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Description

Name Nicholas Aldridge


Nickname Scotty/Kev


Alias -Scott O'Connor (During his everyday life, to disguise his real name)
-Kevlar (A name that the few Government Agents and Hackers who have heard of him know him as)

Age 27


Species Human


Race


Gender Male


Orientation Heterosexual


Description

Personality

Personality
Nicholas was once a severe drug addict, addicted to Hypo and any other addictive substance he could lay his hands on. Since discovering his true nature, Nicholas has become prone to violent outbursts that rarely include much more than desperate shouting, for no matter what substances he takes in, the effects he desires never arrive. When not fixated on his slowly fading addiction, Nicholas is fierce in his fight against The Program, but manages to not step over his moral line which he considers to be perfectly reasonable. Only members of The Program should lose their lives, though collateral damage is acceptable.

What Nicholas fears the most is the guilt of his actions that gradually disappears. His enhancement considers such a feeling to be a weakness, and so, is slowly eradicating the emotion from Nicholas' mind. Every day his methods are colder and the consequences grow. His motivation overthrows this fear however, along with most other feelings. Nicholas wants nothing more than to wipe The Program from existence, partly for making him what he is, and partly for giving him a mind that allows him no freedom, and alters every aspect of him as it sees fit. Despite this obsessive behaviour, Nicholas always makes sure to stay off the radar, and is cautious, almost paranoid, in this sense.

During his daily life Nicholas does not associate himself with many, though helps out whenever he can without searching for glory. Destroying The Program would aid the world greatly, but there are also other, smaller ways to make his existence a better place. This may make him seem too much like a selfless being, but in reality, Nicholas does this to satisfy himself, to make him feel he is in control of his actions, and to let him know that some humanity still remains within, even if his ability does consider this to be a weakness.

Along with guilt and worry, a number of other feelings are also disappearing, including love. Finding the one responsible for his changing condition is another motivation behind Nicholas' actions. He fears losing the traits that make him human, and not a drone.
Strangely enough, despite not having acquired riches during his life, Nicholas takes great care of his appearance to make good first impressions, but not so much as to stand out in a crowd.

Nicholas has a recently acquired habit of almost always smoking, for it slightly fulfills his still present addiction, but does not harm him thanks to his perfect immune system.

Equipment

Clothes/Armor
Nicholas wears the clothes featured in the picture, but beneath there is a layer of kevlar, due to the fact that Nicholas' resources do not allow him to purchase a Cooler Suit or MicroPLaD. His nickname was drawn from this, as a certain hacker found it amusing that someone would still use the material for protection. The name stuck. (As of yet, Nicholas is not bullet or laser resistant).

Equipment
Nicholas carries three cigarette packets in case of emergency so as not to run out if executing a mission. Along with this he can also be found with an almost empty, brown leather wallet, a packet of minted tissues, and a sealed, plastic syringe with all of it's necessary components for if Nicholas finds that Hypo works again.


Weapons
Due to limited resources, yet again, Nicholas is only armed with a single, bullet firing handgun, not laser firing. A number of filled cartridges can also be found in a number of pockets (Three in total, each with seventeen bullets), hidden from view.

History

Skills
It would not be a lie to state that, even unarmed, Nicholas can be a lethal weapon. Thanks to his adaptive ability, and countless action movies, Nicholas has learned to perform many styles of martial arts, and possesses enhanced dexterity, agility and coordination to add onto this. His aim is also deadly, which is why Nicholas never complains about owning only a handgun when a bullet to the head, even in this modern age, is more than likely a certain death. Of course, even with a mind modified to think tactically, Nicholas can be slightly too cautious for his own good, and sometimes spends too much time thinking when he should be acting. This would imply that Nicholas is extremely intelligent and goes over every possibility, but in reality, he just worries too much. This is another trait his ability is 'fixing'.
Unfortunately, Nicholas' people skills are lacking, and he can often find himself being too sincere or insensitive when forced into communication. Nicholas is a good person, but his obsessive fixations drown out many of his better qualities.

Abilities
Nicholas is mainly defined by his ability. Without it, he would not be much at all. What this ability allows is for Nicholas to adapt to situations and needs.

Nicholas has an extremely advanced immune system. In the same way that a normal person's immune system builds up a defence after fighting back an infection or a disease, Nicholas' does the same but by applying his immune system to all experiences. His body and mind automatically detect weaknesses or anomalies and modify themselves to better adapt to similar, future situations. This includes harm that directly effects Nicholas and also goings on that surround him. To state things simple, Nicholas gradually adapts to the world around him, improving in every aspect so as to complete his tasks and survive. Another way to explain this ability, would be to say that Nicholas constantly evolves in a controlled, not random manner at an accelerated rate without experiencing any negative developments.

However, these developments are only positive from a purely objective point of view. Due to fear having held Nicholas back in the past the feeling was eliminated, and the same is happening to other emotions such as love and guilt. Memories that caue Nicholas pain are also stricken from him, as was physical pain itself.
Though the adquisicion of this ability was an accident, those who began working on Nicholas had intended to build a better soldier. Because of this, Nicholas' adaptions will always take place to make him more efficient in that sense, without regarding Nicholas' intentions as a person.
To fully understand the power, I will post a number of examples and explanations given when the character was first created.

What the power allows is for Nick to learn at a much faster rate than others, but, also permits him to learn what normal methods would not allow.

What I said above means that he could never know a password jut by needing it. Let's say he needed a certain password, saw someone typing it or heard it, and now doesn't remember. Nick's body would learn from this, being a power that Nick does not control, and over a very long time amplify Nick's memory capacity. Or, if he was to be in contact with a computer hacker for an extended period of time, he would gradually begin to understand how to do the same himself without being given any lessons.

Now, this is just for the sake of explanation, but whilst inventing the power, I imagined it as another entity, of sorts. Let's say Nick reads important information, and when the time comes to use it, he forgets the necessary details. The power, if it were a sentient being, would consider Nick to be an idiot, and would start to modify Nick's mind so that next time he obtains important information, he won't forget it.

Nick finds himself in another country. France, for example. He doesn't understand a word of French. Now, normally it would take at least a year to learn enough to maintain a basic conversation just by listening, but this 'other entity' that is Nick's power takes most of this in, and feeds words heard or read into his mind. Over short periods of time this is useless, because the power only learns complete sentences without understanding he context. This would mean that Nick is capable of saying "I am Nick" and "Where is the nearest shop?", but in incapable of changing the basic structure of either of the sentences unless he has heard what he wants to say or write. Eventually, over time, and by being in contact with the language, Nick's ability would being to string strands of the obtained language together, allowing Nick to form his own sentences and understand basic sentences even if he hasn't heard them before, by linking what he has learnt unconsciously together.

One of the other characters uses a power in Nick's presence. Nick's power would take note and keep that locked away without understanding how it works. Next time Nick sees this power, his own ability would learn a little more by basing the new information obtained on what it already knows. Let's say, someone with Telekinesis lifts an object. The first time, Nick's power would know that power con move objects. The next time the power is seen, something else would be deduced. It would take a very long time, but the power would slowly modify Nick's mind, enabling him to do the same himself. Of course, Nick's mind is limited, which means that not every ability can be learnt. Once Nick has been modified to possess a certain number of abilities, he may be witness to another. His own power would judge which is the most useless of his current abilities, wipe the slate clean, and begin to work according to this new power, if it is deemed useful. By being exposed directly to that certain power, more would be learnt, meaning that Nick's power would be able to supply Nick with more information and modification.

Somebody wounds Nick internally by stabbing/shooting etc. Nick's power knows that if Nick dies, it also dies, and decides that something must be done. There is no way that it can work fast enough to modify Nick to survive that specific wound, so it must rely on exterior sources to heal Nick, or Nick's own health. Let's say Nick survives. The power would know that, for example, Nick was almost killed by bleeding to death internally. This means that the power would work little by little, fortifying Nick's inner organs, so that next time they are punctured they won't bleed enough to cause problems.
Now let's imagine that the wound was infected. Thanks to the first development, Nick's immune system, this would not happen, but let's say it did. If Nick were to survive, then the ability would build up the immune system to be able to defend against possible infections next time something might attack Nick's body.

If they make Nicholas more efficient, Nicholas can also replicate the movements and skills of others, whether he is exposed directly or not, in real life or even in a virtual reality. From simply watching a recording Nicholas can learn to perform actions he was unable to minutes ago. So far, Nicholas has become enhanced in a number of ways, though not all can be considered improvements.
- Enhanced coordination, dexterity and agility
- Tactical thinking (Even if Nicholas pays little attention to even his own thoughts)
- Amplified memory capacity
- Perfect immune system
- Accelerated healing (Though not to the point of being instant)
- Languages: Spanish, Italian and French
- Hardened skin and more resistant inner organs
- Pain nullification
- Wiping of harmful memories
- Suppression of certain emotions/feelings: Fear (Almost completely), guilt (Partly), worry (Partly), love (Partly) and rage (Partly)
- Muscular growth
- Basic computer skills
- Elimination of necessities: Sleep


Birth Place/Area of Residence
Birth Place: New York - The Undercity
Area of Residence - New York - The Undercity


Family Tree
Father: Michael Aldridge
Mother: Heather Aldridge


Alliance
Hackers


Occupation
Nicholas occupies himself, not with a profession, but by accepting hacker contracts intended to harm The Program. Unfortunately for Nicholas, this does not grant him enough money to live a life of luxury, and so, Nicholas can often be found in poor areas, despite his expensive clothing and well kept appearance.

Bio/History
Nicholas was born into an unloving family, year 2123, in the slums of New York's Undercity. As stated, the family was unloving, but this did not mean they mistreated Nicholas. What it means is that Nicholas went mostly ignored. He was born unintentionally, a result of Hypo and cheaper drugs fused with alcohol. Being an accident and having been constantly reminded of the fact during his childhood, Nicholas grew used to fending for himself.
His father, Michael, was an unsuccessful black market tradesman, often stealing the products that would go on sale the next day. His mother was addicted to Hypo since the day Nicholas was born, and long before. She would spend most days laying on the torn sofa or sat in a chair in a similar state unaware of her surroundings.
Fortunately, or unfortunately for Nicholas, this all ended at the age of twelve. Both of the parents were in need of financial backing to pay rent the local collector, and to purchase the precious Hypo that Heather so desperately needed. The result of this was Nicholas being taken by The Program in exchange for just enough money for the Aldridge family to get by for another month. It was enough to convince Michael and Heather, plus, there was then one mouth less to feed.

Instead of facing the training process most were submitted to, Nicholas was taken straight to another organization. One where countless men and women would work on his unconscious body day and night for the next five years. These were five years that Nicholas lost, along with his childhood memories, and they would have been many more if it wasn't for the accident.
Nicholas was being sliced apart, examined and changed by the Super Soldier project. He was seventeen when he finally escaped, awoken by a mistake in his modification, an error that gave Nicholas his freedom. His escape was a blur, and now he cannot recall any details of what happened or where he escaped from. His mind was a mess, as was his body. There was little escape for Nicholas, and that was when, as he travelled through the available slums, he discovered the joys of Hypo.

Hypo was the escape that Nicholas needed. It allowed him to leave the real world and shape existence as he saw fit, or as the drugs saw fit. It did not take long at all for Nicholas to become completely addicted and irresponsible with the drug usage. He was safe from being found in the slums, passed out most days and most nights in alleyways and abandoned buildings. It was a life of solitude and 'safety' that he had wanted since escaping only a year ago.

This 'joy' was short lived, however. It began with a simple overdose that should have been lethal. Five days later he woke up in the same abandoned flat, surrounded by graffiti and a terrible smell. Then was when he discovered a portion of his memories. All he could remember was The Program, and slowly he began to discover what it had done to him.

Gradually, his few memories began to fade once again. Small cuts only lasted for a few hours, and worst of all, he found that Hypo, along with his other favourite drugs, were useless. Their effect was nullified, yet the addiction remained, the desperation that made him desire an altered world. He was angered, and violent, without his drugs and without the chance to use them. It was the first step of many that would lead him to face The Program.

Gradually, he began to recover from his addiction and put pieces of his life back together. He learnt of the Hackers and their noble fight against The Program, and along the way he met a woman he would grow to love. Her name was Veronica, an accomplished and well known hacker among her own that went by the alias of V. It was until the age of twenty-two that Nicholas was together with her. During this time, Veronica taught him everything he needed to know about The Program, and he carried out missions for her that a hacker could not execute. Morals were put aside to be substituted by a greater good: the abolishment of The Program.

It seemed destiny had a sense of humour. Nicholas learnt of the Super Soldier project, but it was just another name among the atrocities that The Program had on their list. Veronica recognised Nicholas as an escaped success, but an incomplete success that needed to learn and change to become what The Program had planned on creating. Something had happened before the project could be completed. After making use of her hacking talents to investigate, she dicovered exactly how Nicholas had become the way he was. The accident had harmed the one working on Nicholas in a shocking way. His immune system had been detroyed and stripped from him. It was during this accident that Nicholas was created the way Veronica came to know him. This mistake had ruined a man's immune system completely, only to enhance Nicholas' in a way that would appear he had stolen a part of the unfortunate scientist from his very body. She never told Nicholas, and Nicholas never found out.
Her next missions were more dangerous than before. They were training exercises that would turn Nicholas into an effective weapon to fight The Program without him knowing anything. Her love for Nicholas was dominated by her desire to destroy The Program. This was her downfall.

These dangerous missions made Nicholas' identity known as he became stronger and more efficient. His feeling of fear slowly faded as it had held him back more than once. The cogs of Veronica's plans were in motion. That is, until Nicholas unintentionally guided the government to her.

Her execution was swift, or so Nicholas thought. He never recovered the body, and only thought that she had been assassinated. The truth was much darker.

With his one love gone, Nicholas fell into a deep depression, and desperately sought out drugs more than before. It was a futile attempt, and so, it all seemed over for Nicholas. This was the motivation his body needed to adapt once again. Little by little, his memories of Veronica were deleted from his mind, as was his capability to love, now considered a weakness by his almost sentient ability. Nicholas' depression grew from sadness to anger as he uselessly attempted to cling on to his fading memories and love. There was no positive result. Only Veronica's return.

Veronica returned to Nicholas' life, not to love, but to kill. Controlled by The Program, and sent after every hacker and ally in her memories, she came after Nicholas soon enough. Their encounter was brief, but after clashing emotions, Nicholas was forced to fight and end her life. It was easier than he had hoped. His ability to love was practically gone, and little memories remained of Veronica, but it was still enough to make his blood boil. He swore vengeance.

It seemed his ability had chosen to allow him to keep Veronica in his mind, and it was right to do so. Since that day, their final moment has served as motivation for Nicholas to improve and fight alone. He began to carry out missions that would hurt The Program, and to live, accepted work offered by hackers. During the next few years he adopted the name Scott O'Connor to allow him freedom on the streets, but among hackers and agents, he become known as Kevlar, due to his primitive armour chosen.

Now, he is living once again in the Undercity of New York, planning his next strike.

Nicholas Aldridge's Story