Chaos Jack
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
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| Chaos Jack standing before the gates of Ouroboros | |
| Chaos Jack | |
| Player: @murphyslaw | |
| Origin: | Science |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Brute |
| Threat Level: | 50 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Jonathan 'Jack' Mercetti |
| Known Aliases: | None |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | 37 |
| Height: | 8'2" |
| Weight: | 450 lbs |
| Eye Color: | Confidential |
| Hair Color: | Black |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Confidential |
| Place of Birth: | Brooklyn, New York |
| Base of Operations: | Sharkhead Isle |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | Confidential |
| Known Powers | |
| Jack can manipulate energy, enhancing both offensive and defensive skills to superhuman levels. He creates a field of energy around his body, allowing him to absorb a great deal of punishment...as well as his enemies' power over time. The field can also bend light, effectively making Jack invisible. His skills with energy manipulation also appear to be behind his ability to traverse great distances by jumping. | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Even powerless, Chaos Jack represents an intimidating foe. Physically imposing, he has been trained as an elite soldier for Arachnos; he is an expert in hand-to-hand combat and small arms fire. | |
| Equipment | |
| Chaos Jack's Arachnos command armor provides some protection against both projectile and energy weapons. given Jack's Energy Aura, it would seem this protection is of less importance then the status such armor provide within the Rouge Isles. Another symbol of Jack's power is his Executioner's Mace, given to him by Black Scorpion himself. | |
| Chaos Jack is a mercenary first, soldier second. | |
Contents |
Character Bio
Petty Criminal… Gang Member… Soldier… Commander… Mercenary… sometimes life really does come full circle.
Jonathan ‘Jack’ Mercetti began his time in the Isles as most aspiring Villains do; taking on any job he could, from whoever would pay him the most money. He soon earned a reputation as a first-rate kneecapper and enforcer. He was in high demand with several organizations, but his skills earned him a place in the gang known as the Tsoo; a rare, almost unheard-of honor for a westerner. Jack soon chafed under the thumb of his Tsoo bosses, however. Knowing he would never be allowed to rise to any true power among them, he abandoned them in yet another unheard-of move. They were not pleased by this, and it took the deaths of many Tsoo warriors at Jack’s hands before they came to realize it was probably all for the best.
It was not long before Jack found a new home within Lord Recluses’ shadowy military group Arachnos. While he had recently discovered he had little taste for others telling him what to do, he felt Arachnos provided him with the best opportunity to build his reputation into that of a true Villain. After all, Lord Recluse encouraged competition among his troops, as he wanted only the strongest and most cunning in his upper echelon. Jack quickly earned a reputation as a fearless-and quite possibly insane-combatant; he was always the first soldier in, wading headlong into overwhelming enemy forces with no regard for his personal safety, creating confusion and disorder in the opposing ranks and leaving them easy pickings for his brothers in arms. It was around this time he became known as ‘Chaos Jack’ and earned the command of his own unit. The ‘Chaos Spiders’, as they came to be known, were one of the most feared sights on any battlefield. They were good…too good, as far as some were concerned.
Various forces within Arachnos, ever-trying to obtain more power, had grown concerned with Jack’s quick rise to glory. That he was an Omega-class meta-human with incredible strength only furthered their paranoia; it would not be long before Lord Recluses’ gaze fell on Chaos Jack and granted him all he desired. These forces conspired to ensure that did not happen.
Jack’s superiors arranged for his unit to take on a high-priority, top secret mission: a “Red Wall”* op against a suspected Hero Corps facility believed to be a staging area for a large-scale assault on Lord Recluses’ compound using undercover agents. Jack and his men went in and neutralized the facility without trouble, and believed his team would be commended upon its return. Suffice it to say he was more than slightly shocked to find an entire division of Arachnos troops waiting for them, weapons ready. The ‘undercover Hero Corps agents’ had actually been a team of Lord Recluses’ personal scientists, working on a secret weapons program. His superiors sent him in knowing this, and made certain Lord Recluse himself was informed of Jack’s betrayal as the operation was taking place. Recluse sent his own private guard to arrest Jack and his men.
Realizing he had become the victim of political screw job, Jack refused to stand down, knowing if he allowed himself to be taken into custody it would be a death sentence. As he had done so many times before, Jack charged heedlessly into the heart of Recluses’ Guard, his men following. Casualties piled up on both sides, and the last of Jack’s men died helping him escape the area. Jack fled the Rouge Isles for the relatively safe haven of Paragon City. He decided to go independent and became highly successful as a mercenary for hire.
Jack was recently spotted back in the Rogue Isles after an extended stay in the Ziggurat Penitentiary. His crime: the attempted assassination of a US senator conducting a goodwill tour of Paragon City. It is still unknown who selected him for the task, although presumably it is the same person (or persons) who aided in his prison break. Unfortunately, whatever his beneficiary felt he owed Jack seems to have ended there, as finding worthwhile employment has been…problematic. Jack has been feeding off the bottom of the Isles’ food chain; minor thugs and meta-human scum who barely qualify for either term. Why he’s decided to return to the Rouge Isles, where so many people on both sides will be hunting for him, is anybody’s guess. We’ll just have to wait and see if he’s being fearless-or crazy.
- Red Wall = No prisoners/No Witnesses
Affiliations
Tsoo
Jack Mercetti first came to prominence as a member of the Tsoo; one of the few westerners ever inducted into their ranks. Prior to this, he had no known powers. It was not until he earned his tattoos that he began showing the ability to control energy, so it presumed he was somehow imbued with these powers during the tattooing process.
Jack soon grew tired of being treated like a common thug by his Tsoo masters. He knew he would always be viewed as an outsider, and never have any real chance to gain power. He abandoned the Tsoo in the hopes of finding a more suitable venue for his talents.
As rare as it may be for a westerner to be allowed to join the Tsoo, it is even more rare (i.e., unheard of) for any member to break ranks. This was viewed as a grave insult to the clan, and they immediately began sending assassins to kill Mercetti. While it is unknown exactly how many Tsoo died at Jack's hands, it is known that dozens of energy-scarred corpses began appearing all over the Rogue Isles over the next few months; the vast majority of them Tsoo warriors.
The Tsoo leadership eventually took the prudent course of action and cut their losses concerning Jack, ending the active campaign against him. Still, should a member of the Tsoo be skilled (or lucky) enough to defeat Jack and bring proof before their leaders of his demise, that Tsoo would most surely receive great honor.
Arachnos - The Beginning
During the situation with the Tsoo, Jack found himself to be in one of Arachnos' recruitment centers. On the surface, it would seem he was simply trading one master for another. In truth, Jack believed Arachnos was a better fit for him. Under Lord Recluse it was truly survival of the fittest, and Jack knew in any battle of strength he would soon rise to the top.
Arachnos commanders saw immediately the potential Jack possessed. They began training him in various hand-to-hand combat systems, stealth attacks and espionage, supplementing his already extensive knowledge learned under the Tsoo. Further, meta-human instructors helped Jack refine his control over his energy-based powers, enhancing his strength exponentially. It is around this time the number of Tsoo operatives in this area of the Rogue Isles began dropping drastically.
Mercetti began his official tenure with Arachnos as a standard shock trooper. During a battle in Siren's Call, his unit commander issued an order to retreat in the face of overwhelming odds. Jack, enraged, rose from his position, walked over to the commander, grabbed him with one hand and executed him on the spot.
Both the incoming heroes and remaining Arachnos soldiers were stunned. Calmly, Jack wrested the commander's mace from his dead fingers, and with a great roar rushed headlong into the heart of the heroes' line. Arachnos, recovering quickly, followed him in to a long bloody battle.
In the end, the heroes were defeated, having been killed, sent to the transporters or otherwise forced off the field of battle. All that remained were a small handful of exhausted Arachnos troops...and Jack, standing tall atop a pile of bodies. Unbroken, unbowed; the bringer of chaos!
