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In Brief: German Omnidisciplinary Scientist with a gravity-manipulating Belt and an "Electromagnetic Screwdriver,"* trying to use his Science! for good, in part to undo the evils his grandfather (and he 'himself') did. * the Belt and Screwdriver are faaakes, he's really a freakish cyborg with a holographic disguise! Alternate Identities: Viktor Helmut Archeville Identity: Public, mostly. The general public does not know the full details of the “ArchEvil” event, nor of his current status as a technorganic being. Birthplace: Schönwald im Schwarzwald, Baden-Württemberg, Germany (West Germany at the time of his birth) Occupation: Scientist, Philanthropist, founder & CEO of ArcheTech (former) Affiliations: ArcheTech (founder, former CEO and Majority Shareholder), numerous hospitals and universities in Germany, the European Union, and North America (Donor). Family: Cynthia Bauer Archeville (Mother, Deceased); Varick Heinrich Archeville (Father, Deceased); Verrill Herman Archeville (Paternal Grandfather, Deceased). Age: 41 (DoB: June 1977) Apparent Age: late-20s Gender: Male Ethnicity: German Height: 5'10" (1.78 meters) Weight: 151 lbs. (68.49 kg) Hair: Golden Blonde Eyes: Rhine Blue APPEARANCE Archeville's strong features would've made him a prize nab for the Nazi Party, had he been born when they were ruining his homeland. His alabaster skin, thin and imperial nose and lips, and cheeks cut of marble make for a regal face. His eyes are Rhine-blue & carry the wolf's glare, and his hair is silky and golden, falling down past his shoulders; he speaks (and occasionally sings) with a rich tenor voice. Though he is 46, he looks to be in his earlys 30s, having aged at roughly half the normal pace since he turned sixteen. That's what the holodisguise presents, at least, and it is how he once appeared. When it's down, his true nature -- a constantly shifting hybrid of flesh, metal, and circuitry shaped like Viktor Archeville, whose voice has a slightly echoed, mechanical edge -- becomes clear. (He is still Attractive in this form, just in a Warlock/Douglock kind of way.) Archeville usually wears sturdy black rubber-soled boots, khaki pants (black or dark blue), a short-sleeved dress shirt (usually solid red, blue, green, or purple, made from transgenic spider-goat silk), and his white lab coat. Unlike the stereotypical mad scientist, he gives some consideration to his appearance, wearing clean, pressed clothes and keeping his hair neat and tidy. He stands 5'10" (1.78 meters) and weighs 151 pounds (68.49 kg). (When his pseudonatural heritage fully manifested, Archeville’s body was radically altered. His skin became covered in fine black scales, his lips and gums turned green, and his blood blue-purple. His eyes bulged and pupils became unnaturally wide,them look almost completely black, like a shark’s. His mouth, half again wider than usual, was full of two rows of yellowed teeth, one needle-like and one triangular. His arms and legs became more slender, almost willowy, but his hands and feet became broader and distended; green webbing sprouted between his fingers and toes, which ended in nasty talons. When agitated, fins would extend from his arms and back. Eerily, his hair remained, though it became an unnaturally vibrant shade of crimson, and swirled about him -- even when the air was still -- like the trailing tentacles of some poisonous sea creature.) Of late the Doktor's genial nature has taken a more somber tone, as he has become haunted by past failures and plagued with guilt, but he tries to maintain a positive face and not let the general public see just how deeply shaken he has been by all that has transpired. Power Descriptions: Archeville’s force field glows with a soft blue-grey light, flaring brighter when resisting an impact. When he teleports, gravitational distortions at his departure and arrival points play hob with the inner ear of bystanders, giving them all a brief flash of vertigo; he appears to collapse in on himself (as if swallowed by a black hole) when teleporting from somewhere, and to explode out from a pinpoint when teleporting in. His Electromagnetic Screwdriver (or, as of Phase IV of his existence, he) makes a wide range of buzzing noises, and the 'barrel' at the end glows with all sorts of colors. His Belt and Screwdriver (and, as of Phase IV, his metal skin) are covered in Jack Kirby-esque 'circuit pattern' designs. HISTORY Archeville has gone through three distinct phases in his life, and is currently in his fourth. Phase I lasted the longest, from birth until his early 30s, where he was -- as far as everyone could tell -- merely a gifted human inventor, possibly a metahuman. Phase II was when his secret Cthulhoid/Deep One heritage manifested, causing changes both mental and physical as a Jekyll/Hyde-like shift. Phase III was when his pseudonatural heritage was purged completely (following several horrific acts), but with it so was his advanced intellect, which he later restored with nanite enhancements. He is currently in Phase IV, existing as a weird technorganic hybrid following his death and resurrection. Phase I Viktor Helmut Archeville was born June 2nd, 1977, to Varick Heinrich Archeville and his wife, Cynthia Jacqueline Bauer, in Schönwald im Schwarzwald, a small town in the majestic Black Forest of Germany (West Germany at the time). Varick was the son of Verrill Herman Archeville, the notorious war criminal who had worked as a soldier for the German Empire in World War I and as a "mad scientist" for the Nazis in World War II. Varick's mother had fled Verrill's side (after he tried to kill her when he found out she had some Jewish heritage), and Varick was raised by her alone. Varick and Cynthia had met in college -- he was studying computer engineering, she a psychology student. Tragically, complications that arose during the pregnancy lead to Cynthia dying as she gave birth to Viktor, leaving him to be raised alone by Varick. This task was made a bit easier by Viktor's extreme intellect -- he was speaking coherent sentences before his first birthday, and when he entered kindergarten he was reading at a second grade level. But this also worried Varick, for he knew that extreme intellect carried an increased risk for mental problems, as shown by his father, and rumored to exist in many of his ancestors. Verrill's father, Victor Hobart Archeville, was a glassblower and silversmith obsessed with duality, and ancestors had shown evidence of extreme bipolar, multiple personality disorder, and the gamut of psychopathological and sociopathological disorders. Concern over Viktor's own mental health, combined with increased stresses at work, took a toll on Varick's own sanity. Viktor himself had his first brush with madness in the early summer of 1990. In mathematics class, the teacher told him that he had made a mistake in one of the problems the class was working on. Viktor felt like a storm broke in his mind, and he jumped on the professor and attacked him, pounding at his pressure points with his fists, then hitting him with the teacher's edition of the class textbook, and his chair. Some of the other students tried to stop Viktor, but he assaulted them, too. Two of the boys had to be taken to the school nurse, and the Professor had to be taken to the hospital. The investigation into the event revealed that the mistake was in fact the Professor's, not Viktor's, which was what precipitated his assault. That night, Varick tried to kill his son. He ran at Viktor with a cleaver, screaming about 'protecting the world' and the 'danger' he posed. Viktor evaded him, got out of the house, and ran to the Bundespolizei, the local police. They captured his father, who never stopped ranting about him, and had him committed to an asylum. Varick was diagnosed with "a heretofore unseen combination of late-onset Tay-Sachs disease and something akin to Lesch-Nyhan syndrome." As for Viktor, well, adoptions are tricky at best, and near impossible if the child is in his teens, so for several years, he was effectively a ward of the state... an especially difficult life, given his grandfather's status. Viktor busied himself with reading and studying, and at 16 enrolled in the Technische Universität München, the Technical University of Munich. He later transferred to the Hanover Institute of Technology in Freedom City, NJ, USA, graduating at the age of 22 with a Doctorate in Mathematics, Masters degrees in both chemistry and physics, and a BS in Psychology. (While in college he also began self-medicating for his emotional & mental issues.) He then returned to Germany and worked as a superhero in and around his homeland for nearly a decade. He wanted to be at the center of metahuman activity (and technologies), and so returned to Freedom City. He worked hard, and gained the respect of many. He made allies of other superheroes, made some enemies of power-hungry villains, and worked to share his gifts with all. He joined the Freedom League, and helped mentor a team of younger street-savvy heroes. He founded a company, gained wealth and more prestige, and was set to bring scientific and technological wonders to the world. Phase II And then it all went horribly wrong. The supernatural evil from beyond reality slumbering within him, which had been slumbering in his past thirteen generations of ancestors, awoke with a terrible fury. At first it was subtle, manifesting for a few hours while Archeville slept, and committed atrocities. But in time the malevolent Other took over completely, dominated many of his friends, and loosed chaos and horror upon the world, using the very infrastructure and networks Archeville had built up to do so. But the heroes rallied, and the day was saved, with little loss of life, but much loss of trust. Though the world believes his company and technologies were taken over by an outside invader (which is partially true), and assume the heavy guilt he feels is from a failure to properly secure it (which is also technically true), those who know the real story -- who are, for the most part, the ones 'he' betrayed -- had a much harder time forgiving him. He remains his own harshest critic (though some may question that). Phase III Out of his guilt for all that happened, and a desire to focus on making amends to those he could, his company ArcheTech (and the orbital station ArcheStern, the remains of Schloss Wissenschaft and the super-sub Fjölnirskraft, and the secret satellite Nichtuberall) was ceded to Miss Americana and the Scarab (via the Rhodes Foundation), to be returned to him if and when the three of them feel he has adequately atoned. In addition, Scarab and Phantom erased the knowledge of all heroic secret identities from his mind, and Dragonfly and Miss Americana did to same to his computer systems; regaining this knowledge will have to be done the hard way, by regaining the trust of the heroes. While convalescing in Providence Asylum, several heroes came by to visit him, some openly, others in secret. One informed him that his beloved Fulcrum, who seemingly sacrificed herself to stop the beast from the darkest parts of his psyche, may not be dead -- there was a chance she could still be alive, trapped between dimensions. He dismissed this at first, but soon Archeville came to realize it was possible she could still be out there. Under League supervision, he left the Asylum, returned to his laboratory, and activated one of his many contingencies: an injection of nanites that would enhance his mental abilities, restoring him to his former super-genius condition, as well as granting some minor physical enhancements. Phase IV Later, Archeville was 'reformatted' following a fatal encounter with the Power Corps and the Sinister Science Squad, and was resurrected as a technorganic transhuman. He made sure to let the Freedom League and Interceptors know of his change, and he (and Fulcrum) were coming to grips with this new state. He then disappeared for a lengthy period -- convalescing, working to restore his body and his mind. Archeville spends some time in secluded convalescence, working to stabilize and restore his body and mind. His complete absence during The Incursion was noted by some; few realize he was stuck fighting on another planet, and desperately trying to avoid capture by the Communion, for fear of what they could do with his knowledge and his technorganic self. He also spent some time re-acclimating himself to working with the public by serving (in disguise) as a substitute teacher in Germany. PERSONALITY & MOTIVATION Archeville's arrogance, pride, and tendency to keep secrets and act without explaining his actions (assuming no one could keep up with his trains of thought) took some huge hits following the ArchEvil Event, since those traits all lead to it. Now he tries to work humbly to redeem not only his family name but his own name as well, though this is sometimes challenging because he really is so vastly smarter than most people he encounters. For a few months post-ArchEvil Event, Viktor was more alone than many realized: when the pseudonatural influence was separated from him, so was the 'Other,' the split in his personality he had labored under most of his life. (The truth is that it was not a true split personality, the Other was an 'interface' the pseudonatural entity used to study and later interact with the world, both based on and feeding Archeville's darker, baser impulses.) With that voice gone, Viktor Archeville was alone with his thoughts for the first time. This eventually changed, when several voices came back (during the "Hot Zone" event, March 2012), but all ultimately answered to his core/primary personality, which is that of a determined man trying to make good in the world. In time those voices disappeared, too. Archeville still engages in a professional rivalry with other high technologists, and still distrusts magic, largely because it is something he does not (and perhaps cannot) understand. (His distrust/disdain for magic was initially due to the pseudonatural corruption in him, subconsciously forcing him to push away those things which might best be able to identify and purge their influence from him.) He reserve his more intense hatred, though, for the mystical practitioners and entities that are decidedly inimical to mankind & reality, like the thing that had been in his family line for so long, and those who worship such pseudonatural beings. POWERS & TACTICS Archeville’s primary ability -- initially believed to be the result of a mutation, eventually revealed to be the result of pseudonatural magic, later replaced/recreated with advanced technology -- is his superhuman mind. This is not just limited to scientific/technical intelligence, but all areas: acquisition, retention, performance, and transfer, mathematical and logical reasoning, linguistic communication, pattern recognition, spatial visualization, and more. This even extends to interpersonal intelligence (the ability to influence people by playing on their moods, feelings, temperaments and motivations), intrapersonal intelligence (introspective and self-reflective capacities, which reinforces his comprehension of self to prevent manipulation by telepathic or other mental manipulations), and coordination & kinesthetics. Archeville possesses such a keen meta-awareness of his own mental processes that he can perceive and edit them, as a programming language, one that is meta-self-descriptive and -self-editing. Not only can this "language" describe thought, it can describe and modify its own operations as well, at all levels, where modifying a statement causes the entire grammar to be adjusted. With this language, he can see how his mind is operating, perceive the gestalts, see the mental structures forming, interacting. "I see myself thinking, and I see the equations that describe my thinking, and I see myself comprehending the equations, and I see how the equations describe their being comprehended." The neural network-based bioceramic nanites which he used to replicate his prior enhanced mental capabilities also grant him various technopathic abilities, mitigate the effects of certain exotic body- and mind-altering effects, and repair severe trauma at an accelerated rate. These nanites proved far more effective than anticipated, and brought him back from death as bizarre technorganic transhuman. Now all the abilities once granted by his gear -- the gravity-warping effects of his Gravimetric Belt, the electromagnetic energy harnessing powers of his Screwdriver, and even the protection of his energy-diffusing polymer-laced labcoat -- have been incorporated into his body. He can fly and teleport, create an electromagnetic bubble around himself that can either protect or conceal, and generate & manipulate many forms of energy with a mere thought. Archeville does still carry some gear on missions. The (non-'armored') labcoat he wears contains numerous pockets holding small capsules, filled with a variety of chemicals for a wide assortment of effects. He rarely carries many with him, trusting mainly in his own abilities (both mental and technological), but he does enjoy having a few surprises up his sleeves. Archeville is a mathematician even in combat. He analyzes every possible permutation of an opponent's moves and profile almost instantly, and adapts to exploit weaknesses and apply his own strengths to their best effect. Here are descriptions of some of his inventions. Here are a few more, mostly medical. And here's ten more. ALLIES As a prominent scientist, noted philanthropist and respected superhero, Doktor Archeville had a wide range of contacts and was a part of many networks in several fields. He was a member of the short-lived Knights of Freedom, the founder (and funder) of The Interceptors, and a member of the Freedom League Auxiliary. He was in a romantic relationship with Fulcrum, but that ended. Following the ArchEvil Event, all knowledge of superhero secret identities were removed from Archeville's mind (by Phantom & Scarab) and computers (by Dragonfly & Miss Americana), and all biological samples and other data were confiscated and/or destroyed. ENEMIES Der Wissenschafts-Geschwader (The [Sinister] Science Squad) was the first group of enemies he faced on a recurring basis, first encountered during his early days as a hero in and around Germany. After moving to Freedom, Captain Knievel and Malice became recurring foes, as did Doc Otaku, the Power Corps, and the White Knight. HEADQUARTERS & VEHICLES On Archeville’s 18th birthday (1995 June), he received a unexpected inheritance: a castle! Well, more of a run-down keep, a five-story tower straining under decades of neglect, in an exquisite location overlooking the majestic Danube river. He spent a few months fixing it up, but slowed as he immersed himself in studies at college. Once he graduated (1999 Spring), he revisited the keep with many plans, making it not just a home but a headquarters for his activities as a superhero, and the start of ArcheTech (which was still several years away). In a few years, Schloss Wissenschaft ("Science Castle") was transformed into a sprawling 110-room castle with an expansive subterranean structure. See here for more details. When Archeville first moved back to Freedom (2008 January), he bought a house in Hanover (North Freedom), roughly halfway between the Hanover Institute of Technology and the Albright Institute. Haus von Archeville appeared to be a standard two-story suburban home, neutral gray in color, with solar panels on the roof and a white picket fence around the well-maintained lawn. A cobblestone path leading from the gate to the front door was flanked on both side by eight lawn gnomes. The inside was far larger than the external dimensions indicated, with a foyer, formal dining room, library, and parlor on the ground floor, and a master bedroom and ten guest rooms on the second floor. The basement contained storage, a beer/wine cellar, and backup power generators and computer cores. The first sub-basement contained his primary personal laboratories and workshops, as well as a gym, and the sub-basement below that held his “Hazard Hall” for combat training. Defenses included multiple redundant locks, force fields, capturefoam projectors & a variety of energy projectors, and a veritable army of robots, most designed for household tasks but which could double as guardians. See here for more details. In early Fall of 2009, the first dedicated ArcheTech facility was opened in Freedom City. See here for more details (and here for stats). A few months after the first ArcheTech facility opened in Freedom, after becoming a member of the Freedom League Auxiliary (2010 January), he set ArcheStern (“Arche-Star”), his satellite laboratory and research facility, into geosynchronous orbit over South America. See here for more details (and here for stats). A few months after that (2010 April), Archeville launched Fjölnirskraft ("Fjölnir's Power/Strength"), a giant submarine filled with laboratories and workshops dedicated primarily to oceanography/the marine sciences. See here for more details. At around the same time, unknown to anyone, Nichtüberall (“Not Anywhere”), Archeville’s super-secret laboratory/workshop set in an asteroid in the belt between Mars and Jupiter, was completed. See here for more details. All headquarters contained teleport pads that could instantly transport people or cargo between them. During the ArchEvil event (20011 June), ArchStern was weaponized & then partially destroyed, Fjölnirskraft was boarded by Deep Ones and used to invade Freedom, Blueshift & Push fought Meta-Ceptors on Nichrüberall, and Schloss Wissenschaft was destroyed by UNISON Agent Mark Lucas. What remained of all of them were given to Miss Americana and the Scarab; ArcheStern was later decommissioned and abandoned. Nichtüberall was used by members of The Lab as a secure place to study Gorgon nanites in Fall 2011, and later given to the Freedom League for use as a long-range early warning system to warn of extrasolar threats. In 2019, Archeville left Earth aboard the Cynthia Bower, a spaceship of his own design and construction, based on a Freedom League Pegasus spaceplane. It possesses many of the same features as Haus von Archeville, including being considerably bigger on the inside than its outer dimensions suggest. MISCELLANEOUS Archeville is very much a supporting character, filling in gaps and helping others on whatever team he's with. He's also a mentor for others, eager to support up and cominc inventors with advice and resources. Behind the Scenes Long ago (1995) in a distant land (college), when I made my first forays into the internet, some of the first sites I visited were messageboards for Transformers. I saw that most users had handles/characters based on exiting TF characters, so I decided to follow suit. I recalled a mad scientist from a few eps, and went with that (though I did not know at the time that his name was spelled Arkeville), and so Doctor Archeville came into being. I've used that handle (or one like it) in many places, and is still one I use most often. When I discovered FC PbP (back in February 2008 ), I decided to make a mad scientist gadgeteer with the same name, though with a significantly different backstory, which incorporated my interest in Lovecraftian cosmic horror. (Some years earlier, around 2005, I'd joined Jack Butler's Global Guardians PBeM Universe, and made a similar character, though without the supernatural aspect.) As with many of my characters here, he became something of a "Heroic Version" of some existing comic book supervillains. I'd meant for him to draw heavily from Marvel's Doctor Doom -- though without the power armor -- but as I playd him, a lot of Baron Zemo crept in. COMPLICATIONS Enemies: Assorted supervillains from Germany and the rest of the European Union, as well as ones in America. In particular, Doc Otaku, the Power Corps, and White Knight all have it in for him, as do Captain Knievel, Havoc, Malice, and the Science Squad. Fame: Doktor Archeville is a very public figure, and has been for over a decade. Going out can be difficult for him: fans can make tempting targets for unscrupulous villains, and detractors can pop up at the most inopportune of times. Hatred: Archeville has a dislike of magic users and other supernatural beings (viewing them as at best ignorant people using metahuman powers, extraterrestrial technology, or something similar which they do not fully understand, and at worse as someone willingly using such techniques but purposefully hiding it behind superstition and fear to deceive others), but outright hates entities that are decidedly inimical to human life and sanity (like pseudonatural entities). Jobless Millionaire: After the ArchEvil event, Doktor Archeville ceded control of ArcheTech (and with it ArcheStern and Fjolnirskraft) to Miss Americana and Scarab (via the Rhodes Foundation), until such time as he could be trusted with them. Until then, Archeville may only use them as much as any other superhero. My Own Worst Enemy: Archeville's divided has caused him no end of trouble, and continues to do so from beyond in the form of caches of ultra-tech devices and mutagenic compounds spread throughout the world, waiting for some unscrupulous person (or innocent victim!) to find them. Obsession: To say Archeville is obsessed with science and technology is like saying the Sun is warm and the oceans are damp. He is the tinkerer, always pushing the hardware to the limit and beyond, always MacGyvering toasters into heat beams, with both an unwavering childlike wonder at the scientific miracles inherent in everyone and everything around him, and an unrelenting optimism that scientific discovery ultimately makes the universe a better place to live in. Reputation: Many people still remember the name Archeville, for his grandfather, the Nazi super-scientist. And several of Freedom City's heroes know the evils Viktor (albeit under the influence of his Other) did do (although the story fed to the public is that it was some other force, possibly an alien, that mind controlled Archeville and used him & his holdings to wreck havoc upon the world). Responsibility: Membership in the Freedom League Auxiliary and his personal relationship with Fulcrum would be enough for most, but Archeville is devoting much of his time to healing/repairing everything (and everyone) he harmed. At the top of this list are the Interceptors, who were stung worst of all by 'his' actions. Rivalry: Archeville has a friendly rivalry with most other battlesuit and gadgeteer superheroes, and many battlesuit and gadgeteer supervillains see him as the one to best. Secret: Archeville's pseudo-Multiple Personality Disorder was not widely known, nor is the extent of his involvement in the ArchEvil events. Also secret is that he is now a technorganic transhuman; he still carries non-working replicas of his devices to give the illusion that his powers stem from his gear, and uses holographic disguises and/or synthoflesh to make his appearance. Technorganic Body: Archeville's new body is as much technology as it is biology, which comes with a few drawbacks. Attacks that would normally affect only nonliving objects (like certain forms of electromagnetic pulse) work on him, as do technopathic powers. His body also requires certain metals and other substances as "nutritional supplements" that most organic life forms don't, and if unable to get them he may begin suffering glitches and other performance issues. OTHER Character Sheet [original] [current] Doktor Archeville’s HellQ, v1 (done March 2009) [link] Family Tree [link] How To Talk Like An Archeville [link] Tropes of Archeville [link] TIMELINE 1977 Summer: Viktor Helmut Archeville is born to Varick and Cynthia Archeville in Schönwald im Schwarzwald, a small town in the majestic Black Forest of Germany (in the southwestern portion of what was then known as West Germany), in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Tragically, Cynthia dies in childbirth. 1990 Summer: Viktor's father is incarcerated in an insane asylum, and Viktor Archeville, having no other living family, is made a Ward of the State. 1993 Fall: Viktor enrolls in the Technische Universität München, the Technical University of Munich. He later transfers to the Hanover Institute of Technology in Freedom, USA. 1999 Spring: Viktor Archeville, now Doktor (Doctor) Archeville, graduates with a Doctorate in Mathematics, Masters degrees in both chemistry and physics, and a BS in Psychology from HIT (and gets away with pulling a rather epic prank). 1999 Summer: Doktor Archeville begins working as a superhero in and around Germany. He crosses paths with Der Wissenschafts-Geschwader (The [Sinister] Science Squad) several times. 2006 August: Doktor Archeville fights Blözan in Berlin. [summary] 2008 January: Doktor Archeville returns to Freedom City, after having spent nearly a decade in Europe working as a superhero. [journal] February: Dr. Archeville, along with two young metahumans (shadow-manipulating Kizzy and the gleaming silvery space-man Star) stop Dryad in her mini-rampage at Midnight Hour. Dryad is sentenced to seven months in Blackstone. (A New Day, A New Way) Later, Kizzy and Archeville, and Legionnaire fight some evil tech-priests in a temple; Kizzy accidentally kills one of the tech-priests. Archeville confiscate the body in order to study the cybernetic implants it contains. (We Are Legion) March: While Dr. Archeville visits Dryad in Blackstone, a riot breaks out. White Knight and some of his cronies hold several guards hostage. (I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings) Later, Emissary holds an "open trials" day at the Freedom League's hall, allowing new superheroes in Freedom City to come and show their stuff. In attendance are Captain Wonder, Dr. Archeville, Legionnaire, Mongrel Angel, and Velocity. The sparring match between Legionnaire and Mongrel Angel gets out of hand when the time-lost Roman goes into a seeming berserk fury, but Emissary and Captain Wonder break it up before anyone is too seriously injured. Captain Wonder helps Legionnaire return to his own time. (A Day At the [Super] Gym) April: Emissary tries to continue/expand his prior training session by organizing a charity event. Invited to the planning session are Captain Wonder, Dr. Archeville, Gossamer, Rusty Nail, and Velocity. Personal matters draw Captain Wonder, Gossamer, and Rusty Nail away before any plans could be finalized. (You Know, For Kids!) Also, Archeville ponders his upcoming birthday, and on his legacy. [journal] May: Dr. Archeville gives a speech at HIT. Among those in attendance are Exile, Malice, and Quark, all in their civilian IDs. (HIT Science & Engineering Lecture Series, v1) Dr. Archeville pays Eric Micheals a visit at Darts, Inc., and Eric gives Archeville the grand tour. By the end of the day, Archeville agrees to work as a consultant for Darts. (Business & Technology) Dr. Archeville pays Darian Cale a visit. (Quantum Mechanics) September: Scarab II and Slamdance ask Dr. Archeville for some help as they investigate a Triple Murder in Riverside. October: Dr. Archeville accepts a dinner invitation to Pharos (the world-famous Egyptian-themed restaurant on the top floor of 2 Pyramid Plaza) with Sofia Hernandez de la Cruz, CEO of the Rhodes Foundation (who also sent a large grant cheque with the invitation). He is instead met by Elena Guerrero, who (telepathically) reveals herself to be The Scarab. Before they can order dinner, though, the Power Corps shows up. The two defeat them, but Elena erases everyone's memory of her presence and Archeville gets all the credit; only Archeville himself retains the memories and knows the truth. (Networking) 2009 January: Lullaby pays Dr. Archeville a house call. (The Amazonian Technology) Later that month, Dark Star arrives at the Star Island Space Control Center (SCC). Dr. Archeville, Quark, and a few others happen to be there to meet him. They foil an attempt by terrorists to blow up Daedalus' new space-plane (using Grue explosives!). (SCC & Star Island) March: Topaz needs help in controlling some aspects of her abilities, and in obtaining furniture that doesn't break so easily. She comes to Doktor Archeville for help, who runs her through several tests. (Shards) Later, Dr. Archeville attends Emma Twill's high society party. Also in attendance are Jack Faretti (and Melinda Ailey), and Elena Guerrero (Scarab II). (High Society) Much later, Dr. Archeville gives another speech at HIT. Among those in attendance are Arrowhawk and Dark Star (either in civilian IDs or invisible), and Captain Knievel, who crashes the event. (HIT Science & Engineering Lecture Series, v2) Even more later: Malice stole Arrowhawk's arrows. To stop that technology being in villainous hands, Arrowhawk attempts to find and break into Malice's headquarters. There is a HUGE EXPLOSION.... (The Arrow Strikes Home, then Massive Explosion in Riverside!) Though Doc is not involved in the rescue & clean-up efforts during the explosion, his association with Darts, Inc. -- the company owned & operated by Eric "Malice" Micheals -- does lead certain authorities to heavily question him. April: Hellbound gets airborne, with some help from Doktor Archeville. (Hellbound gets Airborne) Later, Avenger, Hellbound, Dark Star, Divine, Doktor Archeville, Geckoman and Wesley Knight have been used as the test subjects for Dok Otaku's new improved Gender Ray. They need to fix this problem (duh)! (The Great Genderswitch Caper) May: Emissary sets up a meeting for some of the brainiest of the brainy among Freedom City, to exchange ideas on how they might use their skills for the betterment of all. (It's a Friday night, what else are brainiacs going to be doing?) Dr. Archeville, Psyche, Quark, and Twilight Gryphon all show up. (Brainiacs of Freedom! ver 2.0) Later: Doktor Archeville visits Eric "Malice" Micheals at Blackstone Federal Penitentiary. (Stocks and Bonds) Much later, a peaceful Sunday afternoon of experimenting with Dark Star's powers at Dr. Archeville's laboratory is interrupted by an extradimensional visitor who goes by the name Odysseus. DS & Doc follow Odysseus to his home -- a parallel Earth -- but things quickly degenerate as they realize Odysseus and his fellows are the vanguard of an extradimensional invasion force! (All Ways of Contending, later Vaster than Empires and More Slow, later Checkmate) June: Dr. Archeville takes the Albright Institute up on their offer to test Metahuman abilities. (Power Gauging -- Dr. Archeville) July: Estelle "Gossamer" de Havilland and Doktor Archeville have a pleasant meal out at der Biergarten. Pleasant, until it is interrupted by the Power Corps, looking to get revenge on Doc for his role in defeating hem months earlier! ("When They Hear Oom Pah Pah!") August: Doktor Archeville, Quark, and Gossamer try to retrieve some of the Claremont kids (Breakdown, Edge, Geckoman, Hellion, Hope, Phalanx, Psyche, Wander) from an interdimensional transporter mishap. (They were sent to Erde/Nazi-Earth!) (Team Science!, later Reunited and It Feels So Good) September: A lot of unexplained mechanical failures have been happening all around the city. Havoc ensues when the "Y2K Bug" hits Millennium Mall. Later, The Knights of Freedom meet to have a discussion about recent events, events which have made some question their teammates and their places. (Knights - Fallout) Much later, A mysterious event causes a number of Freedom's heroes (Avenger, Dark Star, Doktor Archeville, Jack of All Blades, Thunderstanding, and Twilight Gryphon) to travel to The Days of High Adventure. A bit later, a dimensional breach opens at the Ashron Mall in West End. Archeville's sensors detect it, and the man who exits. Archeville goes to greet him, but in addition to "Dr. Annihilate" he also finds Captain Knievel and Emperor, a young malicious magnetic Metahuman! The muscular man-mountain Atlas also shows up, but the villains focus on Archeville, putting a severe hurt on him. In the fight, the villains escape. (Annihilation: The Rise of Dr. Annihilate!) Atlas carries Doc back to his Hanover home, where he is treated by his own hyperadvanced technology. Then sandwiches are eaten. (Brains & Brawn & Sandwiches) October: Doktor Archeville joins Jack (Avenger), Taylor (Phantom), Stesha (Fleur), Derrick (Dark Star), an incognito Ace Danger, and Lynn (Grim) in celebrating Taylor's birthday. (Archeville gives Taylor & Jack a handmade wood-and-brass cuckoo clock, featuring figurines of the two lovers.) There'll be drinks! And karaoke! And Blackjack! Later, Archeville's newest (and possibly most ambitious) superhero-ing project, The Interceptors, goes into operation. November: The ArcheTech HQ is attacked by demons (Invasion! Hanover)! Fortunately for those inside, Archeville (with some help from Quark, Spitfire, Tarantula and Tempest) gets everyone to the safety of Ace Danger's warded mansion (Invasion! Danger Mansion). December: Taylor (Phantom) and Jack (Avenger) have their white wedding. The wedding itself is small, but the reception afterward is a larger affair with many friends in attendance. Archeville pops in long enough to present a gift to the happy couple: a small robot that can clean, do basic housework chores, and generate a blood substitute that should meet Jack's dietary needs. Too bad the wedding is crashed by a Death Squad, come to punish Avenger for his breaking of the Dragon's Laws! 2010 January: Taylor (Phantom) tells Stesha (Fleur) about some queasy feelings, and they put two and two together to realize Taylor is pregnant! But... Jack (Avenger) shouldn't be able to do that... should he? To get to the bottom of these pressing concerns, Stesha asks Ace Danger for advice, and he suggests calling in Dr. Archeville. What will he say about the possibility of a fetus growing up vampire? Who knows?! Later, Ace Danger, Dark Star, Doktor Archeville, Fleur de Joie, and Freedom Angel find the Freedom League is missing! The culprit: the Tyranny Syndicate! Can these five save the revered heroes and stop their dastardly doppelgangers? (Childhood Dream) Doktor Archeville made member of the Freedom League Auxiliary. Later, Doktor Archeville helps Fulcrum get a hold of her powers. After all, Containment means never having to say KABOOM!. And a most curious thing happens: they find they're attracted to one another. Later, Doktor Archeville and Fulcrum go on a date, and find out whether opposites attract. Hilarity ensues, as does a fight with the Sinister Science Squad as Archeville's castle! February: Doktor Archeville has Grimalkin go back to school, undercover at Claremont and spy on Michael Harris (Phalanx) and Alexandra Albright (Psyche). When she returns, she tells him of their daughter-from-the-future, Zoe MacMillan (Zephyr), a revelation which unnerves him. Later, Doktor Archeville goes to Scarab for continued psychotherapy, as well as some answers to questions that have been gnawing at him since the Knights had their falling out. What will come of this Meeting of the Minds? A bit later, Colt, Dark Star, Grim, Jack of All Blade, Jester, and Doc are all whisked... somewhere quasi-Medieval. How? Why? Who knows, but surely they'll find that Life's Bazaar. March: On his way back into the city, Lukos is met by something quite unexpected: Doktor Archeville! What will come of his Interview with a Werewolf? April: Doktor Archeville, Jack of All Blades, Moira, Phalanx, and Sarah Prescott fend off an attack on an ArcheTech facility made by several superpowered teens. Their leader? Captain Knievel and Malice! No Mutation Without Representation! Later, Carbon and Doktor Archeville investigate a string of high-tech thefts. The trail leads Archeville to ASTRO Labs, where Gossamer, Midnight (II), and Phalanx had fought off the robotic minions of the armored madman Havok! (The Game's Afoot!, leading to Cry Havok!) Later, a flashback to when Archeville reveals his fractured Other Side's to Fulcrum. (See also Sep 15th, 2010) Later, Doktor Archeville helps deliver Avenger & Phantom's baby... while in the middle of a fight with Dracula! Fortunately, Ace Danger and Fleur are there to help. (The Dragon Wakes, later This Woman's Work) May: Rycon pays a visit to Doktor Archeville, one of the scientists who'd helped her some years ago. (Sturm und Dr... Archeville) Later, Assorted Kaiju attack the streets of Freedom, and Docktor Archeville is called in by AEGIS to see what's what. But all is not as it appears. (Monsters? In the Streets!? - AEGIS HQ). Archeville later takes the fight directly to the Grue fleet. Later, following the Grue Invasion, several of the cities heroes meet to let off steam. Doktor Archeville attends, primarily to provide medical support in case anyone gets too eager in their fighting. (Fisticuffs 2: The Opening Credits) June: Rift comes to ArcheTech for some general power checking. He and Doktor Archeville explore the Sounds of Science. Later, Doktor Archeville decided to test the security at the Interceptor's Brownstone, and hires Avenger to do so by breaking in. But when there's a bored vampire involved, things quickly spiral out of control. (Interrupting Cow) Between Avenger's first and second intrusions, the Scarab comes to Archeville and makes him aware of things he had not been noticing. (Working The Bugs Out) Later, Archeville watches on with the other Interceptors as Alexandra Albright outs herself as both Psyche of Young Freedom and as a Terminus Baby in a television interview. (He did not tell the team he already knew, nor about the spying he'd had Grimalkin secretly do on both Psyche and Phalanx.) ("...And I'm a Mutant.") August: The Bee-Keeper (II) attacks Freedom Hall, with an all-new (and vastly more powerful) suit of armor! His mission? Take over the city, and take Fleur de Joie as his Queen! Can the Freedom League's newest recruits -- Ace Danger, Dark Star, Doktor Archeville, Fleur, and Freedom Angel -- stop him? Or will they all wind up saying "Imma Bee"? Later, Doktor Archeville hosts the semi-annual Brainiac Brunch at the Freedom Public Library, open to all super-scientists and tech-heads as both a way to socialize and put their heads together on many of the world's problems. In attendance: Arrowhawk (civilian id), Dragonfly (heroic id), Dyne (civilian id), Gossamer, Ironclad (civilian id), Miss Americana, Rift (heroic id), Supercape (civilian id), Valkyrie (civilian id), and Victory. Later, Fusion needs a routine checkup, to make sure she's not mutating any further. She visits Doktor Archeville, and an entangling alliance is made. Later, Jack Faretti, Jr. gets a most unusual visitor: a doktor who makes housecalls?! But what happens when Archeville enters a house full of mysticism and sorcery? Whatever happens, certainly Jack's father and babysitter will be able to handle it... right? Well, no, not entirely, but fortunately Kid Cthulhu is nearby! [Phase II of Archeville’s life begins, when his secret Cthulhoid/Deep One heritage manifested, causing changes both mental and physical as a Jekyll/Hyde-like shift.] September: The Interceptors get a new "reserve" member. Welcome to The Interceptors, Jill O'Cure! Later, Archeville joyously shares the news of his Other Side's "exorcism" with Fulcrum, and they flashback to when he first told her of his Other Side and the fractures in his psyche. (See also April 13th, 2010) [Evil!Archeville kills Dryad, Lullaby, and two others.] October: Archeville invites Grimalkin over to his Hanover home for a nice little chat. [Evil!Archeville kills Dark Vixen.] Later, Valkyrie/Vivian is badly injured following a fight with Nacht-Krieger, Ragnarok, and other SHADOW minions, and Arrowhawk knows of but one man who can help: Doktor Archeville. (Die Me, Dichotomy) [A week later, she is visited by Evil!Dok. He nearly beats her to death, but she sacrifices herself in trying to stop him.] Later, Miss Americana stops by ArcheTech for an audition/interview with Doktor Archeville. He impresses her so much, he hires her on the spot. [Evil!Archeville kills Cougress.] November: Doktor Archeville's been looking for a medical cadaver (to keep his skills sharp), and he's found one... in Dead Head! [Meet Up Vignette] Later, Doktor Archeville attends a party at the mansion of Felix Fassbinder, arriving with Miss Americana as part of an ArcheTech promotion but later spending the evening with Mona Teymourian. Joan Collier, Lt. Lance Factor, Dr. Estelle de Havilland, Corbin Hughes, and Etain Maher were also in attendance. What sort of champagne shenanigans will ensue?! Later, Rift requires help: he found a cyborg bat of unusual size! Can he keep it? Archevillle's not sure: where the heck did it come from?! Later that night, Viktor faces his most challenging test yet: meeting Mona's parents! Even the famed Doktor Archeville realizes There's No Equation For This. Later, Kid Cthulhu needs medical help. Who you gonna call? Doktor Archeville, that's who! [A week later, Evil!Dok beats the Cthulhu out of Kid Cthulhu.] Later, Slick decides to get a full medical workup, and goes to Miss Americana to do so. But when something goes awry, she call in Doktor Archeville for help in this bizarre medical matter. Later, Powerhouse stumbles into ArcheTech, in the clutches of early onset lycanthropy! Can Doktor Archeville help? Probably; it's not lupus, after all. December: Archeville (discreetly) attends the opening of The Lab. Later that day, Wesley Knight calls Archeville for some tests on his biokinetic powers. The Doktor is always eager to explore new metahuman powers; Wes just wants to know "How Do I Mold Life?" [Evil!Archeville kills Lion and Finder.] Christmas Day: Doktor Archeville enjoys A Very Interceptors Christmas with Colt, Dynamo, Grimalkin, Jack of all Blades, and Jill O'Cure. 2011 January: In another dimension, a Doktor Archeville sings about poor superstitious fools to a Kid Cthulhu. Later, it's the wedding of Stesha "Fleur de Joie" Madison and Derrick "Dark Star" Lumins! To his considerable honor, Lumins chose Archeville to be one of his Best Men! The wedding is held Somewhere That's Green. [Evil!Archeville kidnaps Kakoku.] [Evil!Archeville burns down Ferlyn's magic shoppe, with her in it.] [Evil!Archeville kills the community of mages living in a pocket dimension outside Edison, NJ, including Naxean and Berserker.] [Evil!Archeville kills the Crimson Martyrs gang.] Later, Jessica "Ironclad" Parker comes to Doktor Archeville for some medical advice. (Exposure to a neurodegenerative compound, and the treatments Freedom Medical gave her for it, resulted in her being able to 'hear' electronic signals such as radio waves and wi-fi!) Will she have a clean Bill of Health? [Evil!Archeville kills & steals the body of Black Priestess.] [Evil!Archeville kills Hellbound.] Later, Fulcrum moves in with Dok. While packing up, he reveals a new revenue stream for ArcheTech, one she helped inspire. Things go horribly awry when Mona's Terminus energies interact with his womrhole, and they find themselves on an alternate pseudo-Medieval Earth! (Now You're Moving With Wormholes) Later, Blueshift, Doktor Archeville, Push, Suprcape and Victory work together to stop a gigantic asteroid from colliding with Freedom City! Damage to their spaceplane then forces them to find someplace to touch down and make repairs, which results in Archeville revealing Nichtüberall to them. (The Heroes are NEAR) February: Doktor Archeville spends some time with Jack of all Blades. It is cut short by an attack by giant robots on the HIT campus. (Science of Stabpunching 201) Later, Doktor Archeville spends some time with Colt. They fire weapons, and make chili. (Ballistics Is A Science, Right?) Later, Doktor Archeville spends some time with Dynamo. (Magnets! How Do They Work? Science, You Clown!) Later, Jubatus comes to ArcheTech for a checkup, and to his surprise finds none other than Doktor Archeville himself is to be one of the attending physicians! What are the odds? Of course, things go wrong... (I Kan Haz Humanity?) [Evil!Archeville kills Honey Bee, and frames Bee-Keeper.] March: Doktor Archeville asks for a second opinion from Miss Americana on a set of brainscans -- his own! She brings in Dragonfly to help. During the consult, Archeville shows just what his brain can do, and reveals a very disturbing incident from his childhood. [Evil!Archeville kidnaps Topaz.] [Evil!Archeville kidnaps Je'La.] April: Dok and the other Interceptors help Lynn and Billy (mostly Lynn) plans for their wedding! (Interceptors: Planning for the Big Day) [Evil!Archeville kidnaps Big Man.] Later, Dok accompanies Mona to dinner with one of her fellow artists, Carrie Wendle, at Timothy's Bistro. Then the giant robots come... (Dine and Crash, later Homeland Insecurity) Later, Doktor Archeville puts on the last finishing touches to his Time Portal... [... and then Evil!Dok uses said Time Portal! (Time Warp: Pair o' Doks)] [Evil!Archeville kills American Patriot.] May: Fenris (the Norse monster) and Thrude are unleashed in Midtown! Just when it seems the Fen-wolf is about to kill the Donarsdottir, Doktor Archeville, Fenris (the battlesuit-wearing hero), and Freedom Angel appear to turn the tide! (A Perfect Storm) Later, Archeville has a nice chat with Thrude, trying to learn more about what she is and where she's from, and offers her a spot on the Interceptors. (Freyja's Day, Freyja's Day, Freyja's Day) Later that day, after realizing she'd fit in well with the team, he takes her to the Interceptors Brownstone -- at the same time Jack of all Blades is introducing the team to Willow, his newest 'recruit'! (Dok & Thrude & Jack & Willow) Later, Keeley White's going to need a job after she graduates from Claremont! ArcheTech needs security guards, preferably those with extranormal experience! After this interview, both Doktor Archeville and Wander should Sleep Sound Tonight. Later, Billy/Colt and Lynn/Grimalkin are finally getting married! But will all be well when Colt's rival Gillman shows up? And just what is that pulsing box in Archeville's jacket pocket? Why, it's an engagement ring: Archeville proposes to Fulcrum! June: Doktor Archeville meets up with Ferros, and extends an invite to the Interceptors. (The Case of the Mock Magnetokinetic) June 17th, 2011: Archeville's Evil/Other Side finally makes it move! Can the heroes stop him? And will anyone be prepared for the true mastermind that's been pulling the Doktor's strings? (begins at [ArchEvil]: Revelations, then to [ArchEvil] Terrible Bosses, then a News Broadcast, then [ArchEvil] Omnia Mutantur, Nihil Interit and [Arch-Evil] Load-Bearing Bosses and [ArchEvil] Gestalt Theory, concluding in [ArchEvil] Atermath.) In the aftermath, Miss Ameircana, Phantom, and Scarab erase all knowledge of superhero secret identities from Archeville's mind and computer systems. June 24th: Miss Americana and Harrier (in his civilian ID) visit Doktor Archeville in Providence Asylum, where they inform him of ArcheTech's downward spiral following the events of ArchEvil. The Doktor, realizing (even in his depressed state) that drastic action must be taken, names Miss Americana acting CEO of the corporation. Before leaving Harrier offers some advice on dealing with the guilt; later Archeville is visited by Ace Danger, who attempts to rouse him. (The Doktor is In[sane!].) June 27th: Arrowhawk pays Doktor Archeville a visit in Providence, demanding to know what happened to Vivian Krieger. The investigation is partly hindered by the fact Archeville no longer knows Vivian Krieger and Valkyrie (whom his Other Side mercilessly attacked) were one and the same. (Kilts & Kooks) July 1st: Nacht-Krieger has come to assassinate Doktor Archeville! No, wait, it's just Silhouette, dropping in to find out what happened to Fulcrum. She talks him into checking out of Providence and work on rescuing her. (Off-Hours Visit) July 16th: Two weeks later, Archeville has restored his mind (with nanotech) and rebuilt his Electromagnetic Screwdriver and Gravimetric Belt [i.e., Phase III of his life begins], and sets off with Silhouette (and some of her friends from Earth-Victoriana) to rescue Fulcrum. Things quickly go wrong when the two heroes are separated and flung across dimensions! (Never Split the Party, later Dunkel Sonne.) November: Doktor Archeville returns to Earth-Prime (missing out on everything Gorgon-related) from his journey into the Terminus and adventures on Nede. December 15th, 2011: After working in a secret ArcheTech lab for three months to free her from her Terminus-energy crystalline cocoon, Mona finally breaks free! Archeville is there to meet her on this New Day, as is Carrie/Silhouette. 2012 February 1st: Doktor Archeville is invited along for the maiden voyage of Hanson Enterprise's new SX-1 spaceplane; Glow is also in the plane, in her civilian ID. During the flight, it is hit -- by a Gremlin! But the Gremlin is no ordinary monster: it is one Archeville had a hand in making. (Nightmare at 200,000 Feet) March 27th: Dok takes a trip to the E-Sea bank to check on some safety deposit boxes. Of course, it gets robbed, by Breaker and his gang of seventeen goons. They don't stand a chance. (Doktor, Banker, Breaker, Thief) April: Dok and Harrier deal with the problems of the past. Specifically, Harrier's parents. (Last Record). Later, While investigating the crater where Scholss Wissenschaft once stood, Archeville meets up with Edge and Nina... and a dragon! What else is in store for the Lord of the Manor? May 25th: Doktor Archeville offers his assistance to Fleur de Joie in her reclamation efforts on Sanctuary. (Forge Works) June 8th: Doktor Archeville attends Cosmo Accurso's masquerade ball in Castle Accurso in Switzerland. Also in attendance is Eve Martel, secretly the superhero Sage. No one recognizes Archeville -- he's cross-dressed, and did a really good job! (Money, money, money) July: After a disastrous fight with the Power Corps and the Science Squad in Germany, Doktor Archeville is killed, but later resurrected... or, rather, reformatted. [Phase IV of his life begins.] 2013 January 25th: Doktor Archeville helps Baron Katastroff, Voltage, and Cyberknife/Miss Americana investigate the remains of a crashed Curator ship in the Arctic, near Centurion's Sanctum. Will their research help them in Getting Ahead With Science? 2014-2018 Archeville spends this time in secluded convalescence, working to stabilize and restore his body and mind. His complete absence during The Incursion was noted by some; few realize he was stuck fighting on another planet, and desperately trying to avoid capture by the Communion, for fear of what they could do with his knowledge and his technorganic self. He also spent some time re-acclimating himself to working with the public by serving (in disguise) as a substitute teacher in Germany. 2019 March: Doktor Archeville has a few brief meetings with former allies in Freedom City. He starts his fence-mending by meeting with Grimalkin at Millennium Comics. April 1st: Archeville stops by Freedom Hall to check in with the League/let the League check up on him. He is greeted by Comrade Frost, and introduced to a young woman the League's had their eye on: Aquaria Innsmouth! Do you want tentacles? Because that's how you get tentacles. April 2nd: Archeville pays Miss Americana a visit, to let her know how he is, to let her know how happy he is with what she's done with ArcheTech, and to discuss some possible future plans. (One Boss, Two Boss, Red Boss, Green Boss) April 4th: Archeville and Delta help W.E.S.T. deal with some Darwin X-mutated chimpanzees. Can they offers some Better Thinking in the Lost World? May 17th: Archeville -- in disguise as Freelance Technician "Patch Menderson" -- crosses paths with Facsimile. Their chance encounter will wind up Upgrading the Supply Chain (and later The Strongest Link). June 19th: Viktor Archeville & Mona Teymourian discuss A New Enterprise: leaving Earth, heading out into SPAAACE! Also, having a child! Also also, discovering that Mona's cat has been affected by prolonged exposure to her Teminus energies!!! November 26th: Viktor Archeville & Mona Teymourian leave Earth aboard Archeville's ship, the Synthia Bauer. 2020 February: Archeville finds a strange structure in the Nakara system, what appears to be more stone temple than spacecraft. Dirge and Starlok are also there, with a Lor archaeologist, and all four investigate. (All Aboard the Nightmare Ship!) 2021 TBD [SPAAACE] 2022 TBD [SPAAACE] 2023 December: Due to the actions of an alien Santa Claus being whomh he'd helped, Doktor Archeville is temporarily transported to the Freedom League Holiday Party. Things go... awkwardly, but no one comes to blows. Lynn "Grimalkin" Epstein even offers Viktor a place to stay! (Holiday Cheer) 2024 January 15th: An intense storm dumps over a foot of snow on Freedom, paralyzing the city. Viktor and Lynn are safe & cozy inside Silbermann's Books, and the weather forces them to stop avoiding each other and engage in some long-overdue conversations. (Fifteen Feet of Pure White Snow) ??? (before Feb 14th): The second planet orbiting the Ferrum binary star system is home to a vast array of solar cells, collecting energy for Republic and Coalition worlds. But their operations have been disrupted by the arrival of several dozen Sarcota, immense space-faring eel-like beings. The corporations that run operations on Ferrum II called in two specialists to assist them: the interstellar safari hunter Starshot, and Terran scientist Doktor Archeville. As the two work together to discover the Sarcotan shoaling patterns, they are joined by a third: Kinarr Khan, son of Kinan Khan and heir apparent to the Stellar Khanate, who claims he's here to help!

The seas have always held a special fascination for Viktor Archeville: their bounty, their mystery, their power. "We know more about the moon than we do about the deep sea," Greenpeace says. Archeville had advised and worked on assorted oceanographic missions before -- designing sensors and propulsion units, going over data, examining new sea life, and so on -- but he knew he could do better. So he decided to build a gigantic submarine, one capable of going faster, deeper, and staying under longer than any other, and which would have less of a "footprint" that would disturb the native life. The result, launched in April of 2010, was Fjölnirskraft, at the time the largest submarine in world history. During the ArchEvil event (20011 June), Fjölnirskraft was boarded by Deep Ones and used to invade Freedom; Gabriel & Ironclad fought them off. What remained of the vessel, along with the rest of ArcheTech, was given to Miss Americana and the Scarab. LOCATION Fjölnirskraft roams the Pacific Ocean. She'll dock wherever she's allowed, but Archeville also has a private shipyard on a small, barren island east of the Marquesas capable of handling most routine repairs and refueling. The Archeneum hull plating and skeletal structure of the kraft allow it to cruise at deeper average depths than most submarines. A Los Angeles-class nuclear submarine can dive to depth of 1,480 feet (450 meters) before beginning to risk hull collapse from the pressure; Fjölnirskraft can dive to depths of up to 2,460 feet (750 meters) without undue strain. APPEARANCE, EXTERIOR Manufactured primarily of Archeneum (a metal with approximately the weight of aluminum but a hardness & durability ten times that of osmium steel), the hull of Fjölnirskraft is, like other submarines, primarily tube-shaped, though the kraft is somewhat wider aft (rear) than fore (front), giving it shape like an elongated egg... or a turkey baster. However, when the eight manipulatory tentacles from the bow & the two from the sides all emerge and extend to their full length, it takes on the appearance of a gargantuan eyeless squid. APPEARANCE, INTERIOR The front third of the Fjölnirskraft is taken up by laboratories and workshops dedicated primarily to oceanography/the marine sciences. The middle third is the habitation area, including the galley and infirmary. Between the habitation area and the laboratories is the command deck, and below the command deck is Archeville's personal quarters. The rear third contains the "cold fusion" power plant (see below) and the life support systems. MISCELLANEOUS Archeville decided to keep the tradition of naming vessels after deities of the sea. According to Norse mythology, Fjölnir is the son of Freyr (son of the sea god Njörðr) and Gerðr (daughter of Ægir, a jötunn [nature spirit/giant] and king/personification of the seas), and thus the grandson of two sea-deities. Fjölnir is also another name for Odin (the chief god of the Norse pantheon), found in Grímnismál when the god revealed himself to Geirröðr, and in Reginsmál when he was standing on a mountain addressing Sigurd and Regin; Snorri also mentions it as an Odinic name in Gylfaginning. The Fjölnirskraft generates power through a ultra-efficient "cold fusion" reactor that can pump out twice the power of a conventional fusion reactor but requires almost no shielding (which helps lighten the sub considerably). The power plant generates more than enough powers to meet the kraft's day-to-day needs, which, combined with its mostly robotic crew (see below), means it can stay underwater for approximately six months without having to even approach the surface. The Fjölnirskraft uses a magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) propulsion system, a major advantage compared to propellers or pumpjet propulsion. The MHD engine uses magnetic energy to force water through tubes, an effect sometimes described as an "underwater jet engine." There are six MHD "jets" total, three each on the port (left) and starboard (right) sides, along the rear 2/3rds of the kraft. The MHD system allows the Fjölnirskraft to attain speeds far beyond those of standard submarines; conventional submarines typically run at 20 knots and max out at around 35 knots, but the Fjölnirskraft can reach over double that. Additionally, the MHD engine makes almost no noise, rendering it nigh-unnoticeable by wildlife (and modern sonar systems). To improve the kraft's stealth profile, Archeville has covered the hull with an anechoic radar absorbent coating, and has acoustically isolated machinery and other noise-causing objects inside the hull by mounting them on vibration-dampening platforms. The Fjölnirskraft contains ultra-advanced communications and sensory gear. It uses powerful active and passive sonars, including a spherical array in the bow, a conformal sonar array mounted around the bow, and several types of towed sonar arrays built into tubular shrouds around the hull. The Fjölnirskraft's communications equipment can receive and broadcast over the full frequency spectrum, from ultra-high frequency (UHF) to extremely low frequency (ELF). Unlike virtually every other sub in the world, the kraft doesn't need to approach or break the surface to use its communications systems (which would be too disruptive for long-term deep sea projects); they work just as well hundreds of feet below the surface as the do on top of it. After careful consideration, Archeville did decide to give the Fjölnirskraft some weaponry. Torpedoes were right out, though: too "low-tech", too unreliable. Instead, he went with 16 energy beam projectors, spaced evenly around the hull, specifically designed and tuned by him to fire underwater with minimal loss of energy. They can also be set to "paralyze" or "stun" mode. Similar projectors are mounted on the inside of the ship, to deal with any intruders or unruly specimens. Also usable as a weapon -- but primarily intended for specimen retrieval -- are the Fjölnirskraft's tentacles, eight at the bow and two along the sides. When retracted the bow tentacles form a spiral cover over the front of the kraft, and the two at the sides lie flat against the hull, so when not in use the super-sub is as streamlined as any other submarine. The super-submarine also contains a dock/hangar for other, smaller vehicles. The Fjölnirskraft has a crew of a couple hundred at most, and often runs with just a few dozen, not the thousands which would be expected for a ship of this size and complexity. This is possible for two reasons. One, the kraft is highly automated, and Archeville's technology rarely breaks down under standard use. Second, basic tasks that can't be automated -- everything from keeping the ship clean to routine maintenance -- are performed by robots. Human personnel only have to perform tasks that Archeville isn't willing to relegate to robots. This of course does not include the "guest" scientists who make use of the kraft's facilities for their own research. Due to its relatively small crew, the Fjölnirskraft requires less in the way of life support systems. These systems include carbon dioxide "scrubbers" to remove that gas from the air, and carbon monoxide "burners" which do the same for that gas. Another system breaks water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen to replenish the air supply; filters, dehumidifiers, and similar equipment keep the air fresh. The sub also has a water distillation facility to produce all the water it needs. The kraft typically carries enough food and other supplies to travel for 180 days in comfort without surfacing. See here for stats.

When Doktor Archeville (or the malevolent Other within him) really needed to get away, he went here. It was his ultimate refuge, a place where he could concentrate on projects without any interruptions, where nothing would disturb him and no one could find him. Nichtüberall, a secret base known only to him, was completed in April of 2010. In January 2011, Doktor Archeville revealed the existence of this facility to Blueshift, Push, Supercape, and Victory, after they stopped a planet-killer asteroid from impacting Earth. During the ArchEvil event (20011 June), Blueshift, Push, and Victory fought Meta-Ceptors on Nichrüberall. What remained of the satellite was given to given to the Freedom League. Nichtüberall was used by members of The Lab as a secure place to study Gorgon nanites in Fall 2011. It is currently mothballed, but may be used as a long-range early-warninng system to warn of extrasolar threats. LOCATION Inside a large (house-sized) asteroid in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. APPEARANCE, EXTERIOR Nichtüberall is entirely contained within the asteroid; there are no external indications that it is anything other than just one of the 2,000,000 other space rocks in the belt. APPEARANCE, INTERIOR Nichtüberall features luxurious quarters, a well-stocked library, an automated kitchen, and enough labs for him to do most of his work; there isn't enough room for extensive testing of devices, so the labs mainly focus on theoretical work and computer modeling of prototypes. (He can save the data to the memory systems in his Electromagnetic Screwdriver and download it into one of his Earth-based computers at the first opportunity.) MISCELLANEOUS Only Doktor Archeville knows about Nichtüberall: no humans were involved in its constructions, all robots involved in the construction were ultimately recycled into components of the HQ itself, and all information related to it was erased from his Earth-based computers (and his Electromagnetic Screwdriver) after it was completed. The only way to track it down (other than reading Archeville's mind) would be an intense analysis of the coordinate system used by the Micro-Wormhole Generator in his Gravimetric Belt, which is how he usually gets there (it takes several "jumps"). It can receive transmissions from Earth, but he never communicates back since that could reveal its location. Additionally, its distance from Earth -- 3 AU from the Sun, so 2 to 4 AU (185,911,614 - 371,823,228 miles) from Earth depending on their relative positions -- means standard transmissions would not reach Nichtüberall for 16.6 to 33.3 minutes. At its closest, it would require Teleport 13 to reach it in one hop from the Earth. At its most distant, it would require Teleport 14 to reach in one go. Its distant location is its best protection, but Archeville does not rely on that alone. A stealth field damps out any electromagnetic "noise" the equipment inside makes, and a "mental stealth field" built into the walls makes it so anyone scanning for him psionically "sees" nothing unusual about the asteroid. A variable phasic shield keeps nosy/wandering energy beings & incorporeal entities out. See here for stats. The name is a pun: Nichtüberall is close to Nacht überall, “Night Everywhere.”

On the day Viktor Archeville turned 18 (June 1995), he was given a doozy of an inheritance: his own ancestral keep! It wasn't much to look at, just a five-story tower straining under more than a century of neglect, but it was in an exquisite location overlooking the majestic Danube river. He spent a few months working on fixing it up, but slowed when he started his college career. After graduation (Spring 1999), he revisited the tower with many, many plans for it. Not only would this be his new home while in Germany, it would be a center for his company (still some years from completion) and a place of learning for all who were determined enough to make the trip. During the ArchEvil event, Schloss Wissenschaft was destroyed by UNISON Agent Mark Lucas. What remained of it, along with the rest of ArcheTech, was given to Miss Americana and the Scarab. LOCATION Schloss Wissenschaft sits in the Black Forest of Germany. Originally a small keep awarded to one of Archeville's ancestors in the 16th century, it stands on a hill overlooking the junction where the Brigach and Breg rivers join to form the Danube river. The closest town is Donaueschingen, a regional rail hub. APPEARANCE, EXTERIOR The keep had started as a 5-story tower with a basement/storage cellar. Archeville restored and expanded it, turning what had been a simple keep into a sprawling 110-room castle with an expansive subterranean substructure. APPEARANCE, INTERIOR The ground floor contains the grand entry hall (with a large art gallery off to the side), a lavish reception hall (with a large and well-stocked kitchen off to the side), classrooms (see below), staff lounge and dining room (for non-robot staff), and a robot repair/recharge area. 2nd floor holds a ballroom, a large meeting room, a formal dining room, servant's quarters, expensively furnished guest rooms, music room, museum, communications center, robotics laboratory/workshop, business offices, and a balcony overlooking the lands. 3rd floor holds R&D laboratories (primarily life sciences), an infirmary (with state of the art quarantine chamber, pathology lab, and cryogenic storage), more living quarters (primarily for scientists and technicians who show exceptional talent and receive training from Archeville himself), a national surveillance center, and aircraft hangar/helipad. 4th floor contains R&D labs (primarily physical sciences) and a global surveillance center. The castle's massive central tower contains floors 5-10. (The reception room in the ground floor, ballroom on the 2nd floor, and R&D laboratories on the 3rd and 4th floors make up and expand out from the lower levels of the tower.) Most of the 5th floor is take up by the gym and Combat Simulator Holo-Chamber (which he can use to show famous battles from history, with himself in the the role of one of the commanders), and the 6th floor contains Archeville's living quarters (sitting room, bedroom, and bath, all luxuriously appointed with the best in carpeting, furniture, and decor). The 7th floor holds private laboratories and workshops for personal projects (with their own dedicated power supply, a tabletop cold fusion generator), and the 8th floor holds labs for studying "unusual" items (which includes nonterrestrial, extradimensional, and "magical" items). The 9th and 10th floors are Archeville's massive library/reading room. In addition to Archeville's personal elevator, the 8th-10th floors are connected by a massive spiral staircase. Beneath the castle are numerous subterranean layers of considerable size; altogether they are about three times as big as the entire above-ground castle. The basement holds wine cellars and miscellaneous housewares; it can be accessed via elevators in the kitchens and Archeville's personal elevator (which runs through the central tower). The first sub-basement is contorted with small winding passageways, and the hangar, with access to the surface coming through the courtyard of the castle or via a ramp leading out behind the castle. The second sub-basement contains all sorts of power inhibiting devices designed to detain and imprison metahuman villains (or unruly experiments), as well as several research & testing laboratories (including his primary psionics/psionic tech R&D laboratories). The third sub-basement contains more laboratories and workshops (primarily robots and alternative energy sources), nestled in a maze of corridors. The fourth sub-basement holds more secret laboratories/workshops (including an extradimensional research laboratory), and a highly efficient fission reactor. Beneath this, an underground offshoot of the Danube River runs through a number of large caverns, and the current of the river powers three backup hydroelectric generators. MISCELLANEOUS Exterior granite walls are supported by titanium/vanadium steel bracing, supplemented with force screens. Schloss Wissenschaft is highly automated, with a permanent staff of only 50 humans and 300 robots. Archeville could streamline operations more -- less humans and less robots via more automation -- but he chose not to because people coming there expect to see robots, and appreciate seeing other humans. Most of the ground floor is open to the public at all hours ("if you can reach the place," he figures, "you deserve at least a little something.") The classrooms contain scores of "teaching computers" that can answer a number of questions; they are free for anyone to use, though they only display in German. These "teaching computers" have fully interactive file libraries on anatomy, astronomy, biology, botany, chemistry, ecology, geology, medicine, physics, and zoology; they can also teach algebra, calculus, trigonometry, drafting, and electrical and mechanical engineering. The castle has a "Schwarzschild Wormwole Aperture Producer" (SWAP) system, which allows instantaneous teleportation between it and any other ArcheTech facility. See here for stats.

ArchesternArchestern (2005-2011) was a private space station designed, built and operated by super-genius Dr. Archeville as part of ArcheTech Industries. It was a private laboratory and research facility in geosynchronous orbit over Earth, launched in 2005 with help from the Freedom League, most notably the heroes Dark Star and Ace Danger, with the cooperation of UNISON. Archestern operated as an orbital research facility until 2011, when it was weaponized during the events of ArchEvil and was eventually partially destroyed, then decommissioned and abandoned. LocationArchestern (“Arche-Star”) is parked in geosynchronous orbit (approximately 22,000 miles above sea level) over South America (mainly Ecuador, Colombia, and Brazil). However, it is possible for ArcheStern to move, albeit at a very slow pace. Appearance, ExteriorArchestern presents a profile similar to an eight-pointed star. It has a large central area that's disk shaped, and radiating from it to the eight points of the compass are wedge-shaped “rays.” The central disk is referred to as the Core; the eight arms are the North, Northeast, East, Southeast, South, Southwest, West, and Northwest wings. Appearance, InteriorThe 'Core' contains most of the station's key facilities, including gravity generation systems, the security room, and the bridge. The gravity generator (a masterwork resulting from Dr. Archeville's extensive research into gravitics) allows the station to maintain Earth-normal gravity (1.0G) without having to be spun; controls in the Core can vary the gravity throughout the station (or only in selected parts of the station) from 0.0 to 4.0G. From the security room, all internal and external cameras can be monitored, electronic locks controlled, and personnel communicated with. The bridge is where Doktor Archeville and crew operate the controls that fly the station; though it normally remains in a stationary orbit, it is possible to move it as a very slow pace. The bridge also contain the controls for Archestern's communications equipment and sensors. The 'North Wing' contains Dr. Archeville's personal quarters, his dining hall and kitchen, and his laboratories. His large, luxurious room occupies the tip of the wing and has large “windows” made of transparent Archeneum that allow him to gaze out on the magnificence of space. The laboratories aren't as extensive as those in Schloss Wissenschaft or Archeville's Hanover Home due to a lack of room aboard the station, but there's more than enough to keep Archeville occupied. This is where he does most of his work on astronomy, astrophysics, and related subjects, since it's much easier to view the universe without an atmosphere getting in the way. The 'East Wing' contains quarters and living spaces for Archestern's crew and guests. The lounges are small and focus almost entirely on video entertainment; there isn't room for things like billiard tables. The 'South Wing' of Archestern primarily contains the unglamorous but absolutely necessary systems required to keep the space station running: the power generator (a binary cold fusion system, supplemented by numerous solar panels on the sunward side of the station); the heating plant and ventilation equipment; and the main life support systems. (Smaller backup life support systems are in the Core and each Wing except the West Wing, capable of sustaining life in that particular section but not elsewhere.) Additionally, the South Wing features Archestern's teleportation platform. The 'West Wing' contain the landing/launch bay at its “tip,” and the rest of the wing consists of hangars and repair bays for space vehicles. The 'Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, and Northwest Wings' contain laboratories and workstations ArcheTech uses (and rents out to other companies), to take advantage of the low- and zero-gravity environments which are ideal for manufacturing some types of electronic components and chemicals, the clearer view of the universe for astronomy and astrophysics work, and the top-down view of the Earth for meteorological research. MiscellaneousArchestern mounts a telescope even better than the Hubble Space Telescope]. (Hubble has roughly x8,000 magnification, Archestern's has x10,000.) Archestern typically carries 60 man-years worth of food and other supplies. Archestern is based in large part on Zerstorenstern (“Destroyer-Star”), Doctor Destroyer's orbital headquarters, as presented in The Book of the Destroyer, a supplement for the 'Champions' RPG.

ArchEvil The ArchEvil Incident was a planetary supervillain plot that took place mainly in the third week of July 2011. Prominent scientist, noted philanthropist and respected superhero Dr. Victor Archeville had an apparently unforeseeable psychotic break that led to him terrorizing Earth and cutting a wide swath of destruction before being defeated by his own superteam, the Interceptors. In the wake of the disaster, it was revealed that Archeville had been mentally unstable for a long time, and that his villainous alter ego had been responsible for the murder of a number of heroes and villains in Freedom City over the past year. Disgraced and distrusted, Dr. Archeville handed off control of his various enterprises and began a regime of intensive psychiatric treatment to let him bring himself back under control. Characters Because this was a citywide event, a large number of PCs participated in various facets of the plot. PCs should be linked in the summaries of the threads where they appear. For the purposes of this page, the evil alter-ego of Dr. Archeville will be referred to as “Chevalier,” the identity he created for his solo activities. Timeline September 19, 2010: Heroes Serum, Intel, Metallic Warrior, Lullaby, and Dryad are burned alive by Chevalier. October 1, 2010: First public appearance of Chevalier, perceived to be a new hero to Freedom City. October 10, 2010: Demonic antiheroine Dark Vixen is murdered by Chevalier. October 22, 2010: Chevalier betrays and murders heroine Valkyrie. October 29, 2010: Heroine Cougress is murdered by Chevalier. November 10, 2010: Heroine Kunoichi is kidnapped and tortured by Chevalier November 17, 2010: Chevalier teams up with, betrays, and attempts to murder teen hero Kid Cthulhu December 13, 2010: Heroes Lion and Finder are murdered by Chevalier. December 25, 2010: Dr. Archeville infects the Interceptors with mind-controlling nanites by way of Christmas presents. January 4, 2011: Villainess Kakoku is kidnapped and tortured by Chevalier. January 6, 2011: Heroine Ferlyn is burned alive by Chevalier. January 9, 2011: Chevalier travels outside the city, where he murders dozens of minor villains as well as 13-year-old villainess Naxean and the villain called Berzerker. January 10, 2011: Chevalier murders heroine Sheyra and her unpowered associates. January 11, 2011: Chevalier kidnaps villainess Black Priestess by faking her death by electrocution. January 13, 2011: Chevalier tortures and murders hero Hellbound. January 13, 2011: The Scarab learns of the death of her old teammate Hellbound and begins investigating the string of strange murders and disappearances in the city. January 14, 2011: Fulcrum moves in with Doktor Archeville, curtailing the activities of Chevalier for a time. February 13, 2011: Chevalier breaks into Providence Asylum and murders heroine Honey Queen, then frames Beekeeper II for the crime. March 22, 2011: Chevalier assaults hero Dynamo and kidnaps heroine Je'La. March 26, 2011: Chevalier kidnaps and tortures hero The Big Man. April 20, 2011: Chevalier murders costumed metahuman American Patriot. June 17, 2011 (early morning): Arrowhawk returns to the United States and consults with Scarab about her investigations into a crime wave against metahumans. June 17, 2011 (early evening): Wander shows Dr. Archeville Omega's chestplate, inadvertently triggering his full physical transformation into Chevalier, ready to take over the world. Prologue Evil Archeville/Reaping of the X-Vault Thread The gradual ascent of Dr. Archeville's evil side, as manifested by the treacherous “hero” Chevalier leads to a series of mysterious deaths and disappearances in Freedom City and its environs over a period of seven months or so. Heroes and villains who catch Archeville's attention also tend to interest his dark alter ego, who then kills them, or if they are resistant to death, kidnaps and tortures them. He begins by luring a group of heroes into an abandoned building before setting it on fire, then quickly escalates to more personal, face-to-face methods. By varying venue and method, he manages to escape detection, and indeed many of the crimes are not solved. Between October of 2010 and April of 2011, Chevalier murders fourteen heroes and two villains, plus several dozen civilians, and kidnaps another five metahumans for torturous experiments. Die Me, Dichotomy Thread After a punishing battle with SHADOW forces, Arrowhawk calls his old and trusted friend Dr. Archeville to treat him and his girlfriend and fellow hero Valkyrie. The trio discusses the SHADOW threat, including the reemergence of the villain Ragnarok. Eight days later, Valkyrie is summoned by her masters in the Norse pantheon to deal with a threat on the shore bordering Providence Asylum, and there finds Chevalier cleaning out a nest of hostile vampires. Believing the vampires to be the threat, she assists him in clearing out the nest, dropping her guard long enough to let him shoot her from behind with a blast of radiation. She attempts to fight back, but her injuries and Dr. Archeville's knowledge of her powers and weaknesses allow him to overpower her. He carries her high into the sky and drops her to her death, but is himself injured by a bolt of lightning she calls down. Afterwards, he convinces Arrowhawk that Ragnarock was responsible for her death, sending the hero on a wild goose chase to Europe. Who You Gonna Call? Thread During the months of Chevalier's crime spree, Doktor Archeville begins working with teen hero Kid Cthulhu to determine the nature of his unusual metahuman appearance and abilities. This brings him to the attention of Archeville's evil alter-ego, who becomes determined to destroy the teen hero. At this point, Chevalier is a known hero, so when he attempts to team up with Kid Cthulhu for an evening, the latter readily accepts. He lures Kid Cthulhu into the Super Museum, then disguises himself and lays in wait to attack. Employing one of his favorite tactics, Chevalier sets Kid Cthulhu and the Hall of Mysteries on fire, then puts a fist through the young man's chest to ensure his death. Blake Salazar survives the attack, but loses his metahuman abilities and appearance for a time. A Very Interceptors Christmas Thread Dr. Archeville attends a Christmas celebration with his proteges on the Interceptors at their Brownstone headquarters. Touched by their unquestioning acceptance of him as one of the family, he presents each of them with a personalized cuckoo clock of his own design. These cuckoo clocks are implanted with mind-controlling nanites that will make the Interceptors unquestioning slaves to Chevalier's will. Bread Crumbs Thread In mid-January, Elena Guerrero is listening to the news when she has a psychic vision related to a John Doe found mutilated and murdered in Freedom City. Upon investigating the site, she realizes that the murdered man is an old teammate from the Knights of Freedom, Hellbound. She begins investigating the crime, creating an intricate web linking dozens of seemingly unrelated deaths and disappearances over the course of many months. Back in Black Thread After spending months in Europe, attempting to track down the villain he believes killed Valkyrie, Arrowhawk returns to Freedom City at the summons of his friend Scarab. She lays out the details of her investigation, and the two of them puzzle over possible suspects. They bring up and rule out the supervillain Malice, noting that these crimes have a cruelty and sadism that the self-described savior of humanity has never shown. Clearly they are looking for someone else. The ArchEvil Invasion Revelations Thread Wander, recently hired as a security guard for ArcheTech, has concerns about the safety of the chestplate of Omega that Young Freedom brought home as a trophy after a recent mission, so she brings it to Dr. Archeville's home for him to examine in private. The shock of seeing the armor, and its implications with regards to the current power void in the Terminus is enough to shock Dr. Archeville unconscious and bring Chevalier to the fore. Without his power armor on, Chevalier is revealed as a Deep One, scaly, green and monstrous. Knowing that a fight with Wander would be inadvisable, he deceives her instead, professing horror and shame at his solely physical transformation. He's successful in convincing her, to the point that when Arrowhawk and Scarab show up at the door hoping to consult with Dr. Archeville about possible suspects in the crime wave, Wander heads them off at the door. Chevalier uses those few minutes of delay to take his equipment and make good his escape. Arrowhawk departs to track him down, while Scarab takes Wander to her base under Pyramid Plaza where Scarab makes preparations for the worst. Terrible Bosses Thread Dr. Archeville goes to the Interceptors Brownstone headquarters, interrupting a friendly sparring session intended to welcome and acclimatize the new members Thrude and Geckoman. With the use of subliminal commands hidden in images and briefings over the past months and nanomachines introduced to them with cuckoo clocks on the team's last Christmas celebration, the 'core' Interceptors Jack of all Blades, Jill O'Cure, Fulcrum, Dynamo, Colt and Grimalkin are transformed into darker versions of themselves fanatically loyal to the unveiled Other side of the Doktor. After a brief clash with their new team mates and Willow, the newly-christened Auffägangers and their master are teleported to the home of Taylor and Jack Faretti (Phantom and Avenger), aiming to capture the powerful dimensional guardian and the city's king of vampires along with their young son. Before he departs he has the likewise-altered A.I. VINCE destroy the Brownstone, right when new potential member Ferros knocks on the front door. News Broadcast Thread A new villain – some sort of super-Deep One – hijacks communications systems worldwide and makes a bizarre, terrible pronouncement. Creatures pour out from ArcheTech facilities around the globe, while a great mechanical squid beaches itself at Freedom and vomits forth Deep Ones. Load-Bearing Bosses Load-Bearing Bosses The Interceptors caught in the destruction of the Brownstone escape from the rubble with the assistance of new arrival Ferros, Geckoman losing an arm in the process of extricating himself. Swearing vengeance on the Doktor for his betrayal, Thrude uses her power over the winds to discover where he and his altered Interceptors have gone, with the group making their various ways towards their dire enemy and brainwashed allies. Omnia Mutantur, Nihil Interit Thread Archeville arrives with the Auffägangers before the Faretti's home, sending in his soldiers to search the place, finding it empty of inhabitants. Outraged, Archeville begins to prepare for departure to the Scarab's headquarters when his Archeville side breaks free and releases the Interceptors from his control. After a struggle where Archeville uses his carefully-laid counters against his one-time friends, Fulcrum knocks out the villainous side of the Doktor. The other Interceptors arrive and after a furious argument about what to do with the man are confronted by the monster-spewing form of the impossible creature that lay behind the Archeville family madness, an Elder being of tremendous power whose rise using the bodies of Archevilles living and dead causes madness in citizens even distantly related to the cursed family, causing riots throughout the world. Meanwhile, the various plots Archeville's Other side had laid over the years are begun, from the Deep Ones using his immense submarine to launch and invasion from the sea to mutated grue granted the powers of the Interceptors running riot to the vast space station hidden in the Asteroid Belt preparing to attack. After a desperate struggle, the Interceptors weaken the beast, and Fulcrum uses her power dampers to inject a flood of Terminus energy into the horrific monster, destroying it but hurling herself out of that dimension. Aftermath Gestalt Theory Thread As the Interceptors finish off the monster, the Scarab, Phantom and Ferros enter Archeville's mind, cleansing him of the Other's corrupting influence and healing his damaged psyche. Aftermath Thread With the battle over, the Interceptors are faced with a diminished and grieving Doktor, their own injuries, and a world that has been ripped apart. Jack of All Blades severs the Interceptors' connection with Doktor Archeville and leave, while Geckoman tries to find the rest of his teammates and sort order out of chaos. The Doctor is In(Sane) Thread A week after the battle, Dr. Archeville has been confined to Providence Asylum for evaluation and safekeeping. He receives several visitors. The first, Miss Americana, comes to deal with the business of ArcheTech, which she is trying to save. The doctor resigns his position and signs over control of the company to her, with the request that she make restitution a priority. The second is Harrier in his civilian identity, who Archeville does not recognize thanks to the Scarab and Psyche pulling all secret identity information from his mind. Harrier speaks of guilt and grief, and promises to take care of Mona's cat for as long as she is lost. The third is Ace Danger, who denounces atonement as selfishness and reminds Archeville that as long as he remains consumed with the enormity of what he has done, no one is building the scanner that could free Mona from the Terminus.

ArcheTech ArcheTech was founded by Dr. Viktor Archeville, who wanted an international chain of research laboratories unconnected to any one government or any business interests. His vision was to establish a unique center for multi-disciplinary research in a number of scientific fields, especially those pertaining to metahuman activity and the increasing emergence of metahumans. Fields of research & development include bionics and cybernetics, energy projection, force field generation, genetics and genome stability, gravimetrics, advanced metallurgy, nanotechnology, particle physics, and others. In addition to its exotic research, ArcheTech also provides humanitarian aid in times of crisis. History Archeville had done freelance troubleshooting work for numerous other science & technology research facilities, in America and Europe, for many years, even while still a college student. He used the contacts established there in three ways: to keep tabs on as many scientists and researchers as possible, to establish working relationships with investors and financiers, and similar relationships with tech-friendly politicians. Through a combination of sound investments, keen tax planning, and funds raised by selling off certain licenses for various inventions to outside commercial firms (though making certain to retain all copyrights and trademarks), Archeville was quickly able to raise the seed money needed to start up and run his company. Months of phone calls and meetings got him the researchers he needed (some who would work freelance for his company, some under contract exclusively for the company for a number of years), and “nudgings” – completely legal, just not as “above board” as usual – from certain politicians to get the building permits pushed through quickly. Soon after the first ArcheTech facilities opened, demons invaded Freedom City and in so doing warped the corporate HQ into a black pyramid. But not many seem to remember that. In July 2011, the facilities and reputation of ArcheTech suffered far greater damage when Dr. Archeville suffered a psychotic break and began wreaking worldwide havoc centered in each of the ArcheTech buildings. Once Dr. Archeville was subdued by other heroes and brought back to sanity, he chose to enter retirement and passed over control of ArcheTech to Miss Americana, who had been working as a researcher in the Freedom City center before the disaster. Miss Americana took over as CEO of ArcheTech and spent the next three years rebuilding the reputation and goodwill of the severely damaged company. Locations Worldwide. The corporate HQ for ArcheTech is in Freedom City, New Jersey, but there are branch offices all around the globe. In America, there are branches in California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin. Outside of the United States, there are branches in Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, and the United Kingdom. Dr. Archeville's plans included continued expansion, but those plans were put on hold after the events of 2011. Appearance Exterior All ArcheTech facilities are built in the shape of square frusta, or flat-topped pyramids. They are chiefly light gray in color and twelve stories tall. The distinctive design is meant to inspire pride in its employees and in the surrounding community. (Critics do note that the darker coloration of the glass in the windows at the center of the building and of some doors at the bottom make the buildings look more like giant stylized As.) Each pane of glass doubles as a solar panel, to supplement the power drawn from the local power grids, though many facilities also have their own generators (the type depending on location). The flat roof contains a multipurpose helipad that also serves as an entrance point for flying heroes. Interior The first floor of every ArcheTech branch is reserved for public information booths, lobby access, security stations, and the on-site company cafeteria. The lobby area is often host to scientific exhibitions and is a frequent destination for field trips. The first floor is open to the public, but visitors will have to check-in at the desk in order to proceed to any other floor. The top floor of all ArcheTech facilities is reserved for administrative offices and conference rooms. Miss Americana's main office is on the top floor of the Freedom City building, with her personal laboratory space below it on the tenth and eleventh floors. The ten floor between lobby and offices comprise the main functional space of each ArcheTech center. These spaces may include laboratories, think tanks, centers for specialized medicine, and specially reinforced testing areas. Most centers also include dormitory space for participants in lengthy studies or for metahumans who are having a hard time controlling their powers. All ten floors of the Freedom City center are occupied, but progress has been less swift in other cities, where forgiveness for past errors has been a long time coming. Empty space in those facilities is used for storage, or as places of public refuge in case of disaster. The basement is reserved for maintenance facilities, power generators, and the bulk transporter (see below). Access to the bulk transporters is severely restricted since 2011, and most employees of ArcheTech never even see the basement. Miscellaneous All ArcheTech facilities can serve as a temporary Metahuman incarceration facility, due to the availability of both high-strength building materials and power-nullifying devices. Each facility also has a bulk transporter, capable of nearly instantly teleporting several tons of material at a time, but only to other ArcheTech facilities. These teleporters can be used in crisis situations, bringing in supplies from other facilities or moving evacuees quickly out of the area. Due to their pivotal role in the so-called ArchEvil event in 2011, Miss Americana has heavily restricted use of these teleporters in non-emergency situations. Security for each local branch is multifaceted and relies heavily on redundant features for maximum protection. Main lobby entrances contain metal detectors and x-ray scanners, monitored at the primary security station by three full-time guards. Each floor has a security sub-station manned at all times by two guards, and three guards patrol each floor; each station has real-time video surveillance of each corridor and laboratory, and motion detectors to detect cloaked/invisible intruders. In addition to the human guards, each corridor and laboratory has an automated security turret programmed to neutralize any unauthorized persons with bolts of energy on a wavelength that will cause a normal human's neurological system to temporarily shut down; once a target is down, the energy projectors switch to emitting a beam of the same energy to keep the target unconscious. One of ArcheTech's sources of revenue is renting out space in its laboratories and workshops to other scientific organizations and universities.