Pinnacle

[Jander-Prime]

Out of Character:

Hell Questionnaire

 

In Character Articles, Interviews & Vignettes:

Edited May 26, 2018 by Jander-Prime

[Jander-Prime]

Interview [Long Version; Out of Character]

 

Introduction

• Who are you? Sum yourself up in one sentence.

  • Just an average guy who's been given the opportunity to do the right thing, the tools with which to do it.  [Shrug]  Someone just trying to make a difference.  Help people.

• Do you have any nicknames, street names, titles, or nom de plume?

  • Some people call me Chris, but not so much.  Ever since that article for the school paper, and my alter ego's interview with Cindy Dal, KTBN, the media's been calling him Pinnacle.

• What is your full birth name?

  • Christian Alexander Caswell-Johnson.  The Kline's, my foster family?  They adopted me, officially, last year.  So it's Kline now.

• Where do you live?

  • 1421 Parkway Drive, Emerald City, Oregon.  Yea, the 'burbs out in Southern Shores.

• How old are you? What year were you born?

  • 16, well, 17 in August, I was born in 2001.  [Shrugs]  My alter ego?  Pinnacle, he's uhhh, older I guess, seems more mature I mean.  Technically he'd be the same age, I mean he's me right, but most people seem to think he's early to mid-twenties.

Physical Traits

• What is your gender?

  • Typical teenage guy, hormones and all.

• How would you describe your heritage?

  • Don't have a real clear idea on my biological father's side, maybe Trinidad-Tobago, but some of my mom's grandparents came from Nigeria.

• How tall are you?

  • I'm just under 6', but when I'm on, [pause], my alter-ego, I think he stands about 6'3" or so.

• What is your body type?

  • Dunno, average?  I try to run three times a week, just to clear my head, cardio.  Couch to 5k right?  Pinnacle though, he's buff in a way I'd like to be, not huge, but I feel like I put on about 50 lbs of muscle when I shift.

• Do you have any particular weaknesses, such as allergies or physical disabilities?

  • [Taps his right ear]  Yeah, when I was a kid I got a fever, it was bad.  I cried all the time apparently, the infection moved into my cochlea, my inner ear, but the time they caught it, it was too late.  Without my aid, we'd be talking in sign language right now.  It's weird though, when I'm Pinnacle I can hear fine, [Shrugs], I can't explain that one.

• How do you carry yourself? Are you graceful, or heavy on your feet? Can you be stealthy, do you walk with confidence?

  • Some students would probably say that I'm a nerd, an over achiever, I can be rigid in the way I approach a lot of things, I try to keep my head up shoulders back, it can make me look stiff, nervous, clumsy.  But when I'm Pinnacle, there's a confidence, a conviction that l feel, it makes me move with strength and purpose.

• Describe your skin, eye, and hair color.

  • I'm fairly dark skinned, black hair that I keep clipped in a high fade, thick eyebrows.  [Sigh]  Yes, I let Maddy pluck them sometimes.  It makes her happy, don't judge.  My eyes are brown, but my mother said she could always see green flecks in them when I stood in the sun.

• How do you wear your hair? Do you have facial hair?

  • If I let it grow out it curls up real quick, so I keep it clipped and clean in a high fade.  Some length on top and the part clipped in down to the scalp.  My facial hair, yea, it's cropping up as some dust on my upper lip, a little on my cheeks, it's not thick, and I think it looks unkempt if it gets long, so I keep it smooth, shave every day, make it a routine.  My dad, not my birth father, but my dad, Issac, taught me how to do it without cutting myself.  Sunday's, before church, we do it together, while mom and the girls are getting ready.

• Do you consider yourself attractive? Do others?

  • What 16 year old guy considers himself good looking?  That's a level of confidence I don't have, but then again, what 16 year old's mother is not going to tell him that he's handsome?  Now, with two sisters I certainly have the conditioners, scrubs, and moisturizers I need, and they'll always be honest with me if they think I'm going to embarrass myself.

• Do you have any scars, tattoos, piercings, or birthmarks?

  • No tattoos, no piercings, but I did have an accident on my bike after my mom and I moved to Emerald City.  I did end up with deep abrasions along my left arm, elbow to wrist, not deep enough to need a graft or anything, but it did scar, looks like some pock marks and stuff.  Not too noticeable but you can feel the ridges if you run your fingers down my arm.

• Do you resemble anyone famous?

  • My mom, Therese, says I look like a young Chadwick Bosman, the son of the guy from Lincoln Heights.  I don't really see it, but she's convinced.

• Do you have a dominant hand?

  • I'm right handed.

• What kind of clothing do you wear?

  • I guess I typically wear some lightweight chino's, a button down, maybe a blazer.  I guess you could call it a preppy look, but it's comfortable and somewhat casual.  I do have jeans, tees, hoodies, I just don't normally wear them, at least not to school, I do wear them when me and my dad, Issac, work in the garage on the weekends.

• Do you wear makeup?

  • Nope, [Pause], well I once let Jan & Maddy do my nails, because, sisters.

• What is your vocal range? Is your voice distinctive in some way?

  • My voice is low, and I try not to sing, I worked hard on my enunciation because of my hearing, and am a little self conscious about it.  So singing, no, ask my sister's, they cringe.

• Do you have any distinctive habits, nervous tics, or mannerisms? Where did they come from, and what causes them? Do other people notice and remark on these habits? Do they annoy you or other people?

  • I wear my mother's cross around my neck, and when I concentrate, or get nervous, during a test or exam, I'll pull it up over my chin.  [Pauses.]  I don't know where it comes from really, if my mom or dad notice it, they'll check to see what I'm working on, but mostly leave me alone, though they may ask about it later over dinner or something.  My sisters see it, and they usually comment, something about a thinking cap, or smoke coming from my tiny ears.

History

• Where do you come from?

  • I was born in Southside General Hospital, Freedom City, NJ.  I lived there with my mom, Claire, until I was seven years old, my dad was hit and miss while we lived there.

• Have you made any major moves, or do you live in your hometown?

  • We moved across country when I was seven, after my dad, Tyler, was arrested by AEGIS.  Mom, [Pause], wanted to separate herself from that, to protect herself, protect us.  When we first moved to Emerald City, OR, we lived in Bethlehem Heights.  That's where we were when we found out that she had, [Pause], was sick.

• Do you feel loyal to your country of citizenship? Do you consider yourself patriotic? How do you feel about the government of your country?

  • America?  I mean I'll never by a 'My country, right or wrong,' kind of guy.  That level of blind faith in anything should be setting off warning flags.  I do, however, believe the ideals that the country was founded on, freedom, independence and equality are all things that we, as citizens, should aspire to.  

• How do you feel about the place you come from?

  • Southside, it was alot more [Pause]  Built up, run down?  Than Emerald City, but my feelings about the place get all tied up with my thoughts on my father, Tyler, lies, betrayal, false hope.  You know?  Emerald City is a fresh start, and that's what mom wanted.  I mean, there was this nice little ball court, that was fun, my dad, Isaac, he's hopeless, but he knows I like it, so he tries, and that's cool.

• Where is your home town? What was/is it like?

  • Home town?  [Pause]  Let's called that Emerald City, I've been here longer now than I lived in Freedom.  And it's where my mom's buried, so yeah it's my home town.  When we first moved here my mom and I lived in Bethlehem Heights, kind of a blue collar neighborhood, working class.  Mom worked hard, so I didn't get out much between my studies and taking care of the house, cooking, cleaning, laundry, that sort of thing.  I used to go shopping with Mrs. Mihalovich from 4-B, I remember my mom's surprise the first time I brought home a stroganov with smetana we'd made.

• Growing up, were most of the people you knew similar to you, or were you somehow a minority? How did that affect you?

  • Bethlehem was certainly more diverse than Southside, I mean in Freedom City the community was alot more black and hispanic.  Here, well there was Alexis from 4-B, Mihalovich's son, and we played ball with a few Phillipino kids, our landlord was Vietnamese, so yeah, it was different but everyone was playing together, and the gangs were less prevalent, or at least more subtle. 

• Is there something you've always been really good at or really bad at? How has that affected your life?

  • Facts, memorization, history, politics, current events, that kind of thing, they stick with me.  I read the paper, yeah, I know, why not just get it on your phone.  [Shrug]  I like reading, what can I say.  How did it help me, well, I'm Captain of my debate club, so there's that, plus knowledge is just generally useful.  [Exhales]  Math though, I struggle, usually takes me longer to get the concepts, or ideas, calculus is not going to be my thing, I know that.

• Were there any traumatic experiences in your early years (death of a family member, abandonment, orphaned at an early age)?

  • Traumatic events?  Like what, watching your dad get arrest by AEGIS after using his psychic power to make one of the first officers on scene put his sidearm to his head?  Yeah.  Did that.  Oh?  Did you mean watching my mother waste away over the course of eleven months while pancreatic cancer ravaged her system, and her body just shut down?  [Pause]  Sorry, I shouldn't have gone off like that, none of those things are your fault, but they did happen, and it wasn't easy to work through.  [Shrug]  But I did, and here we are.

• Briefly describe a defining moment in your childhood and how it influenced your life.

  • Lets focus on my father, Tyler, and the whole AEGIS thing.  I mean, he'd popped in and out of our lives for years, there for weeks or months, then gone for just as long, if not longer.  Whenever he was around I always remembered feeling happy, but thinking back on it, I can't, to this day, think of why.  Watching him use his psychic abilities on the AEGIS officers, I saw why, because he could control their emotions, fear, despair, guilt, it washed over my and mom as he assaulted these guys psychically.  [Pause]  Do you know what it's like to think back on the time you spent with your father, and have to doubt whether any of it was real?  [Shrug]  So yeah, it was pretty hard to trust anyone other than mom after that, and when she died, I kept alot of space between myself and the rest of the world. 

• What stupid things did you do when you were younger?

  • Pretended I was a superhero, [Laughs] one of the dangers of living in Freedom City.  One of my 'friends' at the time convinced me to jump off of a fire escape, I told everyone else I was trying to learn parkour, but no.  I wanted to fly.  Three months in that damn cast.

• Where did you go to school? How much school did you have, and did you enjoy it?

  • Luther Pearson Public School in Freedom City, it was decent, but rough, some good teachers, but others were coasting until retirement.  You could see it.  Night and day with Elysium Hills, I really enjoy the school, it's a newer building, designated green school, energy efficient and wirelessly integrated with a laptop program, and on top of that the faculty seem to actually care.  I really enjoy the extra curriculars at the school, peer tutoring, and academic assistance, as well as the debate team itself.

• Do you have any mementos of your childhood? What are they, and why did you keep them? If you have none, why not?

  • Not really my childhood, but a memento of my mother I suppose.  She always wore a small silver cross around her neck, before she passed away she gave it to me.  [Shrug]  Since she gave it to me, I've never taken it off, it reminds me of her.  Makes me feel safe, protected.

• When did you decide to become a hero? Why? Did anyone influence you one way or another in the decision?

  • The accident on Mallory Bay Bridge, the school bus.  Why?  Initially, by necessity Janaina had fallen out of the bus, if I didn't do something she would have died.  So I let go, it felt right, and then it happened.  I changed, somehow I knew I'd change.  Afterwards, I stayed active because it was the right thing to do, I had these abilities, I needed to use them in a positive way, I'd like to think anyone else would have made the same decision.  Who influenced me?  [Shrug]  My dads, my birth dad because I wanted to be nothing like him; Issac, my foster dad, because I want to be like him.  Good.

• Is the reason you give people for becoming a hero different than your real reason? If so, why?

  • Yes and no?  I know it's not the answer you want but it's true.  The reason I give people for becoming a hero is that it was the right thing to do, and yes, I truly believe that.  However, there's a part of me that thinks I do it out of a sense of guilt, to repay a debt my father incurred, the people he's hurt.  I don't tell people that, but it is a part of the whole truth.

• Do you have any deep, dark secrets in the past that may come back to haunt you?

  • Other than my father, no?  I mean he's not really a deep, dark secret, his history, his abilities, they are a deep, dark, mystery, and hopefully one I can resolve.  It's implications?  I couldn't really tell you until I find out the truth.

• Do you represent yourself as being different from who you really are? Why?

  • If by represent, you mean conceal my civilian identity, then yes.  I mean when I take on my alter ego, I physically change, and when I'm Pinnacle I present myself as someone with more experience in the whole hero'ing thing than I really have.  It makes people feel safer, to think that the guy pulling them from a fire has done it before and knows what he is doing.  So, I'm trying to learn, practically, while I do what I've committed myself to doing.

• If you do have these secrets, what do you fear would happen if the truth became known? How far would you go to protect those secrets?

  • I'm not sure what would happen if my connection to my dad became public knowledge.  I mean he's a criminal with psychic abilities, and while that is public knowledge, I mean his connection to my civilian identity, it would probably taint people's view of Pinnacle.  [Shrugs]  Do about it?  Probably nothing, I mean I wouldn't want people to find out I'm Pinnacle, it would complicate life for the Klines, I mean look at what it did to Ray Gardner, Captain Thunder?  If it came out, what could I do except go public, like Thunder, keep doing what I've committed to doing.  It'd be easier if it didn't though.

• Do you have any sort of criminal record? If so, is it public knowledge?

  • No, I mean, there is my dad's record, and I haven't looked into it too deeply.  Yet.

Family

• What are your biological parents' names?

  • Don't ask the easy questions do you?  Ok, have a score card ready?  Tyler Caswell was, is, my birth father, wanted by AEGIS and not really involved in my life since I was 7 years old.  My mother, Claire Johnson, she raised me despite my father's occasional forays into our family.  A few years after we moved to Emerald City, OR, she was diagnosed with Stage IV Pancreatic Cancer, and passed away a few months later.  I shuffled around the system for a few months, until Father Gordon, a pastor at St James, found a foster family willing to take me in.  So, since I was around 11 years old, Issac & Therese Kline, invited me into their lives.

• Were you raised by them? If not, please explain and describe who raised you.

  • I was raised by my mother, Claire, she loved me, and taught me alot about life, faith, trust, responsibility.  After she passed, I kind of pulled back from things, from people in my life.  Father Gordon noticed, reached out to me, worked with the system, and found a home for me with the Kline's, also parishioners at St James.  Since then they've opened their home, [Pause], their hearts to me, taught me about sacrifice, commitment, and respect.  Their two daughters taught me about patience, and humility, [Smiles], in their own way.

• What was their standing in the community? What did/do they do for a living?

  • My dad, Tyler, as I've already mentioned, is a criminal, wanted by AEGIS, abused his psychic abilities for ... I don't even know really, but I intend to find out, sooner or later.  My mom, Claire, she was hard working, gave up her job in Freedom City when we moved to Oregon, found a job as a warehouse manager, worked there until she got sick.  [Pause.]  Issac works as a banker?  Financial adviser?  Remember I said I'm not great with math, so yea annuities and stuff are kind of his thing, not mine.  His dad was a contractor though, Issac learned to love the feeling of making something real in the world, so he restores old wood furniture, he's not great at it, I help him where I can, though it's usually finding bandages and peroxide.  And then there's Therese, she's in marketing, advertising, but has a deal with her firm that she works from home, so she's always around, she believes though, like my mom.  Rest of the Klines go because, well, it's routine, but Therese and I, we attend out of a sense of faith, belief.

• Where are your parents now?

  • You already asked me where I live, I still live with the Klines, my parents in the Southern Shores.

• Did your family stay in one area or move around a lot?

  • Not really, I mean I made the move from Freedom to Emerald City, then lived in Bethlehem Heights for a while til my mom passed.  I shuffled around the system for a few months, before Father Gordon helped me get placed with the Klines, and I've been there with them ever since.

• How did you get along with their parents? How do you get along with them now (if applicable).

  • My birth father was an enigma, and if I ran across him now, [Shrugs], I don't really know how I'd react, I mean, did he manipulate us?  Didn't he?  Anyways, I don't really want to go down that road.  My mother, Claire, I love her, of course, and I admire her, her strong, her fortitude in doing what's right for her family, even during her sickness she was looking out for me.  It was a testament to her faith, and her love is something I thank God for, everyday.  The Klines?  Well, they opened their home to me, and for the first few weeks I was this sullen, introverted kid.  Selfish really, it took some time though, but it worked out.  I mean there are rough spots and disagreements, still, but that's the same in every home, right?  Issac & Therese still make sure we sit down and eat a family dinner at least four nights a week, and even if it's in silence because someone's angry at someone else, we're there, together.  A family.

• How do your parents view you now, or how would they?

  • I hope my mom, Claire, is proud of me.  Pinnacle, in alot of ways, was formed by her.  As for the Klines?  I think they're proud, I'm doing well in school, I came through my grief, and am doing ok, and I honestly think that's what they wanted for me.  Therese still looks out for me, helps me prep for my debates, dad, Issac, helps me with my math work.  Refuses to do it for me, makes me struggle through, but not once does he get frustrated, or impatient when I can't solve a problem, we just look for alternative strategies to approach it with.  I appreciate that, more than he knows.

• Do you have any siblings? If so how many and what are their names? Describe your relationship with them.

  • Not siblings of birth, no, I was an only child.  [Pause]  But I've been blessed with two sisters since coming into the Kline's home.  Janaina is the older one, she's 15 years old, and Madison is the younger, at 12 years.  They look up to me, even though we're not related by blood or birth, and that's really something.  I cater to them alot, I let them do my nails sometimes, if I don't have school the next day anyways, [Laughs], Maddy is into all that beauty stuff, so I let her pluck my eyebrows, if I'm going on a date I honestly look to her for the nod of approval on my outfits.  She's got pretty good taste.  Jan's older though, we're not as close, but I would still do anything for her.  When she was falling towards Mallory Bay, I would have given my life to save her's, and I don't know why, but I think that moment of clarity is what caused my own change.  [Shrugs]  A guy couldn't ask for better sisters, [Pause], well, they could be uglier, because man, when boys start looking at them, I start to get really protective.

• What was your birth order in the family?

  • Like I said, I was an only child, but in the Kline family I'm the oldest, their daughters, Janaina and Madison being 15 and 12 years old.

• Where are your siblings now (if applicable)? Do they have families of their own? What do they do?

  • At 15 and 12, they still live with the family, and so do I.  No families, no boyfriends on the horizon, [Sighs] or at least I don't think so.  Gosh!  Janaina is smart, pays attention to the news, politics and stuff, and pretty.  She's caring, and strong, like her mother.  Maddy?  She's going to be a fashionista, she dipped into her mom's makeup more than once, and tells me how to take care of my face, plucks my eyebrows, gives me fashion advice if she knows I'm going out, or there's someone I want to impress.

• Do you stay in touch with them or have you become estranged?

  • We live in the same house, I couldn't avoid them, even if I wanted to.  A Kline family rule is family dinners, and no phones at the table, to make sure we talk.  They're tight like that, [Pause] we're tight like that.

• Do you love or hate one member of the family in particular?

  • My mom, Claire, she's gone, and that weighs on me everyday, but I let it get me angry once, but I got through that.  She would have wanted me to get through that.  The Klines helped, because that's the kind of people they are, and I love them for that, but my mom's always here, [Taps chest] and always will be.

• Is any member of the family special to you in any way (perhaps, as a confidant, mentor, or arch-rival)?

  • My dad, Tyler, I've got questions, like where was he when mom was dying?  Why did he leave us so often, what was he doing, why?  I don't know that I'll ever get the chance, but one day, maybe.  Stranger things have happened.

• Are there any black (or white) sheep in the family (including you)? If so, please explain.

  • I mean, some may think that I'm the Kline family black sheep, but I know if any of them heard that, you'd have a heck of a fight on your hands.  I mean I'm the kid whose birth father was, is?  A criminal.  Whose bounced through foster care before coming into their home, I mean, they don't see it that way, and that's why I feel so blessed.  But as an outsider looking in, I could say why people might think that.

• Do you have a notorious or celebrated ancestor? If so, please explain, including how it has affected your life.

  • My dad, Tyler Caldwell, he was arrested by AEGIS back in '08, has some sort of psychic abilities, and if AEGIS was after him, he wasn't using them responsibly, right?  I never dug into his background, I didn't want to know, but now, after what happened over Mallory Bay, after discovering that there's this Pinnacle inside me, I kind of need to know, right?

• Do you have a partner and children currently? If so, please describe them.

  • Nope, 16 remember.  What?! [Blushes] Yea, of course I spend alot of time with Phan, she's on the debate too, we're more like rivals.  I mean, she's really into statistics, my arguments center on feelings and personal experience.  She thinks that defeats the purpose of logic.  Yeah, our arguments go like that, and in the end we agree to disagree.  [Sighs]  Yes, I was invited over to the Trinh's house for dinner, her mother makes this really great dessert.  Banana, sago pearls, and coconut milk, it's called Chè Chuối I think.

• If you do not have a partner or children, do you want them someday? How firm are you in your opinion on this, and what might change your mind?

  • I'm still young, but I'll say yes, I could see myself meeting someone, getting married.  I mean, the world's not perfect, but that's the point right?  Neither are we, but we can make it work.  Kids?  My own, yeah, but maybe I'd follow my dad, Issac's example, and adopt too, help someone who needs it.  [Shrugs]  Plenty of time to figure that out.

• What type of person would be your ideal mate?

  • That's another hard question, smart, funny, brave; it's like a laundry list for someone I haven't met, and that doesn't really seem fair.  It is what is on the inside that counts, confidence, conviction, faith, in themselves and the world around the them.

Relationships

• Do you have any close friends? If so, please describe them, and how you came to be close to them.

  • Father Gordon, I don't think I have ever heard of Father Donald talk about sin, instead he focuses on temperance, charity, compassion and forgiveness.  It's because he has faith in the inherent goodness of his fellow man, that he took such an interest in me when my mother passed.  I've talked to him about, without specifics, about my abilities and sought his council on how to use those gifts.  Those conversations protected by the sanctity of the Church, however, Father Gordon has begun to have suspicions about a link between myself and Pinnacle.

  • Phan Trinh, we began as rivals, Phan seeing my foster family's success as an indication of a privileged upbringing in comparison to her own family's struggles as recent immigrants.  We spent almost a year in Elysium Hills as rivals, seeking to out do one another until our guidance counselor, Ms. Tomlinson, sat us down and challenged us to join the debate team, as partners.  We soon discovered that we had more in common than not, and while we are still very competitive we've learned to respect one another and work together.  After working together to get the Elysium's Debate team to compete in the State Finals, I've come to really respect her, and while I haven't shared my feelings they have kind of, intensified, since we've been working together so lately.

• Do you have a best friend? If so, how did they become your best friend? How close are you to your best friend?

  • Alexis Mihalovich, yeah, from 4-B.  He lived in the same building as we did when my mom and I first moved to the Emerald Cities, Bethlehem Heights.  Yeah, he still lives there.  When we first he thought it was pretty cool I came from Freedom City, kept asking me if I'd ever met the League, stuff like that.  There was a gap there after my mom died, but then a few weeks later, I just got this text, 'Hang out?' and we were able to pick up right where we left off, you know?  Anyways, he's filled out some, on Elysian Hills football team, he was able to head off some friction between the team and the academic kids before the Christmas break, that was cool.  We still hang out, talk, I've kind of taken a step back, only because he's taken an interest in Pinnacle and it's kind of rough lying to the guy whose always been there for you.

• If you were to go missing, who would worry about you?

  • Well, Janaina for one would freak, because she knows who I am, as in Pinnacle, you know?  She'd think the worst had happened, probably would end up telling our parents, despite her promise.  I don't know.  Of course Maddy, Therese and Issac, their my family you know, of course they'd worry.  Phan would probably stress that I'd miss the next Debate, depending on how long I was missing she'd be concerned about my academics and stuff too.  Alexis wouldn't stress at first, thinking maybe I got laid or something, but if it went past a day or two he'd start to worry, call Janaina, ask around, that sort of thing.

• Have you lost any loves? If so, how did it happen, and what did you do?

  • I've already talked about my mother, I mean, [Pause.] Ohhh. Romantic love, right, yeah.  No I haven't, not yet anyways, and I hope not to.

• Do you have any bitter enemies? If so, please describe them and their history with you.

  • Enemies is a pretty strong word, I mean there are guys at school who have a problem with the academic nerds, I guess.  But it's not usually much more than typical teen stuff.  Pinnacle hasn't been in the game long enough to have a nemesis, or a rival, I'm not honestly sure how I'd handle that.

• If you have enemies, how do you think they might attempt to work against you in the future?

  • As I said, no real enemies, not yet at least.  But if you want to talk theoretical, a super human nemesis would likely attempt to discover my civilian identity, I mean, that's my biggest vulnerability right?  It'd be pretty difficult, because of the nature of my change, I appear physically different, taller, broader, even more mature.  I have to be real careful about where I change, who is around, you know?  Cellphones are everywhere, and that kind of stuff would be up on someone's Instagram in seconds.

• What is the worst thing someone has done to you?

  • Let's go with my biological father, Tyler.  He abandoned my mother and I, maybe going so far as to manipulate our emotions, [Pause], I mean he did manipulate our emotions, but if he used his powers to make it better, then did it again.  [Sigh.]  That's, like, a thousand times worse right.  That's not an accident anymore, that's a choice.

• Where do your loyalties lie? In what order?

  • I mean, that's a pretty general question.  So I'll give you a general answer; my family, first and foremost.  Always my family, out of a sense of love, and respect.  Then my friends, because they've put their trust into me, shared their lives with me.  Then everyone else, because I have the ability to help those in need, and that's a trust, a bond, that I'm not willing to break.

• Who or what do you trust the most? Why?

  • My sister, Janaina.  We don't see eye to eye all the time, and she can appear snobby, but I've seen the way she takes care of Maddy, even when she's pretending her little sister annoys the heck out of her.  She's the only one who knows about Pinnacle, and the few times we've talked about it after, she gets it, she understands why I'm doing it.  I'm still her annoying brother, and that's the face she sometimes wears around the house, or at school, but when we're alone, when it matters, I know that she cares, deeply.  And she knows that I do as well.

• Who or what do you despise? Why?

  • Probably another hold over from my father, Tyler.  But it's lies, deception, manipulation.  Those things, they hurt the people closest to you, strangers don't care if you lie, they don't know you.  Your family, your friends, they know you, and when you lie, when the truth comes out, you've damaged that relationship, and in so doing, you've damaged yourself.  And I know, I'm a hypocrite, because I keep lying to my family, about myself, about Pinnacle, even though Janaina keeps trying to get me to tell them the truth.  [Pause.]  I just need to do it, in my own way, in my own time.

• What qualities do you admire most in other people? Are these qualities you possess?

  • Courage.  Courage in the face of adversity, of danger, of moral outrage.  The ability to, despite the turmoil going on around you, within you, to do the right thing.  To have the courage, and the clarity to make the right decision, despite the personal consequences.  To stay true to yourself, your beliefs.  [Pause.]  The easy answer is yes, the honest answer is, I hope so.

• What qualities do you hate most in other people? Do you have any of those qualities?

  • Deceit, deception, and dishonesty.  Because, in the end you are only fooling yourself, the truth, your truth is never really hidden, you know what you've done is wrong, and that affects you, that changes you, even if that wasn't your original intention.  I do, we all do, but it's admitting to those failings, and moving past them that makes you a better person, stronger, able to bear the burden of your truths, and to voice them when needed.  So yeah, I'm working on becoming the man I want to be, but hey, aren't we all?

• Do you have a secret identity? If so, who knows it? Do you hide it from people who are close to you? Why?

  • I do, the Roy Gardner, Captain Thunder reveal is a real fear for me.  I don't want to endanger the Klines by my actions, and I try to protect my own anonymity to preserve those family bonds.  Janaina knows, and she's told me a few times now, to just tell my folks the truth, because it's going to come out one way or the other, and she feels that they'll support my decision.  I'm not so sure, if only because of the challenges it would pose to the family as a whole, and I don't want to risk that.  Not yet.

• Do you work well on teams and in groups? Are you a leader or a follower? Are you on a super team? If so, how do you get along with your comrades? Do you trust them, or do you have secrets from them?

  • I suppose so, I mean I captain the Debate team, and I've had to make some difficult choices there, lines of study, of inquiry, presentation of our facts.  I'm ok at giving direction, keeping us on track, but true leadership, that's harder.  I hope I'm up for the challenge.  Pinnacle though, when I'm on, he inspires people, I inspire people, there's a power, a confidence, a conviction that surrounds him, that surrounds me, and I hope I can live up to that standard.

• Are you a member of any church, fraternal organization, club, committee, political party, or other group? How much time do you spend on that?

  • The Klines and I attend St James Cathedral every Sunday; Issac, Janaina and Maddy attend because of a sense of tradition, of routine, Therese and I, we believe, in our hearts and our souls.  It's a source of strength for me, both in my regular life, and when I'm on, it helps focus me, and guide me.  How much time?  Every Sunday, major holidays as well, and I'm usually there once or twice a week to talk to Father Gordon, depending on what's going on in my life.

Personality & Beliefs

• Who are your heroes?

  • I'll tell you a story about the man who taught me how to be a hero.  He opened his home, his family, his life to an orphan out of a sense of love, of charity.  And I can respect that, I mean, countless small acts of charity, of kindness, of selflessness happen every day across this country, and those go unreported, except by those who experience them.  One night, I woke up to an argument on my lawn, so I snuck to the window and watched.  Issac was in a heated discussion with a man whose voice I recognized, a man demanding to see ... me?  It took me a moment, perhaps I was still half asleep, or it had been so long, but the nervous, frenetic man Issac was speaking with was my father, Tyler Caswell.  A man who I'd seen force an AEGIS agent to place his side arm in his mouth, and Issac who had signed the adoption papers knew this, understood this man's past.  Issac stood his ground, refusing to let Tyler see his son, informed that man that his son was in a better place, with a family who cared for him, who loved him, and it would only hurt his son to allow that man to see him.  Issac told him that he understood the love of a father for their child; but before that man could become a father to a child he had abandoned, he needed first to become a man.  As Tyler walked from the house, contemplating the lesson Issac had given him, I looked down from my window at Issac, at my father, and thought that's the kind of man I want to be.

• Did you ever become disillusioned with former heroes or idols? If so, why and what were the circumstances?

  • Politicians, community leaders.  The thing is, that moment when you discover the truth about a person, that they're fallible, flawed, human.  There's a tendency to disregard their impact, their thoughts, their ideals; the ones that first inspired you, because of a flaw in their character.  If you throw out the good works of people who've made mistakes, then you make the mistake of disregarding their intentions in favor of judging their actions.  It's a hard lesson to learn, but you can look at someone, their ideals, their accomplishments, and you can choose to take the good, and disregard the bad.

• Do you like being a hero? If so, what is the most rewarding part? If not, what makes you keep doing it? Is there anything that would make you give up hero work, or even switch sides?

  • I'd be lying if I said no, being Pinnacle allows me to help those in need, in danger, so yes, I enjoy being a hero.  Most rewarding part?  I've gotten a handshake from the Fire Chief after flying three of his crew through a blaze that collapsed the building they were in, the respect he showed me, that was pretty intense, something I doubt I'll ever forget.  But, if I'm being honest, it's the flying, floating above everything, in the clouds, the cool wind, the damp air, and the absolute silence.  Give it up?  I haven't lost anyone, not yet at least, that day's likely coming, and that will be a hard road, but you just need to focus on the loss, the sacrifice, move forward, carry on, and bring that lesson with you.  Switch sides though, not ever.  

• What are your short term goals (what would you like to be doing within a year)?

  • Gain experience, so I don't feel so out of my depth while working with my peers within the heroic community.  I've committed to joining the wrestling team at Elysium Hills next year, learn how to handle myself in combat, train with the volunteer firefights, paramedics, even emergency response teams.  I think that will make me more of an asset to the Emerald Cities, and the growing heroic community of the West Coast.

• What are your long term goals (what would you like to be doing twenty years from now)?

  • Twenty years is a long time, I'd like to think that I will have enrolled in, and graduated from Mallory.  A degree in Poli Sci, Journalism, Media, a correspondent I think.  I would like to hope that Pinnacle would still be active, perhaps a member of a team or alliance of heroes, though I feel as though I'd still remain central to the Emerald Cities.

• What is your greatest fear? Why? What do you do when something triggers this fear?

  • My father's abandonment of the family, my mother's death, my time in the foster system before being adopted by the Kline's have left me with a fear of abandonment, of being alone, isolated.  Thinking about it, I've compensated by developing my communication skills, becoming something of a mediator, maybe even to prevent those closest to me from leaving.  I feel I'd try to find out why they were leaving, resolve the conflict, make concessions.

• Is there anything you would give you life for?

  • I love my family, the Klines, my friends, Phan, Alexis, and everyday when I'm on I am trying to save lives.  But make that sacrifice, that final, ultimate sacrifice, I can only hope I'd be up to the task.  When you talk about heroes, the conversation always starts with Centurion, and sadly ends with him.  He is the standard to which all of us are held and I hope that if by giving my life I could save the lives of innocents I could live up to that ideal.

• How do you feel about money and material wealth? Do you desire it or disdain it? Are you miserly with what you have, or do you like to share? Is it a mark of success, or a means to an end?

  • My birth father bailed on my mother and I, she worked hard to support us so money was tight, but family was important, family and faith.  The Klines, they're well off, work hard, love each other, support each other, and the family's finances are stable, comfortable.  That's pretty much how I feel, having money, it makes life easier, more comfortable, but it's not the end goal, it's not a measure of success.  

• How do you generally treat others?

  • I try to treat others with respect and dignity.  I mean there are those who won't treat you in the same way, ever thing I've been taught tells me to eat my own pride, and ignore their insults.  I generally try to treat them with more kindness, it's the right thing to do.  <Pause.>  And sometimes that just pisses them off more.

• Are you a trusting person? Has your trust ever been abused?

  • I was, and then I wasn't, and now I'm trying to be once again.  My father betrayed myself and my mother, the very nature of his abilities allows him to betray anyone's trust, without them even being aware of it.  Now that's a betrayal that is hard to recover from, believe me I know.  After my mother passed, I withdrew from others, from my faith, from myself.  It wasn't until the Klines opened their homes and their hearts to me that I began to trust again.

• Are you introverted (shy and withdrawn) or extroverted (outgoing)? Do you have a lot of self-confidence?

  • Now here's the weird thing, after everything with my father, with my mother, I'm a pretty withdrawn kind of guy.  Kept my head down, organized, studied, placed my academics above my social life.  However, in the month since I discovered my strengths, my abilities, when I'm on, there's this power, this confidence, this sense of assurance, it's like I know what to do, how to do it, and people respond to me, not just because I can lift a wall off of a fire crew, but because when I'm around people, I'm this pinnacle that they can aspire to.

• How do you act around attractive, available members of your preferred sex?

  • Like Phan?  Dammit.  <Looks around.>  Sorry, shouldn't have said that.  Yeah, that's an area that Pinnacle's confidence and assurance doesn't really cover.  I'm pretty good at staying aloof, concentrating on the work, no!  I haven't told her, I don't know how she feels, and it wouldn't be fair, not yet.  <Pause.>  Next question?

• What are your most annoying habits?

  • <Takes cross out of his mouth.>  Yeah, that?  My sisters call me on it all the time, when I get nervous, when I have to concentrate on something, like math or whatever, it usually ends up in my mouth.  It's a nervous tic, other than that some people find my habit of keeping everything organized a little annoying, I remember when Therese first folded my laundry for me.  <Laughs.>  I asked her if she could show me how to use their washer and dryer, so was so happy.  I really only did it because she folded my clothes wrong.

• Do you feel contempt for any general category of people? Who are they, and why?

  • Bigots and racists, I know we're not supposed to judge other's, however when someone's mind is so small, so closed, it is next to impossible to forgive them for their indiscretions.

• What is your favorite food? Do you prefer any particular type of food? Do you take the time to enjoy your food, or do you eat as fast as you can?

  • You know, I never really liked fish until I moved in with the Klines, they get salmon from the fish market, fresh.  Therese cooks it in a cast iron skillet, something she got from her grandmother.  The skin is crispy, it's light, fresh, not heavy.  I like how flakey it is, I pick it apart a flake at a time, try to savor the flavor.  So yeah, salmon, at least the way my foster mom, Therese cooks it.

• What is your favorite drink (alcoholic or otherwise)?

  • Chocolate milk, but it's got to be that syrup that you pour in and stir with the spoon.  That clink against the glass reminds me of my mom, that'd be a treat she made for us after dinner.

• What is your favorite treat (dessert)?

  • Salted caramel, well, pretty much anything.  The sweet and the salty, it's perfect.

• Are there any specific foodstuffs that you find disgusting or refuse to eat?

  • Mushrooms, it's something about the texture.  Oh, and olives, yeah, not going to happen.

• What is your favorite color? Are there any colors you dislike?

  • Green, I like a deep green, it reminds me of the earth, outdoors, forests, nature.  Dislike?  Not really, I mean there are some fluorescent colors that almost hurt the eyes to look at, and shouldn't really be used as clothes, but actively dislike, not really.

• What sort of music do you like? Is there any that you hate?

  • I picked up on a lot of classic 80's rock from my mom, Journey, Pink Floyd, Queen, Rush.  The good stuff can always put a smile on my face, though that annoying habit of putting that cross in my mouth we talked about earlier, yeah, that'll happen.  The Kline's though, Issac, he has this love for the founders of rock, Ben E King, Chubby Checker, Fats Domino, Little Richard, guys I'd never heard of, so that's kind of grown on me as well, as much as it makes my sisters roll their eyes.  While I don't hate it, I'm not a huge fan of rap, never really got into or enjoyed it.  [Shrug.]

• If you have a favorite scent, what is it?

  • Sandalwood, it's got this earthy, damp scent, reminds me of the earth, powerful, I find it energizing.

• Do you have a favorite animal?

  • As a kid I always envied birds, the ability to fly anywhere, go anywhere, and watching them glide through the air, without even flapping their wings, it's kind of peaceful.  Now?  Sometimes when I'm flying a bird will fly up beside me, just soaring.  It feels like a dream, a miracle.

• What is your most treasured possession? Why?

  • I talked about it a little earlier, my mother's cross.  It's all I have left of her, well, I mean, I still have pictures, a family album.  The cross though, she's the one who first took me to church, introduced me to faith.  The cross represents that faith, that love, that conviction; it represents the promise that we'll meet again.

• Do you enjoy "roughing it", or do you prefer your creature comforts?

  • It's kind of weird, growing up my mom and I we didn't have alot, we didn't have many options, and we worked, hard, to get ahead, but we had each other, family, faith, love.  Now the Kline's, they're my family, and they've worked hard to get where they are, to provide a stable home for their daughters, for me, but there are times where I miss that feeling of making it on your own, by the seat of your pants.  Maybe it just reminds me of how strong my mother was, how much she gave up to keep us safe.  And it's hard to explain, because if I told them it would seem like I don't appreciate the opportunity that they've given me, or the hard work they've done to get there, you know?

• Is there a job or a task you would absolutely refuse to do?

  • I don't think so, unless we're talking criminal actions, and I'd never want to undertake a task which would require me to take a life.  I don't think I could.  Regardless of circumstance.

• Do you consider yourself a spiritual person? If so, how do your beliefs affect your life? How important is it to you?

  • I've talked about my faith previously, so yes, I do consider myself a spiritual person.  I am devoted to my faith and the spirit of it's teachings.  It's faith that gave me the strength to get through the death of my mother, [Shrug], I can't look at the path my life has taken and not see some higher purpose, the presence of some divine power.  My faith is everything.

• Was your faith influenced or molded by anyone special?

  • It was my mother who introduced me to the Church and my faith and since her passing it's more important than ever.  Father Gordon's charity brought the Klines into my life, [Pause.], or me into theirs.  And while faith isn't as central to the Kline's lives as it was to my mother's, it is an important part of Therese's, my foster mother's, a part we've decided to share together.

• If you belong to a religious organization, how often do you attend? Do you have a specific place of worship, or friends within the organization? How much do you agree with the beliefs of your organization?

  •  

• Could you kill? Have you killed?

  • I've never been placed into a circumstance where it was even a consideration, and I'm thankful of that, because I don't think I could.  No, I've never had to take another's life.

• What circumstances led to you forming that conviction, or taking that action?

  • My Faith, my belief in the human spirit, and it's enduring nature.  The human spirit can recover from all sorts of harm, neglect, even if that harm is self inflicted, with faith, with love, that harm will heal.  If you take a life, you prevent that soul the opportunity to heal, and in so doing you sin against yourself, against your higher power.

• Are there circumstances under which you believe it is permissible to kill? What are they?

  • If there are, I've never found them, and I am thankful for that.

• How would you react to watching someone kill another person? Would your reaction be different if the killer was a friend or an enemy of yours?

  • I would do everything in my power to prevent that from happening, both for the person to be killed, and the killer.  One would lose their life, the other would lose a portion of their soul.  No I don't think it would, because even an enemy can be redeemed, and a friend, a loved one, should be counselled from committing so grievous a sin.

• How would you react if something important was stolen from you?

  • With sadness, a sense of violation and loss.  However, with time you can overcome that despair, despite the value, material or otherwise, a physical object is only that, an object.  What makes it valuable is the memories attached to it, and the values it represents.

• How would you react to public humiliation?

  • I think it depends on what the specific circumstances were, but there would be feelings of embarrassment, shame, even guilt.  I suppose I'd likely try to withdraw from the situation, to avoid further humiliation, unless doing so would put other people at risk, and in that case I'd finish the task and then leave.

• How would you react if a good friend or relative were purposely or accidentally killed? Has it happened to you?

  • There will always be feelings of anger and guilt.  Anger at them having left you, guilt over whether or not you could have done anything to prevent it.  I know, only because I've had to go through it for my mother, it was difficult, and thankfully I had the charity of Father Gordon, and my faith to see me through the roughest of it.  It's never truly gone though, and there are moments when it hits you that they're gone, and that they're not coming back.  Like you are carrying this great weight, and only just then realize it.  It can drive you to your knees.

• What do you consider to be the worst crime someone could commit and why?

  • The taking of a young life.  I mean all life is precious, and the loss of any life is an utter tragedy, however in the case of a young child, there is potential to consider, that they could have grown up to what?  Cure cancer, poverty, hunger, peace, or just grown up to be a helluva good guy?  That they'll never have the opportunity to find love, to find a family, to bring a child into this world.  It's tragic, and then you consider the weight that their family would have to bear.

• If your life were to end in 24 hours, what five things would you do in those remaining hours?

  • Tell Phan how I really feel for her, tell the Klines what I've been doing since the accident over the Bay, watch the sun come up over the horizon, pray with Father Gordon and Therese, and then visit my mother's grave, which is where I'd want to draw my last breath.

 

Career & Training

• Do you have any special training in your hero skills? If so, where and how did you get it?

  • Depends on what you consider hero skills?  Critical thinking?  My mom helped that, the Klines make sure I am organized for school and such, and debate club help with that organization and research.  But other than that, no.  I mean I've made some plans, like next year, I'm joining the Wrestling Team, because that knowledge, those skills seem like they'd be translatable to my heroic activities, first aid & CPR, again, translatable.  I want to contact the EC Volunteer Fire Department, and see if I can enroll as my heroic identity, to get some emergency training.  Maybe talk to ECPD, or even AEGIS, about some field training, but I don't want to risk revealing my civilian identity to do so, you know?

• Who taught you the most about your heroing abilities? What was your relationship with that person?

  • I mean who else, I mean my mother, Claire, Father Gordon, the Klines, they've all taught me and shown, by their own actions and decisions, how to be a better person, how to put others before yourself, to act with kindness and charity.  I've just been given the opportunity to do so on a larger scale.  I suppose those I idolize as well, those heroes who came before me, I grew up in Freedom CIty after all, heroes like Centurion, who made that ultimate sacrifice.  Something I only hope that'd I'd have the spiritual fortitude to do if the situation called for it.

• Do you have any particularly unusual skills? How did you acquire them?

  • Not really?  I mean I'm organized, analytical, I am pretty good at speaking to crowds and such, and people tend to listen to me, or at least consider what I have to say.  When I'm on, when I'm my other self, Pinnacle, that ability seems to be amplified, people trust him, respect him, almost instinctively.  It's something I try not to abuse, that wouldn't be right.

• Do you do something besides hero work for a living? Have you ever done anything else, or do you plan to?

  • Debate team Captain, maintain my marks for my college application, next year I'll join the wrestling team, it's can get a little hectic.  Especially if you consider the fact that the Klines typically have four family dinners per week, and that we go to St James every Sunday, it can be overwhelming, but I still have to find time to us my gifts to help those in need.  Anything else?  University, a degree, Journalism or Media, something like that.  I think we talked about it when you asked about my 20 year plan?  Yeah, and my other activities, heroing?  It was a gift, and a responsibility, I don't plan on giving it up, not while I can make a difference in people's lives.

• What is your preferred combat style?

  • Right now it's kind of school yard brawling, and I mean given my strength when I'm on, that could be fatal to someone if I don't show some restraint, learn some control.  That's why I want to join Elysium Hills' Wrestling team next year, to learn some control, and how to control an opponent if an encounter escalates, turns into a physical confrontation.

• Have you ever received any awards or honours?

  • In my civilian life, I've earn a few academic awards, graduated Public School with honors, I got to be Valedictorian for our class as we all got ready for high school.  

• What skill areas would you like most to improve in? Is there anything you can't do that you wish desperately you could?

  • My ability to respond to emergency situations, which is why I'm looking at First Aid & CPR, and towards Volunteer Firefighting, if only to be able to apply those basic life saving protocols to my activities while I'm on, you know?  Wrestling, as I've mentioned a couple times now, I think it'll help.  Anything I struggle with?  I think I mentioned math earlier, I mean addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, that I've got though I may pull out a calculator.  But the higher stuff, algebra, calculus, that is killer for me and an area where it's difficult for me to excel, so I apply effort to other areas.

• How do you act around people who are more skilled than you in areas you'd like to improve? Are you jealous, or do you try and learn?

  • One of my teacher's told me to try to learn something new everyday, to master a skill, to push yourself, challenge yourself, even after you've finished with your education.  So if I'm around someone with more skill, or more experience, I am a little hesitant at first, I don't want to make a fool of myself, but I listen, and I watch, and after some time I start making my own effort, my own mistakes and learn from them.  When they correct me, I just take their input and try to apply it, or I ask questions to learn why they choose to do it this way, or that way.  [Shrugs.]  I've always taken instruction well, and I try not to take corrections personally.

 

Lifestyle & Hobbies

• What is a normal day for you? How do you feel when something interrupts this routine?

  • Since I've started the couch to 5k thing, I've decided to start running in the morning, so I get up a little after five, which gets me back in the house at about quarter to.  I hop through the shower, put on my school clothes, get breakfast, help Therese pack lunches for me and my sisters, then head out the door around 7:30.  School until 3, depending on the day, I either bus home, or if there's debate club, I'll take a city bus downtown to Issac's firm, where I wait until about 5:30 and come home with him.  Kline family dinner, usually.  Then clean up and dishes.  My homework is usually done if I came straight home, if I had debate club, some usually gets done in dad's office, the rest after dinner.  I'll play some hoops with dad if there's time, watch some t.v. with the family, then I get ready for bed.  I usually spend about half an hour to an hour in my bedroom reviewing the days notes before I go to sleep, then the alarm goes off at 5-ish the next day.  I know it's tight, believe me, if I have to be on, I know it, and something has to give.  It's frustrating, not for the adjustments it requires, but because I can't tell my parents why, which is why Janaina keeps trying to get me to tell them, but I'm just not ready yet.

• Do you have any hobbies, or interests outside hero work? What are they, and where did you pick them up?

  • Debate Club, I'm the Captain so I need to devote time and attention to that.  I've started cough to 5k, and that's going well, if exhausting.  Hoops with my dad, sometimes I go to the gym with Alexis.  Church on the weekends, and I've recently started visiting the PNWFCC, Pacific North West Families of Children with Cancer, while I'm on, cape and all, talking to nurses and the kids there.  I was feeling down, stressed after one of the fire fighters I'd tried to save ended up in the hospital for chemical burns, one of the nurses directed me to the center, told me I could do some good there.  Took one of the kids for a fly around the block once his parents told me it was ok, the smile on his face.  Worth it.

• What do you do for fun?

  • Fun?  I play hoops with my dad, Issac, or help him restore furniture on the weekends.  Goof off with my sisters, though if you tell anyone I let them paint my toes now and then, I'll ... just please don't alright?  I run, work out with Alexis.  And then me and Phan work on the prep for upcoming debates.  No, I haven't told her, and we don't really hang out per se, she's pretty focused on academics and so am I.  Dances and stuff, not typically, no, I don't really have time for it.

• Do you have a costume? What does it look like?

  • I do, it's this deep green body suit, with gold trim, but it has white panels around the arms and across my abdomen to break it up, and a wide white cape secured by brooches to my shoulders.  It's actually pretty dope, and it looks professional.  Thing is, and this is the weird part, it came with my powers, I mean the first time I was on, when I shifted it was just there.

• How do you normally dress when not in costume?

  • When going to school I tend to dress a little preppy, chinos, button downs and the like.  I have more casual clothes, jeans, hoddies and stuff, but usually save those for my down time.

• What do you wear to bed most nights?

  • Usually nothing other than my boxers, it's just more comfortable.

• Do you wear any special jewelry? What is it, and what does it look like?

  • No jewelry other than my mother's cross, that's something I wear every day.  It's a plain, unadorned silver cross, I wear it on a short chain around my neck so it sits on my breast bone.  Long enough it can come over my chin, I think I've talked about how I hold it in my mouth when I concentrate.

• Do you have a special place where you keep your valuables?

  • As much as she teases me for holding it in my mouth, Maddy knows how much my cross means to me.  One day last year I flipped out because it had fallen off my night stand over night, slipped down a vent.  Issac pulled off the grate and we found it, thank God.  So for my birthday she bought me a small wood frame box from Homesense.  You can place pictures on the sides and the lid of the box, it's got this velvet lining, deep green.  So that's where I keep it now, pictures of my mom, Claire, on the lid, my sisters, Janaina and Maddy on the sides, and on the front a family picture of me with the Klines.

• What's your preferred means of local travel? How about long distance?

  • I've got a students pass for getting around the Emerald Cities, it's easy I know the routes.  [Shrugs.]  Now that I can fly, I sometimes do that if it won't draw attention, and seeing as how heroes are a relatively new thing in the Cities, most people aren't looking up, at least not yet.  As for long distance, I haven't really had the need to travel across country, I mean, if it were for a Kline family vacation I'd leave that up to Issac & Therese.

 

Miscellaneous

• Have you ever made a will, or tried to make arrangements for your death? What provisions did you make?

  • No, it's one of those things that's really pretty hard to think about when your young.  I mean I'm only 16 years old, it's not like I really even have anything.  Except my mother's cross, and while I don't like to think about it, I'd probably like that to go to Maddy, she did, after all, get the box to keep it safe after I almost lost it down a vent.

• If your features were to be destroyed beyond recognition, is there any other way of identifying your body?

  • There's the scar on my left arm, elbow to wrist, from the accident when I was a kid.  They were deep, I mean it healed well and all, but it's noticeable.  And then there is my ankle, I broke it real good when I was a kid playing Centurion on a fire escape, so there's a few screws in it, and a small incision scar on the outside of my right ankle that my parents would know about.

• What would you like to be remembered for after your death?

  • For breaking a kids ankle.  [Small Laugh.]  No, seriously.  I broke my ankle because I wanted to be Centurion, I wanted to fly, he was the epitome of heroism, [Pause.] still is.  I'd love to think that my actions would inspire a generation of kids to act with charity and courage in the face of challenges.  Yeah, that'd be pretty awesome.  I'd also like to hope that I'd be remembered as a good son, a good brother, and a good friend by those who know me as me.

• Do you believe you pose a threat to the public? Why or why not?

  • I think when I'm on, when I am Pinnacle, I do pose a threat to the public, I think any hero does.  It's something we need to be aware of, and we need to be vigilant.  I don't want to become a hero at the expense of those who are already heroes; emergency services, fire fighters, police, these people, these normal people, are doing jobs that I could never handle on a day to day basis, for years.  My actions as Pinnacle, as a hero, have to be viewed as supporting these men and women, and can't come at the expense of their standing, of their authority, within the community.

• What do you perceive as your greatest strength?

  • My faith, conviction and determination.  I believe that by staying focused on the needs of my fellow man I can work towards support and inspire the community while using my gifts to protect those in danger.  I just need to remain focused, to ensure that my actions benefit those around me, and allow me to work with those who are similarly motivated.

• What do you perceive as your greatest weakness?

  • My lack of experience, it's something I am striving to improve on, but experience can only come with time.  I need to be content to observe and learn from those with more experience, more training for myself, and work towards that level of expertise one day at a time.

• As a player, if you could, what advice would you give your character? Speak as if he/she were sitting right here in front of you. Use proper tone so they might heed your advice...

  • You are young, inexperienced; inevitably you will make mistakes, you will falter, and you will fail.  When you do you will feel shame, guilt, regret.  That is the foundation of experience, learn from it, pick yourself up, take responsibility for your actions, for their consequences.  Do not disregard the lesson that your failure has taught you, that would be the ultimate disrespect to those that you have failed.

Edited June 25, 2018 by Jander-Prime
And complete!