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[angrydurf]

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The Questionnaire

Twenty Questions

Guidebook

Edited August 1, 2016 by angrydurf

[angrydurf]

The Questionaire:  Savant  

 

Introduction

Who are you? Sum yourself up in one sentence.
A single sentence lacks depth however as an exercise I shall indulge the suggestion.  I am a genius polymath attempting to make right the wrongs done by my former captors.

Do you have any nicknames, street names, titles, or nom de plume?
I have carefully circulated rumors of my alter ego being called Savant.  Xavier Steadman is a chosen name, benign enough to not attract notice while not being an obvious alias.  In the documentation I was able to liberate from my captors I was referred to as Subject 24005.

What is your full birth name?
Unknown.  Current Documentation I utilize lists it as Xavier Steadman.

Where do you live?
Wolverton, Bedlam City.  A good place to disappear.

How old are you? What year were you born (if applicable)?
I did not regularly celebrate birthdays in the facility.  Documentation lists my birthyear to be in 1971 making me 45 years of age.  This seems in keeping with my estimates based on physiology and my recall of developmental milestones.

Physical Traits


What is your gender? If not applicable, please explain.
Male

How would you describe your heritage?
I am of african descent more recently than most.  I would be most easily categorized as African American or Black though I would not say I share a heritage with those raised within the community.

How tall are you?
Just over six feet in height.

What is your body type?
stocky and muscular.

Do you have any particular weaknesses, such as allergies or physical disabilities?
I am at or above the physical averages for my gender and age.

How do you carry yourself? Are you graceful, or heavy on your feet? Can you be stealthy, do you walk with confidence?
Apart?  I appear standoffish at first though I can subsume the inclination with some effort.

Describe your skin, eye, and hair color.
My skin is dark even among the African American Community though not the deep ebony of most natives of central africa.  Eyes are a light grey color, uncommon though not unknown, and my hair is mostly  deep black with hints of grey beginning to show.

How do you wear your hair, if applicable? Do you have facial hair?
I remain clean shaven though have been known to have a few days growth when working a time consuming case.  I keep my hair closely shorn though not shaved.

Do you consider yourself attractive? Do others?
My face is high symmetrical and angular in a manner associated with masculine standards of beauty.  My muscle tone and complexion are of a higher index than usual for my estimated age and the salt and pepper tendencies of my hair are likely to be dismissed as distinguished as age is less a factor in masculine appearance in the west.

Do you have any scars, tattoos, piercings, or birthmarks?
I have a small but noticeable scar on the back of my hand where I removed the tracking device the Program had installed.  

Do you resemble anyone famous?
That is in the eyes of the beholder.  Racial markers tend to be the first aspects used to identify and compare as such for many any number of middle aged dark skinned male celebrities would be fitting.  Idris Elba, Don Cheadle, and of course the default to 'A young' Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, or Ernie Hudson.  

Do you have a dominant hand?
My training at in the Program resulted in full ambidexterity.

What kind of clothing do you wear?
I try to keep it seasonal but semi formal.  Wool suits in winter, lighter blends in summer, rarely with a tie.

Do you wear makeup?
Not unless called for for a disguise of some sort.

What is your vocal range? Is your voice distinctive in some way?
My vocal range is in the bass range though not well practiced.  I speak without accent, in a given locality this leads to my speech seeming foreign though hard to place.

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?
nothing out of the ordinary.  I chart methods of egress and ingress when entering a building or room and watch people for signs of stress or distress that could indicate latent violence, position myself best to react to such stimuli etc.


History

Where do you come from?
The facility I was raised in has doubtless been shut down and either demolished or converted after my escape.  I rode in the delivery truck for three days after my escape to arrive in St. Louis though I can not be certain how many stops were made I estimate the original location to be in the upper midwest.

Have you made any major moves, or do you live in your hometown?
After escaping the facility I made my way to Bedlam City.  It's high crime rate and rampant corruption make integration easy and it's access to Wolfram Aerospace offers opportunities to observe and at times interfere with at least one arm of hte organization that imprisoned and used me.

Do you feel loyal to your country of citizenship? Do you consider yourself patriotic? How do you feel about the government of your country?
The government is flawed but not to any significantly greater degree than most.  I do not expect the government to be other than what it is in this it can be trusted.

How do you feel about the place you come from?
In many ways the facility was a simpler existence however it was also a prison and my aptitudes were put to negative ends there.

Where is your home town? What was/is it like?
I do not know where precisely the facility was located and have little interest in uncovering more.  I do know that it was a hospital like sterile environment of tightly organised to it's intended aims that were at least in my case successful beyond their intention or preparation.

Growing up, were most of the people you knew similar to you, or were you somehow a minority? How did that affect you?
The ethnicities, genders, and spiritual beliefs of those entrusted with my care and training were diverse however all were adults there as part of their professional lives.  It was in a way lonely I suppose though I never felt at a loss.

Is there something you've always been really good at or really bad at? How has that affected your life?
Always is a misnomer.  Few outside of rare alien phenotypes or synthetic beings could truly say they have always had any particular skill or gift.  Though I suspect the crux of your question is best answered thusly, I have since the enhancements of the Savant Process began to take hold been exceptional in intellectual pursuits.  This success and the means to achieve it were the entirety of my life up until my escape.  It has shaped all that I was and am.

Were there any traumatic experiences in your early years (death of a family member, abandonment, orphaned at an early age)?
By many standards my childhood would have been considered a series of traumas however due to the exacting nature and perhaps some luck on my part I came out stable and psychologically undamaged.

Briefly describe a defining moment in your childhood and how it influenced your life.
At twelve I completed the last of the memetic treatments of the Savant Process.  I woke from the deep learning state and was tested, the results quickly outstripped the tests capabilities.  From that point forward I underwent numerous programs and simulations that were treated as further testing but I slowly determined to be carefully constructed falsehoods to harness my intellectual pursuits to the betterment of the project's patron.

What stupid things did you do when you were younger?
I spent far too long trusting my handlers that I was working with simulated data and that my projects were elaborate test scenarios.

Where did you go to school? How much school did you have, and did you enjoy it?
I never attended anything akin to traditional education.  The Savant Process utilized memetic media and deep cycle hypnosis to bypass traditional input limitations for learning and enhance my cognitive function and knowledgebase.  I have no firm recollection of the deep learning state itself and could not say if it was even possible to enjoy it or not.

Do you have any mementos of your childhood? What are they, and why did you keep them? If you have none, why not?
I do not.  Sentimental attachment was discouraged in the process and when I fled I had only the clothing I escaped in.

When did you decide to become a hero? Why? Did anyone influence you one way or another in the decision?
I would not say heroism is my goal.  There have been wrongs done with my abilities that I had no choice in.  I would see those harms undone where they may.

Is the reason you give people for becoming a hero different than your real reason? If so, why?
People prefer pithy commentary in the vein of "With great Power comes great Responsibility." over honesty.  I have no reason to exert effort against that.

Do you have any deep, dark secrets in the past that may come back to haunt you?
My past is a deep dark secret that is constantly hunting me.  So yes.

Do you represent yourself as being different from who you really are? Why?
Duplicity is not my preferred mechanism but complete honesty would be foolish in my situation.

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?
If I was to be returned to Project Savant I fear they may have the means to compel my continued efforts on their behalf.  Such would be unacceptable.

Do you have any sort of criminal record? If so, is it public knowledge?
I have no accurate record criminal or otherwise.

Family


What are your biological parents' names?
I do not know.

Were you raised by them? If not, please explain and describe who raised you.
I was not I was raised by a series of caretaking staff as I underwent the Savant Process from infancy.

What was their standing in the community? What did/do they do for a living?
The caretakers were doctors nurses and professional child psychologist though examples of such with questionable ethics.

Where are your parents now?
I do not know nor see it as relevant.

Did your family stay in one area or move around a lot?
The facility I was in never changed locations.

How did you get along with their parents? How do you get along with them now (if applicable).
The corporate entity that employed my handlers was without moral bound and took advantage of my naivete to do great harm.

How do your parents view you now, or how would they?
I imagine the less morally corrupt of my staff would be glad I escaped.

Do you have any siblings? If so how many and what are their names? Describe your relationship with them.
I do not know.  I do know there were many other subjects in the Project.  I am the only success I am aware of.

What was your birth order in the family?
Not relevant

Where are your siblings now (if applicable)? Do they have families of their own? What do they do?
Those not disposed of outright most likely are institutionalized.

Do you stay in touch with them or have you become estranged?
Not possible nor safe to make contact with other subjects.

Do you love or hate one member of the family in particular?
Not relevant.

Is any member of the family special to you in any way (perhaps, as a confidant, mentor, or arch-rival)?
Not relevant.

Are there any black (or white) sheep in the family (including you)? If so, please explain.
My success marked me as proof of the Savant Process' efficacy.  My escape is a black mark on the project.

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

Do you have a partner and children currently? If so, please describe them.
I do not.  

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?
My gifts are not genetic thus little concern of propagation. However I have little interest in procreation at this juncture.  As study social interaction more directly I may become more open to romantic inclinations perhaps even paternal desires.

What type of person would be your ideal mate?
I lack sufficient data to draw an accurate conclusion.


Relationships

Do you have any close friends? If so, please describe them, and how you came to be close to them.
My understanding of societal norms is primarily academic.  Friendship in the traditional sense is difficult to evaluate.

Do you have a best friend? If so, how did they become your best friend? How close are you to your best friend?
I do not.

If you were to go missing, who would worry about you?
My landlord, my neighbor perhaps.  Particularly once hte rent was not paid and they no longer could steak the coupon insert from my paper.

Have you lost any loves? If so, how did it happen, and what did you do?
I do not.  Romance has not been an option.

Do you have any bitter enemies? If so, please describe them and their history with you.
I will make right with the Savant Projects masters used me for.  If I had a hope of success I would tear them down but I am well aware of hte limitations of one man.

If you have enemies, how do you think they might attempt to work against you in the future?
They seek my recapture and docile obedience.  I will allow them neither.

What is the worst thing someone has done to you?
I was used for over a decade to conceive of or construct assorted schemes to the betterment of the Projects patrons and the detriment of the wider world.  

Where do your loyalties lie? In what order?
Humanity, followed by those without the strength to protect themselves, and finally myself if I am honest.

Who or what do you trust the most? Why?
Trust is dangerous.  

Who or what do you despise? Why?
There is a deep seated network of criminal endeavor.  I can not put name to it but it's reach is far and its power staggering.

What qualities do you admire most in other people? Are these qualities you possess?
I appreciate moral fortitude even when a course may be difficult those who stay it for no reason but it being right.  I like to think I am among them but have not been tested.

What qualities do you hate most in other people? Do you have any of those qualities?
Greed.  Those who would choose personal gain over the greater good of society.

Do you have a secret identity? If so, who knows it? Do you hide it from people who are close to you? Why?
I rarely operate outside my known identity.  when I must I do so with utmost care.

Do you work well on teams and in groups? Are you a leader or a follower?
My leadership style has been called draconian and imperious.  I am not willing to follow those with less grasp of a situation than myself.

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 am not.

Are you a member of any church, fraternal organization, club, committee, political party, or other group? How much time do you spend on that?
I am not.  


Personality & Beliefs

Who are your heroes?
Heroes come in many forms.  Those who do the right thing even when it is hard however small to me are the greatest though we may never know their names.

Did you ever become disillusioned with former heroes or idols? If so, why and what were the circumstances?
I idealise thoughts and ideals not people so no.

Do you like being a hero? If so, what is the most rewarding part? If not, what makes you keep doing it?
I like putting my gifts to positive use.

Is there anything that would make you give up hero work, or even switch sides?
Nothing is outside possibility but I would fight it with everything at my disposal.

What are your short term goals (what would you like to be doing within a year)?
Progressing on my long term goals

What are your long term goals (what would you like to be doing twenty years from now)?
uncovering enough of hte conspiracy that created me to begin its destruction.

What is your greatest fear? Why? What do you do when something triggers this fear?
Capture.  I have been shackled, though not physically, and I won't allow it again.

Is there anything you would give you life for?
To avoid recapture if given no better option.

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?
It is a means to an end.  society may evolve beyond it one day but that time has not yet come.

How do you generally treat others?
Politely.

Are you a trusting person? Has your trust ever been abused?
I was.  It did not end well.


Are you introverted (shy and withdrawn) or extroverted (outgoing)? Do you have a lot of self-confidence?
That is not what those words mean.  I am neither though I appear more introverted to outside appearance.  I know my capabilities and act accordingly.

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

What are your most annoying habits?
I can appear cool or indifferent to minor inconveniences.

Do you feel contempt for any general category of people? Who are they, and why?
Not contempt no.  Those who fail to uphold a moral life do so for reasons often beyond our knowledge I do not judge.

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?
Fast food is amazing, sweet, Salty, fatty, all at once.  Horribly poor in nutritional content but the flavors.

What is your favorite drink (alcoholic or otherwise)?
Milk, Ice cold.

What is your favorite treat (dessert)?
Cobbler.  It's pie without the pretension.

Are there any specific foodstuffs that you find disgusting or refuse to eat?
No.

What is your favorite color? Are there any colors you dislike?
Grey.  It is not distracting.

What sort of music do you like? Is there any that you hate?
My tastes vary by mood.

If you have a favorite scent, what is it?
I do not.

Do you have a favorite animal?
Humans.

What is your most treasured possession? Why?
I do not have one possessions are transitory at best.

Do you enjoy "roughing it", or do you prefer your creature comforts?
My idea of creature comforts are what some would call roughing it.  But I also enjoy indoor plumbing and municipal sanitation.

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

Do you consider yourself a spiritual person? If so, how do your beliefs affect your life?How important is it to you?
I am not.  I understand the place for spiritualism in peoples lives I merey find little need for it myself.

Was your faith influenced or molded by anyone special?
No.

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?
I do not.

Could you kill? Have you killed?
Taking a life means you have not given your other options proper thought.

What circumstances led to you forming that conviction, or taking that action?
I see many potentialities in any situation.  I have yet to encounter a situation where the only positive outcome requires taking a life.

Are there circumstances under which you believe it is permissible to kill? What are they?
If you find yourself in a situation with no better option than killing you made mistakes far earlier.

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 stop them. No.

How would you react if something important was stolen from you?
People overvalue possessions.

How would you react to public humiliation?
To what purpose?

How would you react if a good friend or relative were purposely or accidentally killed? Has it happened to you?
I would ensure justice was served.

What do you consider to be the worst crime someone could commit and why?
On what scale?  Maiming, murder, genocide?  Destruction of the world, the galaxy the local group, the universe?  We have proof of powers and beings beyond our scale.  Worst begins to become meaningless in such context.

If your life were to end in 24 hours, what five things would you do in those remaining hours?
Insufficient Data.  If possible stop it.  If not possible why not and what do limitations would such put on my potential list.


Career & Training


Do you have any special training in your hero skills? If so, where and how did you get it?
The Savant Process is an extensive and invasive psychological procedure on the order of years.  Most did not come out intact.

Who taught you the most about your heroing abilities? What was your relationship with that person?
There is not really an individual and they did not intend my abilities be used thusly.

Do you have any particularly unusual skills? How did you acquire them?
The only thing unusual about my skills are their number and efficacy.

Do you do something besides hero work for a living? Have you ever done anything else, or do you plan to?
I keep the lights on as a private investigator.

What is your preferred combat style?
I prefer to bring the fight to where my foe is weakest.

Have you ever received any awards or honours?
No.

What skill areas would you like most to improve in? Is there anything you can't do that you wish desperately you could?
I would like to improve my interpersonal skills.  My repertoire is limited at this juncture and often artificial.

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?
I observe and incorporate.


Lifestyle & Hobbies

What is a normal day for you? How do you feel when something interrupts this routine?
Routines are predictable and dangerous.

Do you have any hobbies, or interests outside hero work? What are they, and where did you pick them up?
Several.  I enjoy a number of mental exercises to keep stray thoughts at bay from crosswords to chess puzzles to sudoku and others.

What do you do for fun?
See above.

Do you have a costume? What does it look like?
I use a scarf over a blank mask with a wide brimmed fedora when I need to disguise my features.

How do you normally dress when not in costume?
Simple but sturdy suit as weather allows.  Disguise when called for.

What do you wear to bed most nights?
Athletic wear, comfortable but can pass for daywear when forced to leave suddenly.

Do you wear any special jewelry? What is it, and what does it look like?
I do not.

Do you have a special place where you keep your valuables?
A bank?

What's your preferred means of local travel? How about long distance?
I usually take a cab or walk.  I like trains for long distance, less scrutiny than air travel and


Miscellaneous

Have you ever made a will, or tried to make arrangements for your death? What provisions did you make?
The resources I have acquired are arranged to be released in trust to a variety of charitable organizations in the event of my death.

If your features were to be destroyed beyond recognition, is there any other way of identifying your body?
Not unless there is some identifier I did not uncover in my efforts after escape no.

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

Do you believe you pose a threat to the public? Why or why not?
Not if I can help it.  though the past indicates I could.

What do you perceive as your greatest strength?
My intellect.

What do you perceive as your greatest weakness?
I am one person.  Skilled as I am in my arena I have limits I am well aware of.

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 can't do this alone.  You know this.  Eventually you'll need allies, allies you can trust and allies that trust you to do what needs to be done.

 

Edited August 1, 2016 by angrydurf

[angrydurf]

Twenty Questions  (Savant Process Exit Evaluation)

 

1. Subject Origins.

Subject was acquired shortly after birth through an agency under our control.  Family believes it to be a blind adoption and is unlikely to be able or willing to pursue further information. 

 

2. Physical Description.

The subject exhibits greater than average health and athleticism.  The intensity of the savant process has limited hand eye coordination slightly though the exercise regime has left the subject with excellent muscle tone and cardiovascular health.  Future subjects may benefit from agility training if time allows or continued use of athletically predisposed genetic stock.

 

3. Notable mannerisms and vocal patterns.

Subject does not exhibit any unusual ticks nor other common side effects of the Savant Process.  Their english is unaccented in a formless manner that sounds placeless and foreign to most native speakers.  Other languages maintain a similar lack of dialect markers.  

 

4. Suggested means of motivation and control.

Subject has little motivation based on praise nor threat of punishment.  Difficult problems will grab their attention best of all, though the subject does show a soft heartedness.  Suggest duplicity be used when subject is engaged in unsavory simulations.

 

5. Subject capabilities in brief.

The Savant process has been exceptionally successful for the subject.  Their intellectual capabilities are well beyond the testable range with none of mental instabilities nor personality disorders other subjects have succumbed to.  While the subject retains an incredible mastery of the psychology and physiology of human interaction his interpersonal skills are underdeveloped this knowledge being academic in nature.  This should have no significant impact on the subjects function in the assigned roles.

 

6. Subjects likes and dislikes.

The subject has emerged from the process with a deep care for both their fellow man and a fascination with the intricacies of human interaction.  The subject does maintain a deep dislike for those they perceive to take advantage of others.  If they were to discover the institutes plans for them or the fate of other subjects it could be catastrophic for their continued cooperation.

 

7. Mental and Emotional evaluation of the Subject in brief.

No distinct mental illness or personality disorder is shown.  While the subject is blandly impersonal in interactions it is not indicative of psychology but rather inexperience.  So long as the subject does not discover their works to be used unscrupulously they will likely continue to be docile and cooperative in exercises.

 

8. Subject susceptibility to threat and coercion.

The subject shows no phobic behaviors and is generally passive.  It is unlikely for fear to be a coercive force for the subject.  If the subject uncovers their lack of agency it would likely negatively affect future interactions.  If subject desires and achieves escape it is unlikely even threat of death or maiming would render them willing to return.

 

9. Subjects goals and desires.

Subject has a genuine desire to excel and do good works for the world at large.  Such motivators could be used with care as goads to encourage the subject in their efforts.

 

10. Evaluation of subjects world view and knowledge.

Subject has had limited access to modern media outside the data for simulations.  They concisely point out the logical fallacies and failings of the worlds operation when encountered and will even in free time creat speculative programs to right the course of world events they see has harmful.

 

11. Subject socialization.

Subject is docile and cooperative in most settings though unyielding in the face of those willing to contest the subjects findings.

 

12. Subjects loyalties.

The subject has no loyalties to the program or the broader organization.  They hold value in their self and humanity as a whole finding smaller scale divisions archaic though they maintain an academic understanding of hte place of tribalism and nationalism in the world as it is.

 

13. Romantic interests of subject.

The subject has shown no particular interest in romantic endeavors.  Such development may have been stunted by the Program, understanding of the physiology and mechanisms is as complete as other areas of study, desire is managed much like sleep, food, and drink.  Where necessary a necessity, it is unlikely for such to change without significant exposure to outside influence.  

 

14. Subjects interpersonal bonds.

The subject has a positive relationship with his handlers and the program staff they regularly encounter but the shifts in staffing have left the subject with little attachment.  They do not appear to be negatively impacted by the lack of genetic ties.

 

15. Description of subject behavior and interactions.

The subject is impersonal, not cold.  While the subjects confidence could be interpreted as ego they are acutely aware of their own strengths and weaknesses and plan accordingly.  Mild mannered and distantly polite the Subject would be difficult to pick out of a crowd without close interaction.  With practice the subject is likely to be nearly socially invisible.

 

16. Overall evaluation of Subject.

The Subject is a great success of the program.  We would suggest his treatment be used as a tentpole in further research.

 

17. Subjects views on spirituality.

Spirituality is approached from a position of cold logic.  This has led to difficulties when accounting for spiritual belief structures, the subject teds to treat them as foreseen complications to be addressed as they become problematic.

 

18. Evaluation of subject for group work.

The subjects lack of interpersonal skills and exceptional aptitudes tend to cause friction on teams.  It is unlikely for such situations to resolve themselves without the subject becoming better socialized and better informed of the teams strengths and weaknesses.

 

19. Subjects understanding of metahumanity.

Subject has extensively examined issues of metahumanity in the context of the broader world and determined that metahumanity is no different than humanity at large outside of scale of ability.  If such factors are known they can be accounted for.

 

20. Final thoughts and recommendations.

Subject is prepared to be integrated into simulations and regular operations.  Subject must not become aware of the fate of other subjects nor of the manner in which his skills are being used.  Subject would prove an implacable foe if made our enemy.

 

Edited July 31, 2016 by angrydurf