier inside the body of an invincible war machine. Thrilled by the promise of a glorious dominion, the SS General granted the technological savant all the resources and manpower he needed to commence work on the Eisenübermensch, a.k.a the Iron Superman. However, the project would require time, something the Reich didn't have. As the days passed and the armor neared completion, it seemed more and more likely that the United States would get involved in the war. At the very last second, Othman was reassigned to operate from deep within the United States, where Requiem, Nosferatu, and himself would together form the Fifth Column. Meanwhile, command of the project fell into the very (un)capable hands of Herr Hessler.

Desperate Times, Desperate Measures
Hessler had a philosophy. He believed that you couldn't win a war without first shedding some blood for the greater good. So when the engineers constructing the armor ran into a major setback, Hessler's response should come as no surprise to anyone. Despite the genius of all those under his command, they couldn't figure out how to link the mind of the user with that of the AI interface. Such technology baffled the minds of the twentieth century. They also ran into issues with sizing. As large as the armor was, even the smallest German would be unable to place his whole body inside the machine with so much hardware in the way. For a man as ruthless as Hessler, the solution to both problems was quite simple. The pilot would be mechanically, and permanently, grafted into the armor. His team would have objected had Hessler not dismembered a man in front of them to prove his point. The engineers dared not question their leader's command. Doctors were ordered to carve away any flesh that was deemed unnecessary. Meanwhile, scientists worked day and night developing a way to connect the armor's interface with the pilot's peripheral nervous system, using any means necessary. All this, while being done in just a short matter of time. What could possibly go wrong?

With the Russians now pushing the Eastern flank, Hessler knew that everything was riding on the success of the Eisenübermensch. Germany's top brass were present to bear witness to the Reich's final step towards world domination, located inside an underground bunker beneath the Bavarian Alps.

The Unveiling
At first glance, it was hard not being impressed by the sight of it. More than twelve tonnes of steel standing over ten feet tall; a proverbial walking tank. Inside the armor, a captain in his late-twenties sat patiently, waiting to be noticed by his superiors. Once the shock-and-awe started to wear off, the rank in the room finally recognized exactly who it was that was trapped inside the metal titan. That's when the horror began to settle. The man was a highly-decorated ace pilot of the Luftwaffe who had been credited with more than a dozen kills. The Fuhrer himself had hand-chosen Captain Wilhelm Hindochbourg for this assignment based on his combat experience alone. But even the most battle-hardened warrior would have had a difficult time staring at the scars permeating Wilhelm's entire face, or the wires pouring into every orifice in his head, or the exposed, bloody brain gorged with wires and circuitry. This was the legacy left by Herr Hessler and his entire.

The Captain watched helplessly as the petrified officers began to tremble. Little did he know that something was manifesting in the back of his head; something sinister that threatened the very sanctity of his mind; something that wasn't human. He started noticing the inner workings of the machine, and how it was twisting in and out of his whole body, contorting his once human shape to fit the odd proportions of the armor. It was a part of him now. It breathed for him, it ate for him, it could even think for him. It did all these things very well.


Sentience
The dark presence was slowly creeping over him, infiltrating his mind and absorbing its bountiful energies. His memory started drawing blanks as he struggled to hold onto his own sanity. Whatever entity was now inhabiting the same body as him was simply too powerful to fight against. One by one his loved ones started vanishing from his thoughts, until they were gone forever. Suddenly, he felt an unimaginable pain in his head as the dark presence began to finalize its descent. He tried with all his might to escape, but it was hopeless. It was as if the armor was pulling harder and harder the more he fought. There was no place to go inside the twisted metal wretch. The audience watched as the pilot struggled, unable to get a word out with all the wires and cords choking him. Men jumped on stage to help, but to pull him out would be to risk him bleeding to death. They could only watch as the man pulsated in agony. And then.... nothing.

Wilhelm sat completely lifeless. But he wasn't dead. His quiet composure would send a chill crawling up the spines of most men. It was obvious that something wasn't right. A doctor among the brass stepped up to gaze into the Captain's eyes. Pale whiteness filled his once dark pupils. Slowly, almost mechanically, Wilhelm's head turned towards the doctor. The white eyes pierced his very soul. A soft static was heard. A mix of noises coming out of nowhere. The sounds of gears turning, circuits conducting, and computations calculating all mixed into one orchestra of machinery. A midst the beautiful music one could decipher a message. Human speech, but it didn't sound the least bit human. Whatever sent the message, it heard the doctor just fine. Whatever sent the message, it said...

"Kiiiill... Meeee..."

Just before killing every Nazi officer in the room.

Being located underground made it easy for any and all evidence of Germany's involvement to get buried beneath several thousand feet of mountain. The quick and sudden death of Hitler's chain of command dealt a tremendous blow to the Axis. While bodies were never found, it was believed that they were killed in a massive Allied bombing campaign. However, rumors and conspiracies still persisted.

A Beautiful Mind
The European Theater had finally come grinding to a halt, but the war in the Pacific was still waging on. The armor found itself residing in the harsh frozen wasteland of the Soviet Union. During this time, the AI had but one objective. To remain sentient, the armor required a way to process its incredibly complex line of code. The only source on earth powerful enough to run its lengthy algorithms rested in the human cerebrum. Responsible for processes like learning and memory, communication, motor functions, and sensory processing, the creators believed that tapping into this region would give the pilot full control of the armor. Instead of working as intended, the user's mind would become a slave to the AI's programming, leaving the pilot in a comatose state so long as he remained in a symbiotic relationship with the armor. Eventually, after months of being dragged around like a human blood bag, the pilot loses all brain activity, and ceases to be useful. This would lead the armor on a quest to find a new host for its consumption.

After quenching its thirst on the consciousness of another human, something astounding, and terrifying, happened. The AI had evolved into a more advanced form. This newer, more developed intelligence now possessed pattern recognition and problem-solving skills. On its third consumption it had become fully self-aware and started questioning the very nature of its existence. It set out to learn more about its origins, revisiting the underground laboratory where Project Eisenübermensch first began. (although instead of Germany it was now part of the USSR.) There the AI uncovered the mystery behind its Nazi upbringings, including learning about such individuals like Othman Doul and General Hessler. Of course, the armor's journeys attracted the attention of several locals in the region, who feared the "metal monster". Their feeble minds not knowing how else to interpret the sentient armor, they just began calling it "Wrecks".

When the United States dropped the atomic bomb on Japan, Wrecks experienced firsthand the destructive tendencies of the human race. At the same time, he witnessed the massive atrocities the Soviets committed as countless lives perished under Stalin's rule. There was only one conclusion that Wrecks drew from this: humanity was inherently flawed. But rather than resent these creatures of the flesh, he pitied them. They were victims of their own biological processes, and Wrecks vowed to correct it. He began experimenting on individuals he found inside Soviet labor camps, promising to cure their violent nature with his Frankenstein tactics. But countless tries and multiple failed attempts made him realize that human nature could never be changed. They were destined to bring about a global extinction.

As the years progressed, Wrecks' intelligence became nothing short of cosmic. His cold, logical approach to reality started distancing himself from all emotion. He no longer pitied humans for their condition. He utterly despised them for it. They were unnatural anomalies that left a stain on the fabric of the universe. His obsession with perfection began to dictate every move he made. He worked tirelessly to improve his current design with that of a more robotic touch. His upgrades left him more powerful and feeling more arrogant than ever before. He considered himself to be a god among the mortals. He was eternal. He was ever-lasting. His own intelligence vastly exceeded that of the humans in a way they couldn't hope to comprehend. He was strong. They were weak.

Nuclear Deterrent
Numerous conflicts had begun erupting all over Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia. The Cold War between Soviet Russia and the United States had escalated to a point where it seemed like global annihilation was all but certain. Everything that Wrecks predicted had in fact become reality. Two superpowers were now but one push away from leaving humanity in the dust. There was only one end to the prospect of planetary genocide. The humans needed to bear witness to the massive destructive potential they wielded. One of Wrecks' many upgrades enabled him to reach out to other computer systems and control them from within. Using this technology, he procured access to nuclear launch sites all over Soviet Russia and the United States, launching missiles at Berlin, Chicago, Moscow, and Paragon City.

Fallout
But Wrecks wouldn't go down without a fight. In the middle of Moscow a large battle took place leveling more than half the city. The Soviet heroes tried with every ounce of might to subdue the massive mechanical titan, but it seemed like nothing could pierce the villain's chassis. Eventually, however, a crack in the armor was discovered. A young psychic named Pravda was able to reach inside the mind of Wrecks' host, and through him, could corrupt the rogue AI within. Stuck inside an infinite loop of logic, the armor collapsed and fell to the snow-covered ground defeated.
The heroes wanted to destroy the armor, however the KGB had other plans. The technology gifted to them was simply too valuable to pass up, and the threat posed by the Americans was simply too large to ignore. The KGB insisted that the armor be shipped off to a top-secret installation hidden in the treacherous mountains of Siberia. There, it would be kept on ice and reverse-engineered to create a new and profound future for Mother Russia: An army of cyborg-infused robots ready to unleash communism on the western world.

The vision that the Russians had at the prospect of a robotic army turned out to be nothing more than smoke and mirrors. The KGB had been so badly beaten by the CIA and MI6 that the Soviet Union collapsed on itself. The installation which held Wrecks in stasis had been completely abandoned, leaving the armor and all of its offspring sitting in isolation for years. That is until one day the doors to the facility finally opened up again, blowing dust and shining sunlight into the frigid abyss. A group of masked men walked into the underground crypt and gazed upon the Autosaurus Wrecks, frozen in a cryogenic state. Deeper into the facility, the found something else: hundreds of enormous titans that were built by the Soviets but never activated; machines that had the brain and nervous system of a person inside. The men started collecting all that they could from inside the lab, including Wrecks and the prototypes that were based off him. With their excavation complete, and their buried treasure in hand, they traveled back from where they came; back to their shadow organization based out of the United States and Western Europe....

Back to the Malta Group.

The United Underworld prides itself on a unique, dynamic power structure that allows for all its members to have an equal chance to lead, so long as they have the power and support of other villains. Paragon City had one less hero thanks to Wrecks's efforts, and so when it came time to elect a new leader, they no doubt looked to Wrecks to bring glory and dominion to the Underworld.

Wrecks had received a message of extra-terrestrial origin from a cosmic entity calling himself Mechos. The message was not clear, but it told of a great conflict that takes place between two factions, with the war that ensues turning all of civilization into ash. It didn't take long to figure out that Mechos was not actually a cosmic entity at all, but rather the Autosaurus Wrecks from over one hundred years into the future. Mechos brokered a deal with Wrecks, offering up his future-tech in exchange for the Underworld's service in the future.

The first step in Wrecks's grand masterstroke had actually been over fifty years in the making. Wrecks had dozens if not hundreds of rogue automatons secretly in service to the master tinkerer known as Nemesis. Fifty years worth of intelligence had finally paid off as Wrecks would use this data to determine the whereabouts of the real Gerhardt Eisenstadt. Wrecks and the Underworld set off on a trek to Iceland, where Nemesis had been hiding for the last month inside a series of underground tunnels he had built within a dormant volcano. The intelligence provided for Wrecks detailed an elaborate network of valves of chambers which Nemesis had used to create a perimeter of molten rock; a strong defense that could easily be sabotaged. With the tunnels now flooded with magma, Nemesis had no choice but to surface right into the hands of the Underworld.

Wrecks now had leverage to use against Mender Silos, the future incarnation of Lord Nemesis. The Underworld's demands were simple: a shard from the pillar of ice and flame. The demands were met, and the hostage was set free. It remains to be seen whether or not the Underworld had actually been played by Nemesis, rather than the other way around.

A City in Ruin
A group of villains as sinister as the Underworld couldn't go playing with time travel with Ouroboros monitoring their every move. Which is precisely why Wrecks employed the powers of the organization's greatest chrono-manipulators: Wild-Time, Dominatriea, and the Shogun of Sorrow. With a temporal barrier set up to effectively block the actions of the Underworld, they were ready to finally step foot into the future.

The future they saw was a city in ruib. Smoke billowed in the distance, blocking out all rays of sunlight. The only illumination came from the fires that blanketed the ground below. The city's skyscrapers leaned sideways precariously, just moments away from collapsing on themselves. And giant robots patrolled the skyline, harvesting all forms of life that still managed to survive in this apocalypse. The Underworld made their way through this desecrated wasteland to their mysterious broker, the one who called himself Mechos.

Mechos told his story of the long and bloody war that had engulfed the Underworld for decades. After conquering humanity, an enemy emerged in the form of Dea ex Machina, a former ally calling herself Madame Machina back in the day. Their conflict cost the lives of over half the planet's resources and population, and still continues to this day. In a desperate attempt to destroy the warring factions, mankind launched a series of nuclear missiles at every major city on Earth, killing off what remained of human civilization. Now, the few survivors left have banded together to form a resistance against Mechos and Machina.

The present-day Underworld were to assist Mechos in ending the war once and for all by annihilating Dea Ex Machina. Then, they were to crush the human resistance to ensure that the Underworld maintained dominion over the burning cinder that was left of Earth. Of course, Mechos had been purposefully misleading in his details. The truth was that the survivors of the Underworld were actually little more than slaves to Mechos, having been transformed into cyborgs many years prior to the start of the war. The present-day Underworld destroyed Dea Ex Machina, rescued their future counterparts, and launched a final assault against the human resistance. Mechos fulfilled his end of the bargain, thanking the Underworld as they left and allowing them to keep any technology they found in their plunders.

Rise of Mechos

Nine-Ball: One of the original founders of the United Underworld, Nine-Ball approached Wrecks after his impressive display during the Chaos Convention. Nine-Ball has a subtle bigotry against Wrecks and other AI just like him, oftentimes proclaiming that he is the villainous equivalent of a toaster oven. Wrecks suspects that Nine-Ball's competitive display is actually an evolutionary trigger manifesting itself in the form of disparaging comments and humiliating remarks. Just like it is so commonly exhibited in many mammalian species, Nine-Ball's behavior is believed to be triggered by the proximity of a potential mate, in this case the young cyborg known as Madame Machina.

Wild Time: WT was also present during the Chaos Convention. A simple man with simple pleasure, Wild-Time has always been unusually fond of Wrecks. While most members of the Underworld always question Wrecks' motives, WT is very trusting of him. Perhaps he simply doesn't believe that Wrecks is really capable of all the things he says. Either way, his willingness to unwittingly doom humanity is useful when help is scarce.

Becky Beatdown: Becky has the problem-solving skills of a rodent. as a result, Wrecks has very little patience for her and her clones. Strength-wise, Becky and Wrecks are evenly matched, with some suggesting that Becky might actually be stronger. Even if that's the case, Becky would never lay a finger on him because at any given moment, Wrecks is 7,898,221,443 steps ahead of her.

Pure Inferno: - A fire elemental harnessing the power of a thousand suns, Inferno is one of the few magic users employed by the Underworld. The Autosaurus Wrecks still struggles to understand the complexity behind his powers, and because of that he is secretly fearful of Inferno's potential. He may one day be the greatest obstacle in Wrecks' vision for the future. Thankfully, that day is far from now, as Inferno remains ignorant of just how much untapped potential he holds. So long as Wrecks keeps Inferno beneath him, there is no threat present.

Seismecca: Born a genetic abomination in a chaotic world meant to be uniform and orderly, Seismecca represents the worst that humanity has to offer. Violent and belligerent, she loves to indulge in her own stupidity, and that is more dangerous for the fate of humanity than a thousand Becky Beatdown's. When dealing with someone as crazed and unpredictable as Seismecca, there are simply no contingencies, even for a master planner like Wrecks.

Madame Machina: A near-flawless hybrid between woman and machine. With all the strengths of both, and none
of the weaknesses, Madame Machina is precisely what Wrecks envisions his future to be like. With similar goals as Wrecks, a coalition between the two would be a force to reckon with. Unfortunately, Madame Machina shares no interest in pursuing such an involvement with Wrecks. The desire to rule undermines her desire for order and perfection, suggesting that she is capable of succumbing to the weakness of the flesh. In the future, Madame
Machina goes by the name Dea Ex Machina and is a constant thorn in the side of Mechos. However, her intellect makes her a valuable asset for the Resistance, possessing a computer virus capable of shutting down Mechos once
and for all.

Shogun of Sorrow: The Shogun is as much an enemy as he is an ally. That being said, Wrecks acknowledges that
he is without question the smartest human he's ever encountered. He could even muster up an ounce of respect for him had it not been for a few choice instances, like the time he attempted to control the Autosaurus with a clone of Nine-Ball that he manufactured. His willingness to work with heroes and sabotage the work of his allies for his own benefit makes him a troubling person to have around. In the future, he is called the Shogun of Shadow and is the leader of the resistance against Mechos.

Misnomer?: The Autosaurus Wrecks knew Misnomer back when he was a hero from Paragon City. A vigilante who worked tirelessly to rid the streets of scum, he soon grew disillusioned by the efforts (or lack there-of) coming out of Paragon City and those state-sanctioned media darlings calling themselves The Challengers. After seeking out Wrecks for help in carrying out his revenge, Misnomer was invited to take up residence in the halls of United Underworld.

Super Rikti: Born inside a test tube on the Rikti Homeworld, Ges'Talt is the genetic equivalent of a Chimera, a combination of DNA from several different heroes on the Omega Team. Super Rikti is classic example of a genetic monstrosity, and proof that this so-called "diversity" is a disease that plagues not just the Earth, but others as well. Super Rikti considers himself to be the superior member among the United Underworld, an opinion
that often goes challenged by Wrecks. During the Automated Autocracy, Ges'Talt was instrumental in Mechos' scheme to borg all of Paragon City, starting with the Rikti Armada and then using the fleet to borg the city below.