Duality
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
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| Surveillance photo of Duality in Founders' Falls | |
| Duality | |
| Player: @Silvermind | |
| Origin: | Science |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Scrapper |
| Security Level: | 50 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Jack Hanlin (identity secret) |
| Known Aliases: | None |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | 34 |
| Height: | 6'0" |
| Weight: | 206 lbs |
| Eye Color: | Brown |
| Hair Color: | Brown |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Confidential |
| Place of Birth: | New York, NY |
| Base of Operations: | Paragon City, RI; Delta City, IL |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | Confidential |
| Known Powers | |
| Enhanced reflexes, stamina, agility, recovery; super speed. | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Master swordsman and martial artist. Advanced computer skills. Extensive knowledge of weaponry. | |
| Equipment | |
| Sai (main weapons), grapple gun(super jump), holocom unit, tranq darts. | |
| ' | |
Contents |
Personality
Despite his normal apathetic attitude, Duality is a no-nonsense fighter. He doesn't worry or get scared often, usually writing off any real danger as just another fight. Because of this, he may even be a bit arrogant at times when it comes to facing danger. He's also very quiet, but far from anti-social. He's always around to listen if somebody needs to talk. Also, to a point, he's willing to open up about his own life if he feels comfortable enough with someone. On the other hand, he's very defensive to people he's never met before, and doesn't take threats lightly.
Background
Childhood
Jack Hanlin was born in New York City in 1974. Immediately after he was born, his mother mysteriously disappeared and he was left in an orphanage. Jack was never very social with other children, and quickly developed a habit of being shy. He instead spent his time reading; eventually reading every book he could get his hands on. It still wasn't enough, and shortly after his 7th birthday he devised a plan where he would break out from the orphanage every day to school, and return at night. Being as smart as he was, he managed to fabricate a life and identity in order to attend school without drawing attention to himself.
He continued this charade for 4 years, until he was finally adopted by Mark Richards, an officer with the NYPD. While he had managed to keep himself "invisible" throughout elementary school, it was a lot harder once he entered 6th grade, and his shyness resurfaced. With a cop as his surrogate father, Jack took what he learned from Richards and tried using it to his advantage, forcing himself to be assertive and stand up for himself. Over time, however, this tactic became almost a reflex, making Jack immediately defensive toward anyone he meets for the first time - a habit that's still with him to this day.
Delta City
Mark Richards never married, and Jack was his only child. He was killed in the line of duty during Jack's freshman year in high school. Jack then left New York, taking the money left to him, and traveled alone to Delta City, Illinois, to live with Richards' brother, Daniel. Daniel was less noble than Mark, deciding to make his living on the other side of the law. Acting as an informant for a Chicago crime ring, Daniel repeatedly dragged Jack into the middle of very dangerous situations. This is how he learned to defend himself - constantly having to fight off hitmen sent to attack Daniel. Through this, Jack built up his identity as a guardian and protector.
Transformation
Jack soon began to be overcome by this persona, and was arrested several times because of it. His aggressiveness and ambition, which were originally to help him, were now taking over his life. He couldn't hold a job, couldn't stay in a relationship, and alienated himself from everyone who knew him. It reached a point where he could barely control himself, and he decided to put an end to it.
Because he read so often, he had read many times about an experimental procedure used with patients suffering from schizophrenia. The goal was to bring the dominate personality to the brain's forefront, effectively eliminating any alternate mindsets and personalities. Although he didn't have schizophrenia, Jack was desperate, and felt that his situation was close enough to warrant it. But of course, not everything went as planned.
Instead of "curing" his condition, the experiment simply made it worse, giving Jack's ambition a mind of its own...
Hero
Jack never was much of a hero. But once his other side began to take hold, he found himself entering into fights to more or less prove he could win them. Realizing he did have a certain amount of influence over his aggression, he focused his energy toward fighting those who threatened others. Before long, he found himself spending days on end on the streets, trying to make something of the mess that was his life; trying to justify what he saw as a flaw.
The idea of donning tights and fighting crime was a complete joke to him at first, being that he never read many comics growing up and thought they were juvenile. However, as time went on, he noticed that he had found himself frantically hiding at the first sign of police while crimefighting, and cautiously looking over his shoulder even when not. He knew of the only thing that could solve this, of course - a mask.
Designing a costume and name for himself, he now took to the streets more freely, without fear of recognition. The moment he first whispered the word "Duality" to a petty criminal, he felt a release - a weight lifted off his shoulders. He no longer had to hide; he now had freedom. And a purpose.
Paragon City
After a couple months, Duality had built a reputation for himself in Delta City. This, of course, came with a price. He soon found himself being lured and baited into dangerous situations as a target. The underworld was after him, and his uncle, who had since risen to a position of power within the crime ring, was at the forefront. One mission took Duality in too deep, and he had to get out, fleeing to Paragon so he could blend in.
He now lives and works in Paragon, yet still feels obligated not to leave Delta behind to fall into darkness. He splits his time between the cities, trying to balance his job between the two.
Powers & Abilities
Swordsmanship
Duality is expertly skilled in weapons combat, specifically swords. He trained himself through reading and practicing techniques with knives and pipes. Once he finally felt he was ready, he took a pair of Sai from his foster father's collection, as he was an avid collector of antiques before his death. Duality chooses to use Sai rather than swords because of their size; they're much easier to handle and fight with in the style he uses.
Willpower
Before the experiment, Duality had to be given a wide range of steroids to ensure that his body would be able to withstand the procedure. The majority of these drugs were used to enhance his body's resistance to pain and his endurance. When the experiment went wrong, these steroids were permanently fused with his physical and chemical makeup. He now has increased agility, endurance, and recovery.
Along with those changes, his aggressive mind is far more primal now, and requires constant monitoring. Duality has to concentrate to keep his aggression in check, and in times of battle, he can sometimes lose this control and his mind pushes him to beyond his physical limits, often putting his life in danger. Without the aid of the steroids, he'd have surely died a long time ago.
Super Speed
One of the many drugs given to Duality was used to increase his natural reactions and processes, to ensure that his body wouldn't fall into a coma during the procedure. His reflexes were greatly increased, and now he can even manipulate his body into super speed because of it. While he can use this ability in combat, it would drain his energy so fast he wouldn't last long in a real fight. Due to this drawback, Duality rarely uses his speed.
Equipment
Sai
Duality's foster father, Mark Richards, was a collector of antiques. He had many ancient artifacts including silverware and weapons. He had a pair of Sai he kept in a display case with multiple locks to prevent young Jack from getting to them. After he died, Jack found the keys yet still honored his father's wishes, not opening the case until he was trained and ready to use them. To this day, he refuses to fight with anything else and guards his weapons with his life.
Grapple Gun
Since he has a vast knowledge of weapons, Duality experimented with inventing from time to time. After wanting to find an easier way to get around, he designed a grapple gun. It works based on a weighted system, where the cord retracts to whichever end carries more weight. For example, it can be lauched into a building wall and Duality would be pulled to it, or he can fire it at something smaller like a trashcan, and the trashcan is pulled to his location.
