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Player Name: Geez3r Character Name: Bastion, Power Level: 12/13 (195/196PP) Trade-Offs: +2 Attack / -2 Damage (Melee), -3 Attack / +3 Damage (Ranged), -4 Defense / +4 Toughness Unspent Power Points: 1 In Brief: One of the world's most infamous super-villains attempts to redeem himself. Residence: Penthouse, Downtown Freedom Base of Operations: as above Alternate Identity: Eric Michaels Identity: Public Birthplace: Freedom City Occupation: Super-hero and scientist Affiliations: AEGIS, Blackstone prison (inmates & staff), Archetech Family: Emily Michaels, mother (estranged) Description: Age: 35 (DoB: May 19th, 1980) Apparent Age: Same as actual Gender: Male Ethnicity: Caucasian Height: 5'9” Weight: 155lbs Eyes: Green Hair: Deep Red Eric has changed a fair amount since the last time he was in the public eye. He still has a fair complexion, and he still wears his hair in a side parted ponytail. But his face has a few traces of early wrinkles, but his eyes seem to be much softer and sagely. The most prominent change is of course the plated metal arm on his right side, Eric decided to leave it shiny and chrome rather than to make it look like a regular arm. Several years outside of the power armor, as well as plenty of free time have allowed Eric to dedicate time to an exercise regimen, putting quite a bit more muscle on his previously rather skinny frame. Power Descriptions: Eric still uses the red, white and blue Mantle of Freedom that he created so long ago. It has however gone through many upgrades and revisions. This latest version is his first true foray into purely energy based weaponry, wanting to distance himself somewhat from what Malice stood for. As such, this suit is a little more trimmed down than other power armor suits he has used in the past. It offers the basic package of flight, protection and super strength, with this newest version having baseline super-strength running in parallel to the weapons system. The weapons system offers basic energy blasts, but also allows for creation of hard-light objects and the ability to manipulate objects at a distance. With this new design Eric wanted to show that power armor was something more than just a weapon. History: Most of Eric's history is well known and documented. By most accounts he was a normal, albeit brilliant citizen of Freedom City for most of his youth, and even into his early adult life. He was the only child of Hank and Emily Michaels, attended the local schools and graduated high in his class at HIT. His life would take a tragic turn when his father was killed in the crossfire of a meta-brawl, having pushed Eric out of the way and taking the hit himself. Something inside of Eric broke on that day, and he swore vengeance on the heroes of Freedom City for letting such a tragedy befall this city. He began funneling resources from the company he worked for as its head researcher, Darts (the very same company that would later become Archtech) to build the tools required for his crusade. He built an underground complex beneath his own house in a quiet Riverside suburb. He also constructed a suit of power armor, in the colors of the American flag, that he would later dub “The Mantle of Freedom” as he would come to perceive himself as a champion for the way of the future. His crusade of violence and 'social justice' would finally be brought to an abrupt end in June of 2009, when an explosion rocked Freedom City, one centered at Eric Michael's door step. Eric would lose his right arm in the aftermath, as well as most of his possessions, and the world knew he was Malice. He surrendered to the police without incident and was summarily sentenced to Blackgate Prison. That is where most people believe that the story stops, but this is where Eric's life would take yet another turn. While Eric sat in his jail cell, day after day, his anger grew and his bitterness began to fester. In any other time or place, he would have been left to rot for his crimes. But this was today and it was Freedom City, and that meant a second chance. There had been some success in years prior with convicted super-villains turning over a new leaf, the largest of which being the pardoning (or lessening of sentences) of prisons who fought against the Terminus Invasion of '93. It was after that day that leading members of AEGIS saw that possibility of using incarcerated villains as impromptu agents. Similar ideas had been tossed around before, most notably Project Strong-Arm during the Moore years, where the idea was to use inmates as expendable shock troops, but they rarely gathered much traction (at least officially). But as one psychological study after another pointed out, many of these criminals could be wildly successful if they merely applied their talents toward legal ends. So the idea was introduced to give inmates a means by which they could contribute to society, slowly, but surely, until it was deemed that the inmates were reformed at which point they would be released. Serving in a law enforcement or military capacity was still on the table course, but now it was not the only course of action. They called it the Fresh Start program. The program was championed by Harriet Wainwright, head of the probation department. She had success with work release programs with lesser criminals before hand, but now in the years leading up to her retirement, she wanted to end on a high note, and to prove, once and for all, that anyone could be redeemed if given the right environment. The Freedom City prison system had no shortage of inmates in need of rehabilitation, but the problem was finding one with enough “brand recognition” for lack of a better term that wasn't a complete nutcase; after all you don't try to scale the largest mountain on your first rock climbing expedition. The one name they kept coming back to was Malice. At one point in time he may have been the most notorious villain in Freedom City, but what set him apart was the fact that he wasn't captured, but he had surrendered himself into police custody without a struggle. Bonus points for first calling his mother so that he could tell her himself that he was a villain rather than her finding out on the 6 o'clock news. Harriet believed that Eric had once been a good man, but he had lost his way after tragedy struck, she merely needed to show him the way to being the man he once was. They started to give Eric more involved counseling and evaluation, a process which continued throughout the program's duration and is even scheduled to continue after his release. They also gave him avenues to put his talents to use. It started as small things, getting his opinion on a new gadget or other piece of tech AEGIS was developing, or his insight on a case they were working on. Then they allowed him access to build a robotic prosthetic arm to replace the one lost in his final battle. It would later to progress to Eric helping to repair the MAX armors at the prison, he even went so far as to start proposing ideas for upgrading them. It wasn't long before AEGIS was allowing him outside of the prison for supervised missions. But the real change came from what Eric saw when he was working with AEGIS. In the past he had blamed the system that had allowed super heroes to run rampant; the same system that had allowed his father to die. But now, he saw there never was a system; it was always just people. Regular, ordinary, every day people who were trying to make the world a better place. They were struggling under the burden they were trying to carry, and every day they knew that there was a chance that they would fail, but they tried anyway because it was the right thing to do. And in that moment, Eric saw his actions as Malice for what they really were; someone who claimed to be a savior lending a helping hand was really a bully crushing those weaker than him under his heel. Eric swore to himself, never again. Personality & Motivation: Eric is a man that has committed a great number of atrocities that now knows how far he has fallen and is now trying to claw his way back to being a good man. He does not shy away from what he has done or who he was. He answers questions about his past bluntly and truthfully. He says that pretending our past didn't occur is the surest way to repeat its mistakes. He is sincere in his desire to make sure that he is a better person today than he was yesterday. Powers & Tactics: Eric fights like a very smart man in a very expensive flying tank. He weighs his options, and sizes up his opponents before deciding on a course of action. That being said, his usual tactic is to use a gun, and if that doesn't work, to use more gun, some habits are hard to break that way. He can mix it up with melee style combat, but ranged is still his preferred style. He has modified the weapons array on his Mantle of Freedom to offer options beyond simply blast everything in sight. The titular bastion-field in particular is the newest innovation. It allows for the creation of hard-light constructs and it can serve to both restrain enemies and protect allies. Complications: Infamous – As Malice, Eric made literally thousands of enemies, switching sides only added people to that list. He is not liked by many, and loathed by most. Indebted – Eric owes his freedom to the efforts of the probation department and the members of Blackstone prison, especially Harriet Wainwright and Warden Drummer. Come hell or high water, he will do right by them. Ex-Con – Eric is a convicted felon and though his sentenced was commuted, there are many things he simply can't do anymore, and many watch lists he shows up on. Stats: 8 + 2 + 8 + 20 + 4 + 4 = 46PP Str: 18/28 (+4/+9) Dex: 12 (+1) Con: 18 (+4) Int: 30 (+10) Wis: 14 (+2) Cha: 14 (+2) Combat: 16 + 8 = 24 PP Attack: +8, +13 Melee Grapple: +18, +24 in suit, +30 at full Super-Strength Defense: +7 (+4 Defense, +3 Dodge Focus) Knockback: -13 in suit, -2 without suit Initiative: +10 Saves: 6 + 2 + 6 = 14PP Toughness: +4/+15 (+4 Con, +11 Protection) – Impervious 10 Fortitude: +10 [+4 Con, +6] Reflex: +3 [+1 Dex, +2] Will: +8 [+2 Wis, +6] Skills: 80r = 20 PP Bluff 8 (+10) Computers 5 (+15) Craft (electronics) 5 (+15) Craft (mechanical) 5 (+15) Diplomacy 8 (+10) Disable Device 5 (+15) Intimidate 13 (+15) Knowledge (Physical Sciences) 5 (+15) Knowledge (Tactics) 5 (+15) Knowledge (Technology) 5 (+15) Notice 8 (+10) Sense Motive 8 (+10) Feats: 19 PP All-Out Attack Attack Focus (Melee) 5 Benefit (Wealth 2) Dodge Focus 3 Eidetic Memory Inventor Luck 2 Master Plan 2 Power Attack Speed of Thought Powers: 68 PP Device 19(Hard to lose; 95pp pool) [76pp] (12 + 21 + 15 + 4 + 9 + 34 = 95 Enhanced Strength 10 [10pp] Protection 11 Extras: Impervious 10 [21pp] Flight 6 (Max Speed 5,000 ft/round; 500mph) PF: Dynamic [15pp] * DAP – Super-Strength 6 (Maximum Effective Strength: 58; 25,600/ 51,200/ 76,800/ 153,600/ 384,000) Super-Senses 4 (Darkvision, Infravision, Ultra hearing) [4pp] Immunity 9 (Life support) [9pp] Blast 14 [34pp] * AP – Snare 14 * AP – Move Object 14 * AP – Damage 9 Extras: Targeted Area Burst, Selective; Flaws: Full Round Action * AP – Create Object 11 PF: Precise, Progression x2, Selective, Stationary, Tether Drawbacks: -4 Normal Identity (Full Round Action to don Battlesuit) [-4] DC Block: Unarmed (no armor) DC 19 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) - Melee Unarmed (in armor) DC 24 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) - Melee Blast DC 29 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Energy - Laser) - Ranged Damage DC 24 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Energy - Laser) - Melee Snare DC 24 Reflex (Staged) - Hardlight Constructs Costs: Abilities (46) + Combat (24) + Saves (14) + Skills (20) + Feats (19) + Powers (76) - Drawbacks (4) = 195/ 196

Date: January 16th, 2006 Eric turned on his right signal with a quick motion of his wrist, and pulled into the parking spot. Pulling out the key as he got out of the car, Eric took a moment to savor the cool fresh air he never got in the city. As he stretched a warm and familiar voice called out “Eric! Over here sweetie.†As Eric chuckled and trotted over to the voice, a second voice said to the first “’Sweetie?’ For heavens sake Heather he’s 26. You’ve got to stop embarrassing him like this.†To which the first voice replied “I’m his mother, it’s my right to embarrass him as much as I want.†“Hey I heard that!†called back Eric in a voice of mock anger. “It’s great to see you again Mom and Dad.†Said Eric as he embraced his parents. On Eric’s right was his mother Heather Micheals, a spry woman of 50 years of age, with slowly graying red hair. On Eric’s left was his father Victor Micheals, a heavyset man with graying black hair of 52 years. After a moment, Victor said, “Alright, alright, enough of this mushy stuff, there’s food to be eaten.†With a smile and nod Heather and Eric agreed it was time to go into the restaurant. Over the appetizers the discussion was mostly about the recent trends in the economy, various investments that Victor had made in the past year and the like. Mostly it was just bringing everyone up to speed about what had happened in the “unimportant†things in their life for the past couple of months, essentially a set up for the discussions that were to follow. As the courses arrived, Eric talked about his new promotion at Darts, the house he had just gotten for himself in the Riverside, and Eric evaded his mother’s questions about “that cute receptionist†she saw there last time. It was soon decided that Eric’s parents needed to see Eric’s new house to give it their seal of approval, and if they were feeling generous, to help Eric finish moving in. And so the trio whiled away the hours at Eric’s place sipping coffee, reorganizing Eric’s cabinets as soon as his back was turned, and just generally enjoying each other’s company. Before his parent’s had to set off for the night, Eric suggested that they take a quick walk around the Riverside so he could show them the neighborhood, and of course spend a little more time with them. They were maybe 20 minutes into their walk when things turned sour. A battle between the Freedom League and the Crime League had broken out and the streets soon became chaos incarnate. As the trio scrambled to get out of harms way, one of the combatants hurled a passing car at another one of the combatants; it wasn’t on target. It headed straight for Eric and his parents. Reacting quickly, Eric pushed his mother out of the way of the incoming car. As Eric moved to push his father out of the way, he felt a strong arm grip his wrist and yank sharply. With a horrid sinking feeling, Eric recognized the hand as his father’s. Eric awoke in the hospital listening to an EKG machine beeping. Groggily looking around, he saw his mother sitting next to his bed, countless tears streaming down her face, which told everything he needed to know. Ignoring the pain, Eric sat up, hugged his mother longer and harder than he ever had in his life, and wept openly with her for hours. It was on that day that Eric Micheals swore an oath to use the life that was spared by a loving father without hesitation to ensure that the so called heroes of this world would never again separate a father and son, nor ever make a loving mother cry for her loss. On this day, Malice was born.

Down in the Riverside, people are having cookouts in their backyards, swapping stories with their neighbors and generally just celebrating the holiday. Being the relative new guy on the block, Eric was at one of the cookouts, using it as a meet and greet… that and he was a horrible cook. The discussion eventually led to what everyone does for a living. Charlie was a construction worker, Amy was a DJ, Dan had a desk job at an insurance firm and so on. Just about everyone had a normal every day job, except for Eric. He had the pleasure of saying “I’m one of the lead developers for Darts Inc.†Someone knew that it was a weapons company and the conversation got a little more strained. It seemed that people didn’t mind the destructive power the Freedom League got handed, but if someone worked at getting the ability to make something blow up, suddenly they were the dangerous ones. It’s not they had more practice and knowledge or anything. Eric excused himself from the festivities and returned home not too much longer. He walked down into his basement, and got in to the secret elevator, whistling “Let Freedom Ring†as he rode it down. When the door opens, the lights kick on and Eric’s eyes come to rest on his own personal, multi-million dollar death machine. “Heh. If they only knew.†Seeing the suit reminded Eric, yet again of why he did what he did. Not a day went by without some Technicolor wonder being lauded over as if they were a national treasure. These heroes were thought of as the nation’s, even the world’s, defenders. Eric knew the real truth however, these so called heroes were the true tyrant rulers of this world. Every time the heroes “saved the world†Eric knew all they were really doing is protecting their own property, which is what any man would do. These heroes had taken over the world by sheer laziness on the part of the rest of mankind. A select few were randomly bestowed great powers and vaulted themselves to near god status, while the rest of mankind just sat back and let it happen. Eric refused to let that stand. He had been making these weapons for all these years to give the masses a way to rattle their cages and to take back their freedom, but this was in vain. The laziness was all consuming, and they did not even gather the energy to truly think about what this world was coming too. So, if the people were too lazy to act themselves, then a champion needed to arise and lead them to victory. Eric would be that champion. He became a crusader for freedom, fighting a war that the rest of the world wasn’t even aware of. To them, Malice was just another megalomaniac abusing his power for personal gain instead of a higher calling. That irony hurt Eric more than any of the broken bones, more than the shrapnel he pulled out of his body, and more than the humiliation of any of his defeats, but he would endure. He needed to endure, for the sake of humanity, for the sake of freedom. Eric looked at the suit for a moment as if he was truly seeing it for the first time. “It’s missing something.†A half hour later, Eric stood back and admired his handiwork. The Arms of Malice was a bad name as it turns out. True, Eric did hate the supers, but he hated them for a reason. He hated them for robbing mankind of its drive and its freedom. That is why the Arms of Malice is now called the Mantle of Freedom, and Eric will wear its red, white, and blue proudly as he starts the new Revolution.