Gearlock Mechstorm
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
| [[Image:|300px|]] | |
| Gearlock Mechstorm | |
| Player: @Kursion | |
| Origin: | Technology |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Master Mind |
| Threat Level: | 28 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Austin Howard Johnson |
| Known Aliases: | Buzz, Lugnut, A.J. |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | 26 |
| Height: | 6'3" |
| Weight: | 225 lbs. |
| Eye Color: | Grey |
| Hair Color: | Brown |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | Unknown |
| Occupation: | Mechanical Engineer |
| Place of Birth: | Paragon City |
| Base of Operations: | Confidential |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | Unknown |
| Known Powers | |
| Robotics | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Gadgets | |
| Equipment | |
| High Energy Assault Rifle | |
| No additional information available. | |
Contents |
Personality
Gearlock has always looked on the brighter side of things and kept a realistic outlook on life. His favorite phrase "Hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst" is always lurking in the back of his head no matter what he's doing. Calm and soft spoken he analyzes things before rushing head long into them which is a far cry from the actions of his youth.
Background
Growing Up
Gearlock was smarter than most childen his age and though his parents were proud of him early on as the years dragged on they became more and more discouraged by his actions. At age 4 he was taking apart and re-assembling anything he could get his hands on. He "destroyed" everything that he could get his hands on ranging from toys to home appliances just to find out what made them tick. At age 5 he was using spare parts from things he disassembled to build new things which ranged from harmless little robots that he could control via remotes to a leaf blower projectile launcher that could put a Mk 47 Striker to shame.
Though he had a slight juvenile record due to more than one of his "inventions" going haywire and causing property damage he avoided serious trouble and attended school up until his senior year. It was at his highschool science faire that he constructed his first fully operational robotic automaton which he gave the named "HL-1". When the judges came to his creation they were awed by it's construction, it wasn't until he issued a basic command to walk that things went horribly wrong. His prized entry into the science fair went on a ballistic rampage injuring many fellow students and seriously injuring a number of faculty members as well as one of the school janitors.
Shortly after the fiasco at the science fair he was expelled from highschool, just months away from graduating at the top of his class. Undaunted he obtained a GED, took his entrance exam and began attending college working on a degree in mechanical engineering. During his collegiate years he avoided building anything aside from small robots and gadgets that he kept to himself. Shortly after graduating he started work on various projects while working for a robotics company on a R&D team.
Research and Development
Gearlock's potential for inventing shone through in an enviornment where everything he needed was supplied, his days of stripping the vaccume cleaner down for a motor and wiring were far gone. His inventions during his stay in the robotics devision ranged from bio-mechanical limb replacements to a powered exoskeleton armor that housed a small but powerful computer system.
Seeing that he was clearly a misplaced asset his superiors moved him abruptly to a different branch that handled military contracts. It was here that his knack for building dangerous things began to shine through and he was quickly promoted to a supervisor position. Instead of creating new things he took old designs rebuilt them from the ground up and increased their effectiveness marginally.
An Obsolete Model
After eight years of hard work, dedication and sacrifice on his behalf the corporation he worked so diligently for terminated him. It was a devastating blow to him, he'd made them a fortune during his years, being terminated from a job he'd poured his heart into. Angered he demanded a reason for their actions and the answer he recieved left him stunned, "You are obsolete, the fresh faces are bringing more to the table than you have in months."
He was relieved of his security clearance pass, uniform and escorted outside by building security. His face was solemn as there was no hatred in his eyes as he stared at the executive drone who informed him of his termination and he didn't strugle as he was led out of the building. It was that analytical nature surfacing after being long buried and by the time he sat down at the bus stop he'd made up his mind, he was going to take back his inventions...by force if necessary.
The First Job
Villains usually classify their work as a "Job" be it a heist, kidnapping, murder, etc... most remember their first step down the path that they now walk and it was no different for Gearlock.
Disguised as a janitor he infiltrated the build and using a few of the gadgets he'd built during his college days he was able to break into the robotics R&D department. After donning his powered exoskeleton he used it's built in computer to hack the AI of a battle drone which made his entry into the restricted military branch that much easier. After gathering up a few gadgets and design plans he made his escape via a large hole in the basement of the building, fleeing through the sewers he stashed his inventions and gadgets in a safe house.
Note: His incarceration and inprisonment in the Zig was cut short by Arachnos who had him extracated and brought to the rogue islands. Shortly after arrriving in the rogue islands he snuck into paragon city, raided his safe house and made his way back to mercy. He's currently working up a reputation for himself and tinkering with new gadgets as well as constructing new robots.
Powers and Abilities
Robotics
Lacking any real powers gearlock falls back on his technical knowledge to get him through most of his endeavors. His robots are all linked to the CPU of his exoskeleton which he can contro via a keypad built into the forearm. The five robots are a small force to be reconed with though they can sometimes give him problems since their AI programs are far from perfected. His most reliable of the robots under his control is unit GLaDOS which was his most recent creation.
Gadgets
Amongst the pillaged gadgets and plans he swiped before he was sent up the river gearlock found a good use for some of the military inventions. Some of these range from chemical agents to projectile weapons which he's made his own tweaks to improve. His favorite gadgets range from his personal forcefield generator to handy grenades that explode into sticky webs upon impact. After some trial and error, involving a few mishaps with previous robot models, he's perfected a short range teleportation technology that he's built into his suit.
Weaknesses
Even though the exoskeleton gives him a bit of protection he's still very vulnerable to pretty much anything that would kill a normal person. His focus on work led him to be limited in his contact with anyone other than other R&D staff members which had segregated the groups due to possible distractions. Because of this he is usually shy around women and has on more than one occasion communicated with them solely through his robots.
Allies
None so far
Enemies
Aside from several showdowns with law enforcement groups and heroes gearlock has a deep seated hatred for the Rikti who have on many occasions gone out of their way to destroy his precious robots.
Trivia
- All of his robots are named after robots from movies, anime and videogames.
- His main costume is based loosely around gordon freemans HEV suit.
