Name: Deon Tondro Williams
Codename: Raider
Age: 18
Date of Birth: 01/28/2004
Height: 7'8
Weight: 648 lbs (Proportionally-appropriate muscular build, that is denser than he looks)
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Brown (glowing red when powers are heavily exerted)
Place of Origin: Detroit, Michigan
Nationality/Race: American
Classification/Origin of Powers: Mega-Strong Science Hero (Mutant & Tech)
Status: Trainee
Occupation: Fast-Tracked Dual Masters Degree Program Student - Engineering & Physics
Personality Profile:
Deon is highly irrepressible, and generally full of good humor, snark, and reasonably good cheer... Which can be a somewhat off-putting attitude for those who know of his natal history and past (Deon was found in a dumpster, as newborn, and raised by the state in a series of foster homes, few of which were exactly happy affairs). For a realist, however, Deon is a determined (though not irritating) optimist. Life is both what it gives you, and what you make of it. He is also strong of will... And Deon can be incredibly stubborn to deal with, but is rarely argumentative about it, and doesn't shy away from changing his mind once new facts and factors are presented. He is also 18, however, and thus is prone to fits of uncertainty, angst, confusion and doubt, as he grows and learns. Racially, Deon identifies as 'Black', but does not ever consider himself 'African-American', thanks to a great number of his foster parents being neither of these things. This has given him a more open-ended view of the US ethnic spectrum, and so he simply considers himself as 'American', when he bothers to consider or put down any nationality or ethnicity at all. Through only a few intimate (but unfortunately short-term) relationships, Deon has learned that he does not fit the mainstream intimate or romantic type. He is unsure exactly where that leaves him, and is worried that it might all change one day, as he grows older.
Currently, Deon has taken to wearing a comfortable mish-mash of urban-military (black), punk-metal (black with silver studs), and street wear (also black), with the occasional dark gray, navy blue, or dark purple, thrown in for accents, on days that he's feeling more colourful, and a very good pair of reinforced, upper-calf-length paratrooper boots (which aren't easy to find in his size, and are also black). This both enables him to blend in semi-seamlessly in the musical venues and young-adult waterholes that he visits (when he's not in a lab or garage, somewhere, and feeling sociable), and yet also enables him to either present a massive intimidating wall of darkness (should he need to), or, counter-intuitively, to disappear into the shadows. Deon is fastidious and well-groomed by nature, and tends to be very crisp and clean in his attire, no matter what he's wearing, however. A product of his JROTC training that is permanently etched on his posture and poise.
Deon is a staunch atheist, firmly believing in the tenets of science, examination, observation, and testing, when it comes to phenomenon, to ascertain its actual nature and properties. He is not, however, pushy about it (that serves no purpose to anyone, after all), and is quite happy to be left alone in his preferred methodology, leaving others to their own. When it comes up, in conversation, he merely smiles and nods without causing a stir or an argument. This manner of being does come about from his roots, experience, knowledge, and powers, of course, and he acknowledges this without much comment. The same can -almost- (but not quite) be said about his political philosophies and activities. Deon is on the extreme Left of the political axis, recognizing that capitalism sucks, but acknowledging that some sort of social democratic governance might be necessary, to keep the lights on and the safety nets out (a product of his own roots, of course). This means he pro-civil rights, pro-feminist, pro-LGBTQ, pro-abortion, pro-union, pro-healthcare, pro-environment, anti-facist and anti-war, amongst a whole raft of other things. And while he doesn't preach these concepts, he'll happily explain them, if (and only if) asked. In the past, before he turned 18 and experienced a major mutagenic event, he was a very active part of the protest community. Even now he sends funding, through circuitous routes, to the Anarchist Black Cross.
Deon is, of course, also pro-mutant, and not just because he is one. Even before he knew he was one, he found that people tended to somehow be immune to cognitive dissonance of being pro-civil rights, and yet anti-movement. Especially to the point of violence, on the latter issue. Recognizing, later, that he was a mutant, merely made the issue more personal, not that this matters. There are many different points of view of what it means to be a mutant, even amongst mutant-kind, and Deon is no exception to this. To him, mutants are just another sub-species of humanity with some fantastic (but wholly natural) variable advantages between its members. It is not, in his view, an -offshoot- of humanity, however. There is no comparison to Homo sapiens neanderthalensis giving way to modern Homo sapiens sapiens. An honest conversation about this, to him, would of fairly basic genocide. One cannot usually 'out evolve' or 'replace' a previous species without a severe body count, after all.
Physical Description
-Deon is a massive, muscular Black man, built like a body-building powerlifter, with dark maroon-brown skin that is almost purple, in the right lighting. His barrel shaped face, with its high cheek-bones and almost-pointed strong jawline, was clean shaven, and he possesses a head of black hair that was neatly trimmed close to his scalp. His ears are slightly pointed and notably oversized (and yes, he -is- sensitive about this). His eyes are rich dark coffee-brown, with the occasional hint of a gleam or glow of red, in an outer ring, surrounding his iris. Standing at a well-proportioned height of 7'8, Deon towers over most people, but has the presence of mind, and the civility to not do so, on purpose.
-Deon: His face.
...and this is Deon from behind, at the gym...
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General Power Information: Full Meta-Biology - Deon's biology -all of it- is enhanced as his mutation, to a supernaturally preternatural degree. Technically he does almost nothing that a normal human can't do, except that he does it bigger, better and more to a past-freakish extent. His bones, nerves, muscles, organs, brain, nails, hair, processes, and skin are all vastly improved, which leads to the following three effects, at this time.
Meta-Fortitude: Deon is, by now, mega-resilient, with an uncanny hardiness that can unnerve the unprepared. He is incredibly resistant to energy and physical damage, with bones/flesh/eyes/hair/nerves/skin/organs and viscera being variably as damage-proof as a high-strength titanium alloy, with an average burning point of 1668 °C (3034 °F). His skin, for example, is far tougher than the standard human variety, but is less like pure titanium, and more like a more flexible titanium based composite armor, giving it a more natural and warm (if unmistakably leathery) feel, on contact. Consequently, this makes him relatively resistant to the overall damage of heavy arms and artillery fire, and explosives. He is incredibly resistant to electrical, heat-based, pressure and radiological attacks, and is a horribly poor conductor of the same. Though he can and will be pushed around by pressure attacks, however, in accordance to his weight of 648 lbs. In that respect Deon can be a very effective, if somewhat unwilling, projectile. Deon is somewhat less resistant to cold attacks, however, taking slightly more damage over all, but otherwise halving his ability to lift or move things, and to maneuver with any degree of his usual speed. Consequently, he can survive at heavy pressure, or vacuum, but he still needs to breathe, being only able to hold his breath for 2 hours or so, without struggle.
Deon does not easily tire, and his endurance is suitably freakish for a person who does not readily suffer from either exhaustion, tiredness, or even the pain and fatigue from heavy activities. His muscles and joints, being of incredibly strong consistency, do not readily suffer from breakage, or wear and tear. He can run or exert himself for hours at maximum effort for maximized effect, and jog or readily enjoy light exercise for days, if he so wishes, without much fatigue. He tries to rest some, every day, however, and to sleep at least 8 hours a week, whether he needs it or not. He does not wear down, and his ability to heal what little damage that he might take occurs so fast that is comparable to a very light regeneration factor (Deon can only 'regenerate' fleshy bits, small extremities, minor bone breaks, and possibly his eyes). Because of this. It is suspected that he may possess a freakishly enhanced longevity, though this has as yet been untested.
Meta-Physiology: As a man who's basically a mobile statue of titanium-class resilient flesh and bone, Deon also possesses mega-strength, however not as much as his make-up might suggest. But it's far more than enough in most cases. His ability to carry, lift and truck about objects is half his tensile strength, allowing him manipulate roughly 30 short-tons with relative ease, for long periods of time (For consideration, this means he can pick up the average Panzer tank, and walk off with it, much to the annoyance of the tank crew). Between his resilience and his strength, however, Deon is distressingly fast. Especially for those used to the stereotype of great strength and size somehow equalling a more lethargic and ploddingly slow speed. Due to the power of his musculature, and his resilience, Deon clocks in at an even 85mph speed while lightly jogging, and can dash for lengthy periods of time, as mentioned above, for roughly three times that speed. This is problematic, as he is not a true speedster, and his speed generates both heat, and friction (static) when he does this. His standing and running long-jumps are equally stellar, but he generally doesn't do any of these things without cause, however, because the combination of his mass and speed can easily produce property damage. Deon hates doing that, but fortunately his nerves and sinews are horrifyingly competent as well, allowing him the benefit of lightning fast reflexes and acts of adroitness and grace. He can perform normal every-day acts without more than instinctive care, and is very nimble on his feet.
Meta-Mind: Last but not at all least of Deon's core powers is his mind and nervous system. As was stated earlier, Deon's nerves function much better than the standard humans, allowing him to avoid being clumsy and slow. This is due to his entire nervous system being ultra-enhanced and hardy, just like the rest of his body. His brain itself is also enhanced, hyper-dense (he jokes about it probably being solid-state), and capable of immense calculations in his head, eidetic-memorization from super-fast speed-reading, and distressingly fast learning on-the-fly (generally he only needs to read it once, to memorize, figure it out, and comprehend a thing). The only thing stopping Deon from being a true Renaissance Man is that he has had limited access to learning materials and labs with which to do more than just learning by literary curriculum, and a limited amount of time to flex his powers. As such he is a 'genius in waiting'. His limited time in the science and engineering field at labs at Grand Valley State University, in Allendale Michigan have allowed him to move into more technical fields, and he now can create minor works of hyper-science: computing engineering and physics-based technology that is something like 50-100 years ahead of its time, with significant effort. Four examples of this are his flight harness, Lucille (see below), the micronized components in his iconic helmet, and his zap gloves.
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Drawbacks & Weaknesses
-Alien Physiology: Deon looks relatively normal on the outside, aside from the slightly unusual tint of his skin (rare but not unheard of), and his size (Gigantism is a thing). On the inside, however, is another issue. Deon's internal organs, his biochemistry, and his cerebral-nervous system, are all very -very- different from that of a standard human, and this difference is readily noticeable to even the untrained eye, should they observe them directly or via x-ray. For example he has four 'lung-like' structures, an oddly built more-central than it should be, abnormally large heart, and nothing says 'this man is an alien/mutant' like glowing violet blood.
-Extra Caloric Requirements (x5): Deon has specialized biology and density. To maintain that, he requires a daily intake of 10,000 to 12,500 calories per day (depending on his activity level). He is still learning how to cope with this issue. When hungry, he becomes ravenous and brusk, while his eyes glow a hot bright red, which causes its own problems.
-More Mass, More Problems: Due to his titanic density, Deon can and will cause property damage when he operates at full speed. When he hits his full stride, and powers down an improperly reinforced road or sidewalk, he can leave footprints and cracks in the concrete and asphalt. The same occurs when he has to jump, leaving impact craters both for and aft if he was at any speed beforehand. This is why he generally takes almost exaggerated care to avoid such scenarios unless the situation is dire.
-Mutant Gigantism: Deon actually suffers from a mutant form of Gigantism, with an array of secondary problems because of it. His enhanced pituitary gland sports mutant adenomas, 'benign' tumors causing this condition. The whole raft of complications that come with standard Gigantism either do not, or, are not currently likely to affect her, however he does regularly suffer from slightly delayed puberty, recurring headaches, and stomach aches. The delayed puberty is especially disturbing to some, as this means he might have one or two more growth spurts to go through, attaining even more height before he is done.
-Person of Interest (Gov: US. Military): Deon was in the government system as a child, and later on joined the Marine Corps JROTC, where he did so well -exhibiting some amazing (but not uncanny) abilities to learn and act on said learning- that his file was flagged by the United States Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) for a background check and investigation, to see if he might be recruited later on, in the future. His most recent medical records were privately accessed, and it was noted that he had currently inactive mutant DNA that might kick in at some later date. Officially, this means that he is no longer a person of interest to MARSOC, due current regulations and the uncertainty of the Mutant issue in the military. UNOFFICIALLY, however, MARSOC has farmed that out to other clandestine offices within the US. Military (nothing is ever lost or wasted), who have kept a watchful eye on him ever since, still hoping to 'urge' him into signing up, or (and more likely) possibly for other more nefarious reasons.
-Publically Known Mutant: Deon's final stage of his inevitable first mutation kicked in a very public way, and was noted on camera. It caused someone to take minor injuries and also caused him no end of administrative issues before he came to Cobalt. It's definitely on his record, as well as on his educational, employment and legal history. So while he's not famous in most ways, people who keep track of revealed mutants, or who are capable of doing any real degree of research, can recognize him as more than just 'that one big-as-hell guy, over there.'
-Reinforced Housing/Wardrobe: Deon is as tough as a hyper-strength titanium alloy, and (fortunately, for now) at least half as strong thanks to his enhanced mobility and reflexes. The later two things enable him to live his life without accidentally harming people, when he's out and about, and minding his own business. Being able to heft a tank, however, comes with a particularly galling set of restrictions, and also is remarkably difficult on his clothing - Clothing which had to be personally tailored to his huge frame anyway. He regularly breaks alarm clocks in the morning, when half-awake, must be incredibly careful with non-reinforced furniture (if it fits his bulk, to begin with). Life became greatly expensive after his muta-genesis. He has figured out a way to make reinforced clothing for himself, but at this time he only has a reinforced track-suit, reinforced jeans, t-shirt, and sneakers, as this process is very tricky (It is not one of his hyper-tech discoveries, and he's not quite sure if he can pull it off again).
-SND Take-Down: Deon's internal anatomy is so strange, that when an SND (or when power that negates other Meta-powers is applied to him), that it causes him to go into a coma. This happens rapidly if not instantly, with Deon only able to mutter a word or two at most (usually an exclamation of surprise, or a curse), before he otherwise immediately falls over. The SND has little if any other effect, however. He's still a large, human-shaped mass of super-dense material, and is otherwise fairly damage resistant. However the shock of the attempted physiological reversion of his body and mind (something his biology actively resists), leaves him otherwise helpless to whatever might affect him. He could be drowned, gassed, put on a cart and dragged away, etc.
-'Tha Glow': Deon's powers have an unusual side-effect, when exerted, to any degree, for a long period of time. After about 10-15 minutes of exertion causes Deon to glow a bright vermillion orange-red. This is very noticeable, lights up the dark in washes of crimson, and is easily visible by both regular heat-based and radiological vision, as his temperature also notable spikes at this time to a point where he almost becomes too hot to touch, and he also generates a notable (but benign) uptake in background radiation. Needless to say, when this unfortunate state occurs, it is impossible for Deon to hide or to easily sneak away.
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Skills: Deon knows a considerable number of skills for some of his age. This is due to his powers which enable him to remember rote information, and to learn with remarkable swiftness, in days or weeks what would take a standard person months or years to accomplish. The Skills below are organized in Alphabetical rather than Chronological order.
-Computing <Hacking/Programing/Science>: Around the time Deon turned 14, his first aspect of his mutation (his IQ and ability to speed-learn/read) began to kick in. His first clue to this was his ready absorption of all educational resources concerning computers and computing. By the time he was fifteen, thanks to the wide dearth of readily available educational materials, he'd written his own professional-grade, Operating System, and could program with ease.
-Engineering <Electronic/Mechanical>: Once enrolled in college, Deon speed-acquired the skills of an unofficial journeyman-level Electronic, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineer, thanks to the availability of 'free' garage/lab time, access to the computer labs, and the free higher-level curriculum at the various campus libraries. He can repair, rewire, and (given the right equipment) rebuild mechanical implements and vehicles, once he has access to investigate a mechanical device.
-MC-JROTC & Green Belt-MCMAP: From the ages of 15 to 16, Deon participated in his high-school's Marine Corps - Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program, learning routines of improved basic fitness, first-aid, military procedure, and teamwork. He can drill and march with skill. He also speed-learned and side-practiced MCMAP - The Marine Corps Martial Arts Program, by the 'strategic relocation' of combat-training booklets and tapes from the JROTC facility, and practicing the hand-to-hand/weapon techniques on the side. Unofficially, he counts as a MCMAP green-belt, roughly a midline-level military combatant. He can deliver intermediate level unarmed combat, including proper upper and lower-body strikes, chokes, joint-locks and throws, counter strikes, unarmed restraints and joint manipulations, ground fighting, and holds. Deon is distressingly good with a knife (dirty) street-fighting, and weapons of opportunity, compared to his intermediate level of MCMAP techniques, however, due to his past history on the streets and in various foster homes.
-Physics <Applied, Atomic, and Condensed Matter>: From the Ages of 17 to 18, Deon absorbed as much knowledge and lab-experience in the fields of Applied, Atomic, and Condensed Matter physics, at the University. He possesses an unlicensed journeyman's practiced understanding of these fields, and has the capacity to apply what he knows, if the equipment is available. This includes a limited understanding of the applied subfields of Atomic Chemical and Engineering Physics, High-and-Low Pressure and Temperature Physics, Laser Molecular Nanotech Photovoltaics and Polymer Physics, Quantum electronics and Quantum-information Science, and Vehicle Dynamics. He knows a lot, but usually isn't too good at explaining, or teaching, what he knows.
-Stealth/Escapology: Deon has been sneaking and creeping since the age of six. As a little boy, he acquired these skills to avoid the many dangers surrounding him, including semi-abusive foster parents, street-side dangers, and other hostile foster children. Suffice to say, Deon became sadly very VERY good at this. He never lost this skill, managed to sneak, contort to fit into tight impossible spaces, and otherwise hide from people and things that intended him harm. He maintains these skills to this day, and can cram a surprising amount of his massive 7'8 bulk into a space roughly half-his size, and wriggle away. The same could be said for his gift of Escapology and his ability to escape standard and mechanical restraints, a skill swiftly picked up after he was once handcuffed to a radiator by a grumpy and drunk foster parent who'd been an ex-police officer (and had kept some of the equipment).
-Streetwise: While Deon's life in various foster homes was not all doom-and-gloom, it was, in many cases, remarkably boring. Consequently, from the ages of 12-17, Deon hit the streets to assuage his swiftly mounting curiosity (A side-effect of his mutating brain) for how things are, and how things worked. Using his nascent skills of observation, he managed to figure out how the regular people of the streets, plus the drug dealers, the gangs and the homeless, the hookers and their pimps, various different varieties of police officers and other street-people lived and worked. And why they did such things. Often these topics hit uncomfortably close to home, but aside from that he achieved a sort of mastery of general streetwise behaviour and looks, and while he is not specialized for the serious-to-vague differences in different locations, he can swiftly learn, apply, and survive in any low/poor-income Urban area, anywhere.
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Background:
The full origins of Deon's birth remain a mystery, even to this day. This is because he wasn't born in a hospital or any such normal circumstances, but instead was found. On January 28th, 2004, Detroit police officers responded to a noise disturbance in one of the seedier inner-city districts, shortly before noon, only to find the then unnamed Deon, rude steaming and protesting loudly, at his circumstances, in a dumpster behind an defunct Whataburger fast-food restaurant. And it was clear to the officer responding, that neither the 11lb baby boy nor the attendant rats and roaches were amused by the proceedings. He was swiftly rushed to the hospital. The admitting nurse did a quick, randomized name generation, loosely based on his ethnicity and what he'd noticed about Deon's early personality (Tondro, for example, is an Esperanto word meaning 'Thunder'), and entered his sparse information into Child Protective Services. Deon's case was met with little media fanfare: A baby in a dumpster was just another incident in the big city, sadly enough.
Deon was initially treated for suspected exposure, as Detroit winters are extremely harsh and cold, and it was swiftly discovered, that (aside from being abandoned minutes or moments after his birth), that he was otherwise 'fine'. A thorough medical examination occured, of course, and the nurses and doctor played it by the numbers: recording what could be his vitals, taking his biometrics and a blood sample, checking the latter for any signs of drug abuse by the mother and also sending the blood-readings off to the local criminal database DNA file, to see if one of his relatives was already in the system, somewhere. This generated no hits, officially, in any effective manner. However, the genetic information was flagged by the clandestine sub-agency within the NSA when his X-gene potential was swiftly noted, and copied over. A folder was generated, and Deon was marked for observation within hours after his discovery. The notes of his latent mutant potential were not, of course, shared outside the agency.
Finding no signs of any birth-defects, the doctor marked Deon off as healthy, and he was eventually released from medical observation and immediately put up for adoption. He received little, if any, interest from potential parents. Receiving instead nursery care until he was old enough to be shuffled into the Michigan foster-care system. From early childhood onward, Deon would be shuffled around to various foster families as circumstances needed. While some of these places were unquestionably horrible places to grow up (the foster parents being either uncaring and merely going through the motions for household funding, or unquestionably worse), the average foster-care household was not an inherently bad place to grow up, however the circumstances of the situations were rarely stable. The faces of Deon's foster siblings changed regularly, and occasionally so did the parents. Deon learned early on that the idea of stability was an illusion, and that change was the only real constant in life. Even at a young age, Deon was a smart boy, however, and he self-educated himself accordingly.
In school, Deon did well. Remarkably so for a child with no parents, no stable family, and (because he was frequently uprooted and shifted to different school districts) no long-term friendships. Semi-ostracized as a permanent 'new-kid', and having little else to focus on, otherwise, Deon spent most of his energy in athletics and scholastics, doing well in the former and 'mostly okay' in the latter. His grades outside of PE were predominantly B's and the occasional C's, with some iffy marks in 'Conduct' (Deon wasn't the sort to start fights, but goddammit he'd end em fairly quick, when they inevitably got around to involving him). For the most of this period, he was otherwise an average appearing child. This was to soon change.
By the time he was twelve, Deon had learned an impressive array of sidereal skills, capitalizing on his ambidexterity and his obvious mental and physical flexibility, he showed an exasperating bent for amature acrobatics, contortion, and escapology - the later proving a necessary skill to escape and evade the violent habits of a foster father who'd been a police officer wounded in the line of duty, who'd fallen to alcoholism (and was an angry drunk) for a lengthy period of months. Deeming himself to be tougher than most (and an easy target as he was slowly growing larger than his foster siblings thanks to his mutation slowly kicking in), Deon took on the brunt of the blame from the man, and suffered repeated beatings and bruisings, before learning fully how to escape the man's regulation hand-cuffs, before being able to gather enough evidence to sneak to the authorities. No one else figured out how the man was eventually caught, but the foster kids were almost immediately broken up and sent to different homes, as a result.
After this incident (just one of over a handful of troubles that came into Deon's domestic life, but the less said of those, the better), Deon was shuffled to yet another foster home, back in Detroit proper. He stayed for a couple of years. Shortly before his thirteenth birthday, Deon's mutations started to manifest, starting with a rapid onset of increased intelligence and mental computational power. Over the course of several weeks, Deon went from being a slightly above average (if disinterested) student, to a much more inquisitive and curious one. By the end of the first quarter, of his senior year, in Junior-High, his ability to 'speed-read' and his eidetic memory ability had fully kicked in. Now instead of taking his homework as it came, he'd complete it, and read ahead, mastering subjects at first in days, and then in hours. Nobody other than he noticed this meteoric change, at the time, even though his grades improved exponentially. Consequently he also reasoned out that he was 'probably' a mutant, and (after an initial shock, and period of acceptance), took steps to keep his gene-active status a secret. This was easier said than done, as by now he'd also 'enjoyed' his first mutant growth-spurt, and was now a hair over 6' tall. But with the power of careful suggestion, Deon was able to convince his foster parents that this was all just a product of puberty kicking in.
The other students at his new school didn't know him at all, and had no reason to believe that he hadn't always been this smart, or this tall. And while his intelligence did not help him to make any new friends (quite the opposite, actually), his new height, and his slow but notable filling out of said height, prevented him from being picked on by the other students, or preyed upon by the occasional bully. He recognized that his mutant powers gave him an edge, and used it accordingly. Suddenly he stopped getting into fights - there were, after all, MUCH better ways to stop the occasional interpersonal problem in his life, then by the direct approach, and now he could figure out such strategies within milliseconds. This was not all without an equal degree of problematic side-effects.
Deon's appetite also grew as his need for caloric intake multiplied. And he quickly found himself beginning to slowly sicken as he could not get enough food at school or at home. He quietly began to formulate and act on plans to steal food for himself, predominantly sneaking into the kitchen freezers and stores at school, and making off with what he needed to stay healthy enough. But he remained ever hungry and yet also loathed to steal food from his foster siblings and parents, at the home. Simultaneously, Deon found that he was requiring much less sleep, at night, which became a problem as his mind simply would not shut off while he was awake. He quickly devoured all that his textbooks had to offer him, for the school year, and pondered the meaning of what he'd read. And so, seeking to distract his constantly running mind, and to assuage his hunger, he took to sneaking out at night, to figure out how to sneak more food.
Learning how to survive (much less thrive) on the streets, came with a steep learning curve, especially for a lone thirteen-year-old boy, out at night. But Deon applied himself to observing, learning, and practicing these skills as safely as possible. He took to visiting several soup kitchens across the greater Detroit Metropolis, to see to his nutritional needs, and quickly learned to tolerate or ignore the more religious leanings that some of them had. But he never stayed at those for very long. He learned to avoid or bypass trouble from well-meaning or crooked cops (he still carried a grudge concerning law enforcement), hostil gang-recruiters and members, crazed homeless people, and (as he got older) pimps prostitutes and drug pushers. Just as he had mastered US. History, he memorized and mastered the routine behaviours and methods of avoiding trouble with all of these. And as he aged, he grew taller, stronger, faster, and smarter as his mutation progressed. Unsure of where all this was going, he practiced with what powers he had, so he'd be ready to use (or to not use) them, as necessary.
This is how, Deon survived the next two years, studying hard for a short period of time during the day, becoming restless in the late evening, sneaking out into the night to run the streets for a time and to find food, and then then returning for a necessary two-three hours of sleep before school again. He came to dislike the weekends, for the lack of school lunches, in all honesty, and the next two Summer vacations were especially hard on him. He graduated from Junior High, and entered High School with little fanfare, aside from his straight A+ grades, and a certain amount of confidence that had been lacking before. He was still sort of alone, after all, but now he was sure he could probably handle this, having some clue as to how 'the game' was played. He made few friends in his Freshman year, but aced his Advanced Placement tests with ease (and he was only accused of cheating once or twice)! By this age, however, he was 6'2, and beginning to see a light at the end of all this: a leap to college level education and beyond. But he knew darn well that he wouldn't get there without some significant degree of financial aide or a scholarship.
By the time he was 15, he was 6'4 and very strongly built. He managed to back up this appearance by joining the high-school football team and working out often (he feigned being weaker than he actually was, of course, as by this time he could easily bench press a small car... for a few seconds before it crumpled under its own weight), and to further better himself, he joined the schools Marine-Corps JROTC program. Either way, Deon figured, he'd be able to fund his launch to college, either by athletics or by joining the military... or both. This also, however, made his night-time excursions more difficult, and he took great pains to protect his identity. During the day, he learned (everything he could get his hands on), marched, and played on the field (he was an excellent runningback). At night he slipped on some dark clothing and fled into the streets for food and extra self training.
Deon's Sophomore year continued at this rapid pace, or as speedily as Deon could manage it. Being able to read-ahead and pre-study subject matters in his AP courses was both a blessing and a curse, however, as while the learning itself was fun, the mandatory time in class was excruciatingly boring. With that in mind, Deon took to half-studying other things instead, moving from AP Biology and Chemistry to Collegic level Computer-Science and Physics on the side, purchasing the used textbooks with his limited allowance (his teachers didn't notice as he finished his work on time and his grades where, as always, stellar). His performance in athletics also went incredibly well, though Deon found it becoming increasingly difficult to feign or throw his part in a given play, when necessary. To the point where he could only justify doing so when there was a chance his opponent might get hurt. In JROTC, he had less of a problem, as there were a variety of useful skills he could acquire, though he quickly became wary of gaining too many 'fruit-salad' type badges. He did, however, 'strategically commandeer' a book on The Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP), and memorized everything in it, but that too proved only moderately useful as he could only safely practice the hand-to-hand and knife techniques off campus and by himself.
By the time Deon reached his Junior year, he was exasperated with the slow flow of continually wasted time. The now 6'8 youth decided to take his SAT and GED, aceing both, and to withdraw from High School. This caused no small turmoil to what few friends he'd made, but ultimately they had to agree that he should do what was best for himself (or else they'd never been -real- friends, in the first place). Despite his high grades, participation in extracurricular activities, and devastatingly high SAT scores, Deon swiftly found that while his options were not exactly small when it came to colleges, that they were not as great as he'd hoped. He was, however, accepted -tentatively- into a mixed academic/athletic scholarship to Michigan's Grand Valley State University, where he started a dual-degree program in Mechanics and Engineering. But because he wasn't yet 18, Deon was only able to train and work-out with the football team, the Grand Valley Lakers. Deon quickly tested out of the vast bulk of his mandatory General Ed. courses, but the college kept him busy enough that he could no longer participate in ROTC programs. But even with this limitation, Deon was happy with his lot.
Deon enjoyed campus life, and college affairs, however all this was not to last. During a preseason football game, the coach looked around for people to field, and accidentally selected the largest player on the team to replace an injured defensive-tackle. The replacement just happened to be Deon who could have pointed out the truth of things, but he was by now 18 (and 6'10), and perfectly legally and contractually allowed to play. Moreover, refusing to play would make him look bad, possibly ruining his ability to maintain his scholarship... And besides, he really wanted to play. This proved to be a mistake, however, as at the whistle, he was slammed into by a lineman and his mutation fully activated. His body fully transformed at the last second, at the 30 yard line, tearing through his uniform as his frame ballooned out to its current state of 7'8. His helmet shattered as his form hardened. With everyone watching, except for the poor lineman who had comparatively just slammed head and shoulders first into a towering wall of thick titanium, and was now crumpled on the ground, unconscious and concussed. Cameras were rolling and cellphones clicked instinctively. A shocked and slack-jawed referee instinctively flagged the play...
Needless to say, Deon lost his scholarship.
With so much coverage, not much could be done to hide Deon's mutant status, and for a day or so, he was adrift in his room, hiding from the world, and wondering what to do next, as his academic bills for the next semester were going to be due soon, and he had no way to pay them. Not that he could easily go to school, live, with his current obvious condition and obvious mutant status. So he consoled himself by half-sewing and half forging new clothes for himself to wear, so he could at least leave his room without violating local decency laws. He'd just made a tracksuit in his size, when the call from Cobalt Hill Admissions came...
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Criminal Record: None - Deon has had brushes with the law on many occasions, but never in any official capacity. From bad-cops on the take, to good cops desperate enough to take intel from a masked vigilante, Deon knows the police and standard police procedure well enough to avoid any real clashes with the law, except as a political protester, and even then he has managed to avoid being caught in the act, arrested or processed by the law.
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Equipment: Despite having relatively low liquid funds, Deon does have a considerable array of 'stuff'. Some of it he's purchased, or found, and some he's gone way out of his way to construct.
-Armored, Reinforced and Rubber-gripped Zippo lighter: Deon didn't make this. Though he's fairly convinced that it is useful and (more importantly) cool. He may be wrong. It reportedly can stop a bullet but he seriously doubts it. It also functions as a can-opener!
-Flight Harness: Deon has made a moderate hypertech with this creation. This collection of concealable straps hoses, and a non-concealable but small-profile backpack (that generally tucks in at the small of his back) enables Deon to fly at roughly the same speeds that he can run, with a cruising speed of 40-90mph, and an upper limit of 270mph. Overall the harness is very effective, but also deceptively fragile. Heavy impacts and called shots can and will break it, and wearing any worthwhile armor over it, cuts its speed by a third due to weight and drag. Deon can repair it, with the right equipment and materials, but the latter is very hard to procure. It is also virtually useless to almost anyone else, except as a glorified paperweight, as it is tied to his specific biometrics and gene signature, because it is unsafe to use, by unrecognized people, otherwise.
-Iconic Helmet: Deon has forged a helmet that he is particularly fond of, and wears to add a mild degree of plausible deniability to his actions, when he's out as the vigilante Raider. It is resilient enough to withstand the exertions of his facial muscles, has a built in miniaturized police-band scanner, radio-headset with jawbone microphone, low-light lenses, and an air-filter/purifier. He carries a composite/modular spare on his person at all times.
-LUCILLE: Deon took the schematics for a seven string, hybrid acoustic-electric, and bass guitar, and combined them into one massive musical instrument, sized for his hands and build, that can play all three with the flick of a few switches. Its internal battery has an active life of roughly two days, and is rechargeable. This monstrosity is big, red, armored, and alternatively can be used as a club or bat if Deon is absolutely desperate.
-Two (2) Sets of Super-Strength Clothing (plus an extra set of Super-Strength Boxer-Briefs): By the time Deon arrives at Cobalt Hill, he's down to just these two sets of clothing and a spare set of undies. For the moment, these are the only things he can safely wear, without risk of tearing through his own attire.
-Two (2) Super-Alloy, Survival/Combat Knives: Why two? Just in case the first one (inevitably) breaks. These full-tang knives contain the standard issue survival kit, including a string-saw, fishing line, hooks, waterproof matches, flint and steel, and a compass.
-Utility Belt: This belt contains multiple lockable containers and pouches, within which the following is stored, a small crowbar, burglary tools, computer-repair tools, evidence bags, rubber gloves for handling said evidence, and a first-aid kit.
-Zap Gloves: Deon's Zap Gloves fire off bolts of high voltage (but low to moderate-current) electricity that manifest as arcs of blue or purple 'lightning' that can either stun or knock out a standard human. They are safer, but otherwise work similar to a police-officers Taser, with an operating range of about ten feet (over ten and the accuracy drops severely). They can cause fires if he is not careful around flammable material, and so he prefers to use them when grappling or performing a joint-lock.
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Quirks, Extras, Random Character Facts
-Ambidextrous & Double-Jointed: Deon is both ambidextrous: using both hands equally well, and effectively double-jointed: most (if not all of his joints) can bend, stretch and be self-manipulated farther than most people, without discomfort. Deon has been this way since he was a child, used it to great effect with his contorting and escapology, and his mutation has only made him better at it. However, this does not in any way prevent his hyperflexibility from weirding people right the hell on out.
-Fanboy - Warplanes of WWII: Deon is a fan of Warplanes of World War II, from bombers to fighter jets, he is a fan of all of them. The ceiling of his room sports many painstakingly crafted, intricately hung examples of the same, and many books on the subject (both fact, fiction, and blueprints) take up a great amount of his precious dorm-room shelf space. He even took the name of his second favorite aircraft, the A-1 Skyraider (even though it never saw combat, during WW-II. His first favorite is the P-51 Mustang, but that's a silly name to run around with. People will talk), as his vigilante code-name.
-Iconic Helmet: Deon has many perfectly logical reasons for adhering to the rule of wearing masks and/or helmets when operating in his vigilante persona, and even despite his great size, the argument of plausible deniability still works in his favor, when he is seen or filmed while wearing it (and yes, he -does- wear a thin eye-mask on, underneath it, just in case). However, anyone who spends any length of time with Deon, in the field, might find his desire to keep his mask on to be slightly obsessive. He does not like his helmet to be damaged. At all. But fortunately for people who manage to ding his helmet a little, he has a modular spare helmet (or replacement pieces of the same) in his utility belt... Just in case.
-Mildly Lactose-Intolerant: On top of Deon's massive daily caloric requirements, he also has the added complication of being mildly-lactose intolerant. This is not his kryptonite, but it will make him very unhappy if he eats even a mild amount of cheese. He'll never touch regular milk, if he can avoid it, and has no problem, what so ever, with checking his meals for hidden milk-product goodness. He eats his breakfast cereal dry, and on those rare occasions where he can't avoid pizza, he eats his pie naked but for the sauce and non-dairy toppings.
-Performance <Hard-Rock, Goth-Rock, Hair Heavy and Power Metal, Rap and R&B - Dancing, Guitar and Singing>: Exactly what it says on the tin.
-Techno Tongue-Tied: Deon is a mutant genius, which lends itself to a whole host of problems when it comes to talking to other natural geniuses, or practiced experts. Lacking much in the way of official training, Deon often doesn't know the 'correct' words and historical references for practices and processes. In many cases, in regards to chemistry, engineering, and mathematics, he had to puzzle through a significant amount of definitions, theories and theorems to reach his desired ends, and often what he truly knows is poisoned by modern popular conceptions. While he has learned how to rework his knowledge of 'how things work', according to what he's read in the available textbooks, and what he's been taught in various classrooms, he often falls back or defaults to his previously cognitive understanding of things, when in a hurry. This often leads to a linguistic gap when he tries to explain or show his work. His response to "how did you do/make that?" often leaves out vital steps, but this is not (usually) on purpose. However, he's learned to avoid these questions, by just shrugging and suggesting that he isn't entirely sure on what and how he did it.