Commander Faraday
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
| |
| "Shockin', ain't it?" | |
| Commander Faraday | |
| Player: DemonsFolly | |
| Origin: | Science |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Blaster |
| Security Level: | 20 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Arthur Valen |
| Known Aliases: | None as of yet |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | 25 |
| Height: | 5' 10" |
| Weight: | 183 lbs |
| Eye Color: | Light Blue |
| Hair Color: | Dark Red |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Security Consultant |
| Place of Birth: | Livingston, TX |
| Base of Operations: | Livingston, TX |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | None |
| Known Powers | |
| Electrical Blast, Electricity Manipulation, Teleportation | |
| Known Abilities | |
| An excellent analytical mind, martial arts training, and an ability to sense electrical discharges in the near vicinity. | |
| Equipment | |
| HeroTech Discharge Gauntlets (Prototype Model; EE384.16566.B), hover pads, armored electro-suit | |
| Longbow has marked this Cape as TERRITORIAL regarding the Four Seasons area of the Hollows. | |
A hard-hitting protector of the streets, Commander Faraday is a growing fear in the minds of many gang members.
Contents |
Work at HeroTech
Arthur Valen began as a security guard for a small bank in his hometown of Livingston. After single-handedly stopping an attempted robbery at the bank, Valen was scouted and offered a job by HeroTech. The corporation was an emerging research institute, trying to create various kinds of superheroes for (mainly) commercial and (some) altruistic purposes. Valen accepted the job and moved to Paragon to become a security officer for one of their research laboratories. After several years of dedicated service, he was eventually promoted to Guard Captain over all of the security officers at that laboratory.
The Attack
Although the lab Valen guarded had not had any major breakthroughs in years, it was slowly coming around to a workable design. The researchers were attempting to create abilities similar to the electric eel via massive DNA manipulation in the muscles of the forearms of their testers, and to then harness those electrical discharges through a pair of advanced gauntlets based on some...recently acquired Crey designs.
One of the lower-level researchers was in the pay of Crey Industries, and he dutifully attempted to contact his superiors regarding their stolen plans. However, he got a number wrong on the phone number he was supposed to call, and instead left a message on a gang leader for the Outcasts. The Outcast gang saw this as the perfect opportunity to expand the abilities of their electricity-oriented members, and sprang a surprise assault on the lab within the week.
Valen and his security forces put up a brave fight, but they were hopelessly outmatched. They tried to send distress signals for Heroes, but the Outcasts' first actions included the destruction of the alarm systems - the Crey agent's message had led them right to them. In the end, Valen and a handful of researchers had barricaded themselves in the testing room, waiting for the gang to blast them apart. One of the researchers, desperate to find a way for the work to survive, shoved Valen into the machine they had designed to alter their testers' DNA, threw in the gauntlets, locked the door, and turned on the machine. When Valen managed to force his way out (wearing the discharge gauntlets and feeling a nasty tingle in his arms), all of the researchers were dead.
What happened next has never been fully determined; most of the building was melted with intense heat generated from electrical bursts. In several places the ashen remains of screaming Outcast gang members were still visible on the walls as black shadows. What is clear is that when he left, Valen took the gauntlets and hid them. He later claimed to have called in sick that day, and to not have been present when the Outcasts attacked.
Recent Activities
After the Outcast attack on HeroTech, Valen left the corporation (citing personal matters as a reason). He has since began working as a private security consultant for various companies, including both Crey and HeroTech.
In his off hours, however, Valen has adopted the identity of Commander Faraday, an electricity-based hero bent on eradicating the gangs that plague Paragon City. While any gang member is likely to face the sting of his electrical blasts, the Outcasts are usually afforded a more than generous dose of sizzling blue bolts. Commander Faraday has chosen to make the Four Seasons area of the Hollows his primary focus, and he enjoys wiping the floor with any and every gang member he sees there.
Recently, Commander Faraday has joined The Global Guard supergroup, seeking the legitimacy that has so far eluded him. He has also sought out several covert scientists to build him an armored suit that can be powered by his own electrical field, to give him greater protection.
Abilities
Commander Faraday is capable of generating an electrical charge in the muscles of his forearms and then discharging it in a blast. Without the HeroTech gauntlets, he is limited to only being able to affect things he is in physical contact with - such as electronic door locks and computers. Even in these cases, he can only send blasts of power to destroy or overload, not to alter in any form.
When he wears the HeroTech Discharge Gauntlets, however, Commander Faraday is able to manipulate these electrical blasts. By focusing them, he can generate a stronger blast; by widening them he can create an area of effect that is somewhat weaker. He is always seeking to learn new ways to create new effects through storing, focusing, and modulating the energy blasts. Recently, he has discovered a way to attune the gauntlets to his own body's natural electrical frequency, allowing him to teleport from place to place (This discovery led to the purchase of some Crey hover pads, following Commander Faraday's first fall from teleporting too high up).
Most recently, Commander Faraday has had a special armored suit constructed for his use. The suit is powered by his own electrical impulses, and as such limits drastically his ranged abilities. However, it is designed to be a powerhouse in close combat, thus shoring up this usual weakness in that area against super-powered foes.
Apart from the gauntlets and armor, Commander Faraday is proficient in a number of martial arts - a skill necessary as a security guard in Paragon City. He also has a rather analytical mind suited for solving puzzles, which he uses both in his day job (deciding how best to shore up a corporation's weaknesses) and in his "real job" (figuring out a way to force the gangs to either leave or collapse altogether).
Personality
Commander Faraday is amiable and friendly to most people, especially fellow heroes. He is intelligent, though a heavy Southern accent sometimes prevents that from coming through. He prefers to work alone, but is not adverse to joining a group as either a leader or a follower (he has been known to join Diamond's Ace as a sidekick to the more experienced hero).
When faced with a problem, Commander Faraday often fixates onto it with his entire mind. This can leave him oblivious to other problems, especially if the main issue concerns the Outcasts or other gang activities.
