Super Genetics

HeroWatch Entry

(last updated Year 52:1:90 03:56 local time)

Cillian Fletcher (War Crimes)

Summary

Cillian Fletcher (chosen super moniker: War Crimes), is an A-ranked Duelist (confirmed) and an expert marksman, weapon specialist, and demolitionist. He has served as a super mercenary, gun-for-hire, and in his last years of activity, was condemned as a terrorist for his actions in (The Ugandan Massacre) and (The Dallas Fort Worth Hostage Incident).

In Year 37, he was cornered by a joint task force of independent supers, including (Sol), (The Council), (Team Dallas), and (Emperor Necroton). He held Dallas Fort Worth International hostage with high-grade explosives, but was eventually apprehended by (Rocket) from (Team Dallas) and (Emperor Necroton) of Wichita, the latter turning War Crimes into one of his revenants.

The super community initially condemned Emperor Necroton for taking War Crimes as his revenant, claiming that the man was avoiding punishment for his atrocities. (Team Dallas) and (The Council) requested that (Dancer) intervene. A special Tribunal was held in Dallas to determine the fate of War Crimes. However, at the Tribunal (The White Rose) argued that eternity as a revenant was a punishment worse than death. (Dancer) ultimately ruled in (Emperor Necroton)’s favor.

Powerset

War Crimes employs his advanced physical stats to perform feats of marksmanship that appear to defy the laws of physics (edit suggestion: restate, needs citation). Chemical analysis of retrieved bullets indicate a unique alloy which suggests homemade bullets. In addition, the undetonated explosives in (The Dallas Fort Worth Hostage Incident) showed signs of chemical modification, increasing the stability and yield. This led to speculation that War Crimes was a Catalyst class super before transitioning to Duelist during his (Midmark Quest). This would mark War Crimes as one of the few known supers to experience a (Triple-Jump Class Shift) from a (Midmark Quest) (needs citation).

+ Catalyst (F to C) — Unconfirmed

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+ Duelist (C to A)

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Affiliation

He served as an independent contractor for most of his super career. After his capture, he was turned into a revenant by (Emperor Necroton) of Wichita.

Personal Life

(no data)

Notable Exploits

(The Ugandan Massacre)

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(The Dallas Fort Worth Hostage Incident)

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Fifteen steps separated Terry and Dr. Wong.

Turned out, he didn’t have fifteen steps in him. He went down to a knee, Jimmy losing his grip on Terry’s elbow in surprise. Crunch steadied him, but Terry didn’t have the strength to stand anymore.

Stand up, Terry. Stand. Up!

A cooling balm entered his body, a sensation like a fan directed at sweat-soaked skin. First, the iron band around his chest eased. Then, the burning fire in his wrist faded. And finally, the wave of nausea from his dizziness began to relax its grip on his stomach.

A voice cut through the fog in Terry’s brain, full of heat.

“Why is he walking?” the voice demanded. “Don’t you have a gurney or a backboard!”

“Ye-yes! He in-insisted.” That was Jimmy speaking. Why did he sound so terrif—oh…

Terry lifted his head to see Dr. Wong staring down the young paramedic, his face contorted in ugly rage.

“Since when do we let patients dictate the needs of care?” He loomed over the boy, the magical green fire in his eyes giving him a dangerous air. “Especially thirteen-year-old boys!”

Terry raised a hand feebly.

“Dr. Wong, please—”

“I want your name and your supervisor’s name. When I’m done with you, you won’t even be allowed to volunteer at a dog shelter!”

Terry put one leg under him, desperate to get the doctor’s attention. He reached his bad hand toward Crunch—his good one still held by Jimmy—and levered himself to a stand.

“Pl-please, I wa-was just doi—”

“Doing what? Nearly killing the Emperor’s grandson on the palace steps?”

“That’s enough.”

The third voice cut across whatever reply Jimmy was forming and Dr. Wong looked over his shoulder at Mesmer.

The former villain took the steps deliberately, not rushing in his approach. He kept his hands clasped in front of his waist as his cold eyes regarded the scene.

“Let’s hear the young man’s story.” He turned to regard the doctor, a sharp focus that seemed to lock onto its target. “Inside, where every maid, soldier, and undead can’t hear the tale. The servant’s quarters and the barracks will already be abuzz with this scene. Let’s not compound the mistake such that the Emperor hears of it, hm?”

Dr. Wong’s eyes went wide and he hastily nodded.

Jimmy leaned back, as if entering the palace were a death sentence.

“Ple-please! I’ll send in m-my resignation. Just let me—”

The revenant’s gaze turned on Jimmy like a lion spotting prey.

“In…side.”

Terry had been reeling from the sudden healing and the doctor’s heated exchange with Jimmy, but he finally felt his wits—and breath—returning.

“There’s someone else that needs medical attention in the ambulance.” Three sets of eyes whipped toward him and he suddenly felt pinned in place as if the draugr had returned and flared its aura. But now that he had recovered a bit, he felt indignant at the way his new friend was being treated and the prospect of Tania being stuck out in the ambulance for who knew how long. “They were going to take her to the hospital, but now that you’re here, you can check her, right Dr. Wong?”

The doctor sighed. Despite his nasty mood, he was at his core, a healer. Terry knew without a speck of doubt that if the man came across a dying rat, he’d heal the thing and send it on its little vermin way.

Still, he turned to the revenant for confirmation.

“Fine,” the revenant responded with a nod. “Crunch, if you please?”

Terry’s shadow loped off and returned a moment later with an annoyed looking Tania and Jimmy’s terrified partner, Liam.

The revenant looked around once and closed his eyes. A wave of power washed over them, relaxing the hold on the servants and soldiers. His voice boomed out for all to hear.

“It would be wise of you all to remember: the Emperor hears and sees everything within the purview of his domain. But our enemies also have eyes and ears. Gossip and conjecture are acceptable pastimes…when we are at peace.” His gaze seemed to take in everyone at once, a heavy weight that shrouded the entire palace steps. “Go. Return to your tasks.”

With that, the soldiers saluted, the servants bowed, and the undead set off.

Turning back to Terry, Jimmy, Crunch, Tania, and Liam, he pursed his lips.

“Follow me inside.”

He turned on his heels and took the steps at a leisurely pace, switching his clasping hands behind him as he walked.

Terry and Dr. Wong shared a look, and the healer simply shrugged his shoulders and turned to follow.

“How are you feeling?” he asked as Terry fell into step beside him.

How am I feeling? Terry wondered. Thirty seconds ago, he was sure he was one gasp away from passing out again. His right wrist had felt like it was doused in Sol’s flame and his chest stabbed with every slight intake of breath.

But now…?

“I feel pretty good,” he replied. “A little groggy, but my wrist’s numb now and—” He took an experimental breath, feeling a tightness, but no sharp pain. “—I can breathe, so that’s a plus.”

Dr. Wong nodded, then looked over his shoulder down the stairs. He paused and turned back around.

“You’re welcome to stay there, if you like. But the revenant speaks with the Emperor’s voice.” He shrugged, turning back around. “I would suggest you listen, for your own sakes.”

Terry looked back to see Jimmy and Liam glancing furtively at their ambulance. Judging from their half-turned bodies, they had been considering making a break for the vehicle. In between them, Tania scowled, her arms crossed tightly across her chest.

He felt responsible for the three of them being pulled into this situation and didn’t want to see them tracked down in a day or two to be dragged back to the palace. There was nothing to fear from Mesmer—he was fair, if stern. Now, if it were War Crimes holding down the fort, Terry would have been concerned. But Mes was his friend. He’d understand just how much they owed Jimmy once Terry explained.

He leaned on Crunch and took a couple steps down to be out of earshot of Dr. Wong.

“I won’t let anything happen to you three.” He glanced back to see the doctor waiting with an impatient set to his lips at the top of the stairs before the man turned and went inside. “I promise.”

Jimmy and Liam shared one more furtive glance, then Jimmy nodded toward Terry.

“I trust him.”

Liam craned his head up, closing his eyes.

“How did I get here?” he muttered. When he looked back down, he nodded once. “Fine, let’s go.”

Tania scoffed, casting Liam a dismissive look. “Like you got a choice, dummy.”

Liam’s face darkened, but before he could fire back, the girl was practically stomping up the stairs, her arms crossed the entire way.

“I’ll give her a pass because of…you know,” Liam said. “But if she keeps this up, I’m leaving her ass here.” Then he was following the girl, his head whipping left and right like he was expecting someone to spring up out of nowhere and arrest him.

Terry gave Jimmy an apologetic look. The paramedic shrugged, a half-smile touching his lips.

“Not your fault, Terry. Come on, I really don’t wanna leave that guy waiting.”

With Crunch’s help, Terry followed Jimmy up the steps at a quick walk. When they entered the palace proper, the foot traffic of soldiers, servants, and undead seemed to double. It was like a kicked beehive and the four of them loitered around the entry way as they tried to find Tania, Dr. Wong, and Mesmer. At his stature, Terry found that he was useless in the search, seeing as every adult in sight towered over him.

“Crunch, do you see them?”

“We should just go, man.”

“Are you mental? What, so the rotters can come kick down my parents' door in a few hours?”

Jimmy and Liam were arguing in muted tones, but not so muted that Terry and Crunch couldn’t hear.

“You run, I chase.”

Crunch hadn’t even turned to look at them as he spoke. But both boys flinched at his grating words, hunkering down between their shoulders like they wanted to melt into the ground.

“Fuck, he heard us?” Liam muttered.

“The entire room can hear you,” Terry fired back, his eyebrows climbing his forehead. “Will you two just trust me? You’re gonna be fine. But not if you try and flee.” He watched them a moment longer, hoping the reality of the situation would finally penetrate through the thick wave of terror enveloping them. “You haven’t done anything wrong, so just…relax.”

Before they could respond, Crunch lightly tapped his shoulder.

“I see.”

Terry nodded. “Lead the way, Crunch.”

He didn’t bother to check if Liam and Jimmy were following—he had done as much as he could to convince them. They’d either follow or they wouldn’t.

But a small smile formed on his face when he heard their quiet muttering behind him as they walked a few steps back. He owed Jimmy for saving his life and would have been sad if the boy had gotten on Mesmer’s bad side—not to mention the doctor already calling for his head.

As Crunch led the way through the entrance hall, Terry finally spotted a fuming Tania sitting on one of the red and gold velvet chairs that lined the far wall. Somehow, her arms seemed crossed even harder and she was making no attempts to hide the daggers she was shooting at the revenant’s back. The older supe was whispering in low tones with a robed lich and a giant ghoul who wore a golden torc around his neck. Terry knew this to be a marker of leadership and was only aware of three ghouls given the honor. Which surprised him, because he would have assumed the higher ups among the undead would all be fighting in Topeka right now.

Dr. Wong saw them approaching and waved them over.

“The undead leadership are discussing damage control,” he whispered to Terry. Tania subtly leaned closer to eavesdrop, but the doctor didn’t seem to mind. “No one seems to understand how a draugr could have openly attacked a Fairway, let alone you, my prince.”

Tania shot up from her chair, sending it back into the wall with a clatter. “And what about the fifty other humans that piece of shit murdered?” she growled.

Mesmer glanced over, a single brow arched, and the fire dimmed ever so slightly. But she continued to stand there defiantly, her eyes narrowed at the doctor.

Dr. Wong seemed about to reply, but Mesmer dismissed the two undead with a nod and approached them.

“Let’s step into my office for a debrief.”

Dr. Wong’s eyes went wide. “All of us?” He seemed to be indicating the paramedics and Tania with that question.

His cold gaze cut across each of them, before he turned and started walking.

“All of you.”

Jimmy and Liam seemed to think that was somehow worst-case scenario for them and Terry felt like he could practically hear their legs trembling. But this far into the palace, they were committed and to their credit, followed Dr. Wong and the revenant.

Leaving Terry to suffer under Tania’s glare.

“Why didn’t you just leave me in that ambulance, huh?”

Before he could answer, she was storming off, her tiny feet echoing far louder than they had any right to.

“I was trying to be considerate,” he muttered to himself. He looked toward Crunch for support, but the ghoul’s expression was always unreadable. With a sigh, he took off after the girl, not wanting to be the reason they had to wait.

Behind Terry, Crunch lingered a half-second. The ghoul felt eyes on him and a powerful aura very purposefully exposed in his direction. The message was clear: a failure in duty had consequences. He turned his head to regard his Elder, nodding in tacit understanding before he moved to follow his charge.

Terry, Tania, and Crunch soon caught up to the others as they followed the hallways deeper into the palace. The soldiers and servants ran or fast walked to either side of the group, recognizing the revenant and giving way.

Even at a leisurely pace as dictated by Mesmer, they arrived outside a plain door in only a couple of minutes. Despite its nondescript nature, the two ghouls standing on either side marked this particular door as important. There were no plaques or markers that this was the revenant’s office, but ghouls weren’t in such high supply that they guarded just any door—especially with the bulk of the army marching on Topeka.

Without a word, one of the ghouls opened the door as they arrived and Terry wondered if Mesmer was using aura. He recommitted himself to really investing in learning the skill, now that he realized just how vital it truly was. And it wasn’t solely from interest in protecting himself from rogue undead like the draugr—learning to communicate silently was like discovering a secret language and secret languages were awesome.

As soon as I’m out of this mess, I need to setup a schedule with Crunch to really dive into aura control.

Although, with the way Jimmy and Liam were acting and Mesmer’s cold demeanor, he was beginning to feel like they were all in for the scolding of a lifetime.

He could hear it now.

How could you be so irresponsible as to sneak out of the palace? And then, instead of running for help, you engaged with the draugr?

It sounded pretty stupid now that he thought back on it. But in the moment, he hadn’t seen any other way. People were dying. In hindsight, though, he understood that he should have gone for help—he’d only been condemning his ghoul bodyguards to death by confronting the draugr.

If Silver hadn’t shown up…we’d all be dead.

That somber reminder amped his nerves, augmenting the already shaky sensation imparted by the healing magic still coursing through his limbs.

When he followed Mesmer into the room, his self-recrimination was briefly short circuited as he took in the room. They’d always done their lessons in the library, so he’d never seen the revenant’s office.

It was a large circular space with two-story tall bookshelves lining the walls. Two sets of attached ladders hung on tracks so that they could be slid into position to retrieve any book in the collection.

And it was quite the collection. Equal parts leatherbound tomes and contemporary books lined the shelves, though they were quite clearly separated from each other. He scanned around in a circle, taking in the books, marveling at the sight. He was quite certain no one could have consumed every book in the room, and yet, the revenant didn’t seem to be a man too focused on vanity.

In fact, the room itself seemed designed for personal comfort rather than for hosting important people.

A lounge couch was nestled underneath broad windows where a pile of books stood off-kilter, looking out on what must have once been a magnificent sight of the city, before the darkness and heavy fog ruined the view. A half-finished cup of something rested on the nearby side table, while an open book was propped over the couch, open but facedown to save the page.

The sight told a story of someone mid beverage, enjoying a good book before suddenly being summoned due to a certain prince’s misadventures. He hoped Mesmer wouldn’t hold it against him…

The revenant waved a hand casually as he leaned back against his desk.

“Take a seat wherever you like. Please excuse the mess.”

Terry, Tania, and the two paramedics hesitated at the pleasant tone. Liam and Jimmy’s theatrics had almost convinced him that Mesmer was on the verge of sending them all to the dungeon. Most of the adults in his life possessed a fiery disposition and were quick to anger, so he had been ready for Mesmer to rip into them. If the Emperor were here now, Terry could very easily imagine the man addressing them all in full superhero regalia, simply for the effect. But Mesmer’s suddenly pleasant disposition was like a salve after the frenetic energy of the past hour.

Wait...Was he using his powers on us or am I just being paranoid? Not that I mind if it'll calm the others down, but still...

Dr. Wong was first to sit, taking one of the two leather chairs facing the desk and settling back with a weary sigh. Liam and Jimmy regarded the last remaining chair with open-eyed terror. Liam nudged Jimmy forward, clearly not eager to place himself within arm’s reach of the revenant. Jimmy discreetly elbowed the boy back, growling something quietly.

Terry let them both off the hook and sunk into the chair, directly under the revenant’s gaze. The two boys let out audible sighs of relief, moving to a nearby couch instead.

Tania, on the other hand, crossed her arms and stood stock-still, her obvious annoyance at being dragged into the situation clear as day in the set of her lips.

Crunch remained by the door, as he so often did.

After everyone was settled, Terry turned back to see Mesmer’s lips turned up in a wry smile.

Was he…amused?

“Thank you all, for giving me your time.”

Thank you? Okay, now I’m really confused.

“I promise not to take any more of it than necessary.”

Behind him, Tania grumbled. “Too late.”

Terry’s eyes went wide at the clear and blatant disrespect, but the revenant took it in stride.

“I’ll address the young lady first, since she has suffered the greatest tragedy of the night.”

The girl huffed, the dam finally breaking under the pressure of the night.

“Ain’t no lady. And you ain’t wasting my time, cause your freak killed my parents!” She shouted the last part, causing Jimmy and Liam to flinch as one.

Terry purposefully kept his eyes forward, feeling his adrenaline spike from the secondhand confrontation. She had every right to be angry. Every right to yell or cry or demand recompense in some form.

It was what Terry wished he had been able to do when his father had brought that news.

Dr. Wong apparently didn’t agree that losing your parents was a hall pass for insolence. He turned around in his chair, flecks of green magic flaring in his eyes.

“You are in the palace, Tania. Not your own house. Show some respect!”

A snarl formed on her face and she took two steps toward the doctor, her arms flinging out defiantly.

“I don’t have a home, doctor!” She wielded his title like an insult. “Like I said, your undead freak took that from me!”

Terry saw Dr. Wong start to rise—he didn’t know what for, to yell back, hit the girl, or worse—but Mesmer reached forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. The man glanced over in surprise, noticed the revenant’s placid expression, then settled back into his chair with a heavy sigh.

“Apologies, Seb. It was not my place to speak.”

“I think it is Tania who we owe an apology to,” Mesmer replied, his eyes settling on the girl. Terry felt his own eyes magnetically drawn to follow the man’s gaze. Her chest was heaving, her eyes wild, an unspent energy gathering just beneath the surface. “You have my deepest apologies, Tania. We cannot ever replace what was taken from you.”

Then, the revenant bowed deeply, eliciting a look of surprise from the doctor. But Terry suddenly understood how right Mesmer was. They owed Tania an unpayable debt for the loss of her parents. And she was clearly feeling alone, angry, and maybe even scared—though he doubted the girl was one to admit it.

So he stood with shaky legs, pushing back his chair weakly. He turned to look at Tania, who had angry tears dripping down her cheeks.

His voice was a whisper as he fought to hold back his own tears.

“I’m so sorry for your lo—” Was all he managed to get out before his voice broke. He bowed quickly, hiding his face so that she wouldn’t see his tears.

He held the bow, seeing Dr. Wong’s weight shift as he too pushed back his chair and stood up.

“I wasn’t thinking straight, Tania. Please accept my apology.”

A voice like a foot crunching on broken glass filled the room.

“Apologies. For draugr.”

Terry glanced up to see Crunch bowing, so taken aback by the display that his tears were forgotten. The four of them were bent at the waist, facing Tania, whose expression of absolute fury had melted into open-mouthed shock. To the side, the two paramedics were also wide-eyed, and Jimmy elbowed Liam before starting to rise.

Tania’s head whipped around at them with a look that froze the boy mid stand. Liam reached up blindly and gripped Jimmy’s arm, pulling him back into the embrace of the couch.

Terry felt like they were bowed before the girl for minutes, though he knew it was really less than a handful of seconds. He used those seconds to fight down the lump in his throat, but could do nothing for the tears traitorously dripping down his cheeks to the carpet below.

After a moment, the girl cry-snorted and Terry saw her shake away her own tears with a whip of her head.

“Will you all stand up. You look ridiculous.”

Terry felt Mesmer rise behind him and followed suit. The doctor and Crunch stood upright as well and an awkward silence filled the room.

Tania chewed her lip, looking around before rolling her eyes, a choked laugh fighting through the tears.

“Emperor help me, somebody say something.”

In a move that surprised Terry, Jimmy cleared his throat.

“Uh, sorry for your loss,” he said quietly.

Her expression stiffened, then she nodded thanks toward the paramedic.

“Doctor,” Mesmer said suddenly. “If you please, the girl needs your special attention. Her aura is in tatters and I’m sure the adrenaline of the night is masking other injuries.”

The doctor nodded and approached Tania, holding a hand above her head. She eyed it with distrust, like it was a snake poised to lunge. A moment later, the man gasped, causing her to flinch.

“Oh, dear. Your clavicle is fractured. And your aura is scraped raw.” He shifted his hand directly over where her neck and shoulder met. “How are you still standing?”

“Don’t know nothing about auras,” she said with a shrug, though she winced at the movement. “But don’t need a clavi-thingy to stand.”

Dr. Wong turned back to the revenant with a harried expression.

“Seb, I’d like to run a full diagnostic on both Tania and the prince back in the medical wing.”

“I’m fine,” she huffed.

The revenant gave her a wry look before addressing the doctor.

“By all means, but just the girl for now.” His violet-tinged eyes cut toward Terry. “I need to speak with the prince first.”