Hack Rat
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
| |
| UNLEASHED! | |
| Hack Rat The Shank-Master | |
| Player: LoneWolfRGB | |
| Origin: | Technological |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Scrapper |
| Security Level: | 6 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Confidential |
| Known Aliases: | The Shankmaster |
| Species: | Al'Mikuntirai |
| Age: | Unknown |
| Height: | Approx. 4' 5" |
| Weight: | Approx. 125 lbs |
| Eye Color: | Black |
| Hair Color: | White |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | Extra-Terrestrial (Al'Mikuntirai) |
| Occupation: | Vigilante and Mercenary (he gets his money from vanquished enemies, or clients who pay him for unconventional combat missions) |
| Place of Birth: | The Planet Al'Mikuntirai |
| Base of Operations: | Confidential |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | None |
| Known Powers | |
| Hack Rat's alien metabolism enables him to survive on an extremely harsh diet, including higher concentrations of minerals and "garbage" than Terran-born mammals. Though his mouth is normally shut so tight as to be barely seen...he can also gnaw through substances such as steel, concrete, and other hard gritty materials. His species has a mouth that seals tight, when not in use, by quickly creating a solid, yet porous, membrane covering. | |
| Known Abilities | |
| All in all, Hack Rat is versed in conventional and unconventional warfare, including guerilla warfare and Special Forces training. He prefers to use variations of the common "shank", or improvised knives and home made bladed weapons. His gloves have been modified to project retractable blades that he uses often for close combat. It is said that Hack Rat is able to climb walls to an extent using the claws natural to his rat-like, humanoid, alien race. Hack Rat has also been seen burrowing under walls if neccessary, to mount surprise attacks, or get into certain areas undetected. | |
| Equipment | |
| A.L.I.C.E. compatible commando vest with Kevlar, flexible ballistic full bodyarmor, jet pack, shock-absorbing jump boots, and various other protective gear. | |
| Note: In the Virtue Universe, Hack Rat's abilities differ somewhat from outside the world of City of Heroes. | |
Profile:
(This Character Is Not Exclusive To The Virtue Universe)
Hack Rat is the result of a secret US Government military science experiment that began during the Cold War.
This experiment was considered to be way ahead of it's time. The ultimate goal of the project was to combine the genes, DNA, or physical body of terrestrial predators, with of a number of captured extra-terrestrials that crash-landed on our planet. These altered predators were meant to then complete mission objectives that would be considered suicide missions for most human soldiers, and to further the understanding of other advanced genetic experimentation by scientists working for the US Department of Defense.
Though most test subjects died before the completion of thier specific experiments, a very small ratio survived. (Roughly 1 in 300). After a while, the budget for the genetic experimentation portion of the project was cut back significantly, then withdrawn. In the end, only a handful of successes remained.
Each was given a codename, and inducted into a specialized training program to prepare them for top-secret missions such as; terminating foreign political targets, the neutralization of certain small countries of their entire administrations, espionage, and much sabotage in the Russian Federation, as well as a handful of strategic Special POW rescue missions.
These bio-genetically engineered soldiers were trained with only the basic instincts needed to survive under extreme duress, and follow orders. This changed however, near the end of the Cold War of the 1980's, when a group of scientists from the original test subjects home planet, (roughly pronounced Al'Mikuntirai) found a way to track distress signals from beacons much further from the home-world than ever before. The ship that Hack Rat and his fellows had crashed in years before, was detected, and a search and rescue team was dispatched to retrieve any survivors.
This attempt was ill-fated however, as the United Nations detected the ship as it entered our solar system, and mobilized for a possible attack ASAP. Communications between the Earth and the Al'Mikuntirais was barely understandable on either side, especially the combative and distrusting voice of the US, which had successfully kept it's military secrets regarding the crash.
The search and rescue vehicle from Al'Mikuntirais entered Earth's atmosphere, and went straight to airspace above the site of the old ship from many years before. Frantic that the Top-Secret operations would be World News within the next 24 hours, the US Government intitiated an attack on the Al'Mikuntirais, followed by strong military support from every nation in the UN. Soon, the alien ship was blown to pieces as it attempted to mobilize defensive measures somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean. No survivors were recovered, and no bodies were ever found inside the wreckage.
The trip wasn't a total failure however. The researchers aboard the alien craft were able to locate and educate each stranded refugee of their planet by remote means, thus restoring a large part of their memories that had been lost after the initial crash.
Many broke off from the US Government and began to fight against it, as revenge for being detained, and picked apart against their will. In the end, out of the handful, only 5 subjects/operatives survived. The survivors all went into hiding, and were separated from each other in the confusion.
Hack Rat was the first to be freed of a tracking beacon implant by the Search and Rescue team, while they hovered above the Airforce base, before being attacked. Using their advanced technology, they were able to undo some of the damage done to the subjects, but because of the nature of the experiments...many did not contain enough original tissue for anything remotely close to full restoration. Hack Rat, retained the most out of all subjects, thus he got the most attention and aid, before the Al'Mikuntirais rescue vessel was destroyed. This meant Hack Rat's liberation from Government Control.
Armed with superior training, technological enhancements, and the element of surprise, Hack Rat began a series of assaults on Government Scientific Compounds around the country. This also led him to a conflict with a mysterious diabolical foe in his personal base of operations in Rhode Island. The enemy wasn't government funded, but relied heavily on robotic mockeries of humanity, designed to target and victimize regular citizens. The memories of his own victimization at the hands of destructive science, compelled Hack Rat to begin a campaign of covert operations and sabotage against this foe, but was soon discovered, due to the overwhelming numbers of robotic eyes surrounding his local area, and beyond.
Always ready to take on new challenges, Hack Rat now wages a war of his own against any threats that cross his path, while trying to protect the common citizenry, at any cost.
In his mind, his mission is a never-ending campaign, in a never-ending war, in which there are casualties on both sides. From time to time, he has been known to manipulate seemingly innocent people to their deaths to further his victories, but then...nobody's "innocent", are we?
