Post by Caleb Radner on Sept 14, 2015 12:09:43 GMT -5
Basics
Name: Caleb Andrew Radner
Nicknames: Andy (Pretty much just Felicia, but he will allow close friends to use this as well)
Age: 16
Birthday: December 5, 1997
Grade: 10th
Power:
Electromagnetic Spectrum Interface - This is a rather unique ability which Caleb possesses that, while lacking an offensive use, is extremely useful in terms of intel gathering. Put simply, via this power, Caleb has the ability to physically perceive all wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum with his eyes, and then interact with them to a limited but quite specialized degree. While he can not control electricity, generate magnetism or microwave an enemy, what he can do is perceive and interact with any electronic signal which is transmitted through one of the electromagnetic wavelengths. He can perceive the infrared beams of a security system plain as day, operate any item which relies on an infrared signal, intercept and listen to radio transmissions, access the internet or view wirelessly transmitted video footage all in the air in front of him by directly accessing the electronic signal. While this only really gives him control over infrared-based technology, it also makes him a walking antenna for any information transmitted wirelessly, and thus the ultimate intelligence agent.
This ability does of course have its limitations and drawbacks. Just like a physical antenna, the further Caleb is from the *source* of the electronic signal he is interfacing with, the more energy it requires, the greater the strain it induces, and the weaker or less clear the signal he picks up will be. Constant use of this ability on a signal which is a significant distance from Caleb will rapidly tire him out and can even render him unconscious if used for too long. As an example, if Caleb were on the beach, attempting to interface with signals that are transmitted by the main school buildings for any longer than a couple minutes would render him nearly unconscious. In addition to this, a signal which is encoded or encrypted will take more time, and therefore more energy, for him to decipher and view. In addition, Caleb can also only interface with one specific signal group at a time at present, as that is the most that his mind and body can handle without failing. To explain this, Caleb could view any video footage currently being transmitted by the school's security cameras without any issue. However he could not look at the video footage AND listen in on radio transmissions at the same time.
Finally, this power has an interesting effect on Caleb's mental state. Under normal circumstances, the sheer amount of information surrounding someone at one time (given how much wireless information there is being shared and transferred at any given moment) would render a person comatose, unable to process it. Thanks to another of Caleb's powers, his enhanced intelligence, his brain is able to process the massive amount of input. However, there are consequences. When within 100 feet of a large group of electronic signals, at present he has no way of blocking some and seeing others, as his skill level simply hasn't reached that degree. As a result, when within that range, he suffers a sort of sensory overload, displaying autism-like symptoms such as loss of most social abilities, hyperactivity and impaired speech. His mind clears once he reaches a more significant distance, returning him to normal.
Data Manipulation - This is a power which, simply put, allows Caleb to manipulate data, the binary information which is created, stored and transferred by computers and computer networks. In combination with his electromagnetic spectrum interface, Caleb has the ability to, freely through a wi-fi signal or directly through contact with a computer, read and manipulate this data. This allows him two major abilities via the use of this power. The first and most obvious is the ability to easily hack almost any computer system. He can manipulate data within a computer or computer network to break firewalls, crack passwords and disable security, allowing him to access any information that might be contained within. He can also remotely manipulate or "talk" to computers by directly interfacing with their operating system. This works on the same principle as his electromagnetic spectrum interface as far as stamina goes, in that the further he is from the source of the data, the more energy is required for him to manipulate it.
The second ability granted him by this power is a more practical one, in that it allows him to cause the data he can draw from computers and computer networks to take a physical form as photoelectric constructs. Photoelectricity, also known as "hard light," is the result of photons which are electrically charged. This charge allows them to cling together more easily, and interact with any object with an electrical field of its own, which is all of them. Essentially he charges the photons in a given area with a special burst of electricity, and then can mold them into any shape he requires, from a shield to protect himself to a grid or projection to physically demonstrate something, even a temporary clone of himself. As they are electrically charged, they repel metal and may cause slight electrical damage to a target when used as weapons. There are however, several limitations to what these projections can do.
First and foremost, while useful in many situations, Caleb's constructs have a major weakness. Exposure to water and other conductive liquids, or high magnetic fields will easily disrupt them, as water will cause them to "short out" and magnetic fields forcibly pull the photons that make up the constructs apart. In addition to this, the difficulty and strain put on Caleb for each construct increases depending on how complicated the construct is.
Enhanced Intelligence - The explanation of his power is simple enough. Caleb's brain is much more developed than that of a normal human, with his IQ exceeding 400. This means that he learns information faster, retains it much easier, and puts it into practice more effectively than the average human being. Though he has enhanced intelligence in general, his most developed area of expertise is in computers (hacking and general usage) and communication. His enhanced intelligence is also what prevents his ability to interface with the electromagnetic spectrum from turning him into a vegetable. Because he is more able to process sensory input and comprehend complex data, Caleb is able to interpret the signals he sees without experiencing complete sensory overload, though his intelligence can not fully prevent this excess from affecting him mentally to some degree. The limits to this power are of course that he is not omniscient, and must read, watch, or be exposed to information in order to learn it. This power also does not grant him any increase in reflexes or any degree of clairvoyance, it is simply an enhancement to his ability to understand, store and use information he receives.
Member Group: Neutral
Canon or not: Not
Appearance: Caleb could quite accurately be described as a pretty boy, in an attractive, yet somehow fragile way. His frame is rather compact, with a height of about five feet, eight inches, and his weight coming in around 130 lbs. Though he is not in bad shape in terms of health, and not underweight, Caleb *is* quite frail from a muscular perspective. He does not have much tone or bulk, and has a very lean build. Early in his life, the boy became very sick, and not fit for physical activity. While his health has improved as a young adult, he still has not had a chance to improve, and still struggles with some health problems. His face is quite angular, with a sharper nose in terms of shape and high, well defined cheekbones. His jawline is slim and well defined, with a triangular chin. His eyebrows are slim and often slightly furrowed, with intense violet eyes under them that are just slightly almond shaped. A smaller mouth with average lips finishes out his face.
Almost as an indicator of his physical frailty, Caleb's hair is snow white and currently about mid length, stopping at his neck. He has long bangs which fall just above his eyes, one tuft slightly longer than the others that reaches down between them. His face is framed by the rest of his hair, which he keeps well groomed and styled regularly. His style is relatively normal for a boy his age. Caleb tends to wear light jackets or collared shirts over close fitting t-shirts, and much prefers more comfortable slacks over jeans. He absolutely hates the Ashford uniform and prefers not to wear it whenever possible, thought he isn't so rebellious as to risk causing trouble with the authorities over it. At present, he also wears a chain around his neck at all times. This chain has a pendant which is a silver cross, with a red crystal in the middle emblazoned with the letter 'F'. This is not actually his, but a gift for Felicia that he managed to get before being sent off to the academy by his parents.
Personality
Use at least six positive and negative characteristics and give a one sentence explanation. Also include at least one strength and one weakness.[/b] - Due to his abilities, Caleb is intelligent far beyond the scope of the average human being.
Positive:
* Master computer coder and hacker - Besides his powers, which give him a distinct advantage in this area of skill, Caleb has a strong interest in, and affinity for, computers and their use.
* Adaptable and intuitive - Caleb is quick on his feet and quick in mind, letting him quickly adapt to social and even dangerous physical situations, allowing him to follow his instincts, often to positive results.
* Benevolent - In general, Caleb is a very kind and caring person. He is easy to get along with, and makes friends easily.
* Agile - While he is not physically strong, his compact size and low weight make him fast and able to fit into small spaces, a benefit in certain situations.
* Loyal - While he does not trust or open up to people easily, once he has he is a loyal and helpful friend, willing to do anything for the people he cares for.[/ul]
Negative:
* Short Attention Span - Again this is partially due to his powers, and partially his own personality. Caleb finds it difficult to focus on one task at a time, especially when said task is uninteresting.
* Trust Issues - Caleb's personal history has left him with serious trust issues. It is hard to get close to him or get him to open up, and this often puts people off at first.
* Physical Frailty - As a child, Caleb was often very sick and weak. This has resulted in a slowing of his physical development. Caleb is not very muscular, having not had time to catch up on exercise despite his health improving. He also still occasionally suffers from bouts of weakness despite his improvement.
* Martyr Syndrome - Caleb has a tendency to be self sacrificing to a dangerous level, not taking his own well being into the equation. His logical nature actually worsens this weakness because he doesn't consider himself to be a prime asset in most situations. Caleb *will* sacrifice himself, especially for people he cares about, before saving himself.
* Fear Of Failure - Caleb has an intense fear of both failure and disappointing others. This often causes him to show off, and may cause some paralysis when he is forced to make decisions that may please some at the expense of disappointing or failing others.[/ul]
Likes:
* Sweets -Especially candy
* Challenging systems to hack/codebreak
* Music - Especially rock and EDM[/ul]
Dislikes:
* Introverts - Caleb strongly dislikes, or it could be said has trouble with, spending time around people who refuse to talk, be social or initiate conversation.
* Silence - Caleb hates prolonged silence, and especially being alone in a silent place. He is forced to focus on his own thoughts, and is afraid to get lost in them.
* Conflict - Caleb dislikes conflict, especially physical violence. He also dislikes people who intentionally cause these things among others. As a result he tends to be a people-pleaser, and may keep his opinions and observations to himself, even when dealing with people he trusts.[/ul]
Extra: This section is for you to use as you please. You can write about goals, dreams, odd or bad habits, personality quirks, conditions affect personality (mental illnesses, disabilities and the like), fears, or anything else that doesn’t fit in the above categories. If not, just erase this section. Just make sure to keep the end blockquote code at the end!
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History
Family Members/guardians: None
History:
Caleb's life, from a very early age, was a lonely one. His mother, Sarah La Roux, was a single mother, the father having run out on her when he discovered the pregnancy. Though she was able to give birth, albeit prematurely, she was unable to care for him; and immediately after his birth, he was placed into state care. Caleb grew up bouncing from foster home to foster home, never really with a family to call his own. While there were several good families, there were just as many bad, and rarely did Caleb ever feel any of them were his home. Even early on, Caleb was a kind, social child, but never seeming to quite fit in with the people around him. The boy was sickly and weak, but besides that, foster siblings, schoolmates, he never seemed to click with them; and they didn't seem to like him either. Enhanced intelligence, a gift which most children of his kind display from birth, was as much a curse as a blessing. The boy excelled at school, learning quickly and mastering what he learned just as fast. But this often caused other students to consider him stuck up or unsocial, because he didn't partake in a lot of the conventions that other people his age did. He much preferred to study or read, and especially about computers. His...unique nature, physical frailty and perhaps *over* intelligence often caused families to pass up on adopting him officially.
Between the ages of 5 and 10, Caleb bounced between at least 4 different homes, in 4 different cities. As a result of this, Caleb rarely kept the friends he made, and soon grew detached from his schoolmates. Better it was in his mind to study and spend his time alone than to reach out to people he would lose just as quickly, and this applied to his families and people at school. Conversely, some of the favorite memories of Caleb's childhood came during this time, of curling up in a dark corner in the library with a book, or sneaking out of class with a bathroom pass to use the library computer. He always seemed to make fast friends with his school's Librarian, which made this past time an easy feat. This continued until the year of 2009, when Caleb was 10. He finally moved to the Radner home, the one that would become his last. Henry and Veronica Radner were exceedingly kind, and made Caleb feel truly at home for the first time in his life. Having no children of their own, the pair were understanding, caring, and eager to earn Caleb's trust and affection. Quickly recognizing his intelligence, the two requested that the boy be allowed to be given aptitude tests, allowing him to test into the grade that would be best for him. The boy was afraid to do the best that he could, but despite his holding back he passed, and this allowed him to advance to the 7th grade. This change, though in the middle of the year, helped him to stay focused in his classes, and being with people who were more advanced than those his age helped him to make friends much quicker, as several were more impressed with his ability than threatened by it.
Though Caleb managed to make a few good friends, one in particular stood out, and did the boy more good than she knew. Felicia Blackwood was a young girl in the same class as he. When they first entered the class, the two barely knew each other. He knew her as the quiet girl, just as he was the quiet boy. It wasn't until the next year, 2010, that things changed. After disappearing from school for several months time the girl returned, and this time Caleb knew immediately that he had to do something for her. The was depressed and unwilling to speak at first, but the boy was persistent. Every day, he would make a habit of going to the girl's desk and talking to her. Even if she would not speak to him, he would take a piece of candy from the bag he always carried and leave it carefully on her desk. Though initially the girl's depression separated them, soon the two began to bond. These were no doubt the best times of Caleb's life. Soon after he met the girl, the Radner family adopted him officially, giving the boy a real family. Caleb helped Felicia study and remain focused despite her bouts of sadness, and slowly the girl began to draw out the Caleb that had been before his early life had taken its toll. Many people wondered if the two were related by their looks, but Caleb was sure that couldn't be the case, though Felicia often wondered. Granted, the reason Caleb was so sure was because Felicia was his first crush. The boy found himself quickly developing feelings for the young girl as the two went through the next year and a half of school together, but never got the chance to share them before the inevitable happened.
At the age of 12, Caleb found himself very, very sick. Though the boy had always been frail, he'd never been through anything like this. The doctors said this and that and a lot of complicated words, but the two that closed the book on his life for the next year were: Guillians-Barre. A rare nerve disorder that the boy had inherited from his mother, the condition was serious. He quickly lost the ability to walk or do much beyond move his arms, and he spent the next year and a half in the hospital. Luckily, the boy was gotten treatment quickly, and the doctors assured them he would walk again. However, there was no way he would be going anywhere near school for that year. Once it ended, Felicia came to visit as often as she could, but the boy knew that she would start high school soon, and the time she would have for him would be short. He would have to finish middle school, and would perhaps never be able to go to a public school again. It was during this time, however, that things began to change for Caleb in a different way. About 4 months after he entered the hospital, things began to happen.
It started slow. At first, the boy began to inherently know things that he shouldn't have. Passwords to computers, vital data from the diagnostic machines of others, text messages from Felicia's phone when she visited. All this information flowed into his head freely, and he always seemed to know where it was coming from. The boy was afraid, but he didn't tell his parents or Felicia, afraid that they would think him a freak, or that perhaps his was mentally ill as well as physically. Instead, he asked for his computer to be brought to him. The request was given of course, and Caleb began to experiment. Simply by focusing, the boy could command his computer to do various things without ever touching it. Once on he could engage and disengage programs, input various commands, even connect it the hospital's own various systems just by thinking. The programming code seemed to flow into his head, and unable to help his curiosity, the boy began to experiment. It started with pranks, changing names on records then changing them back, lowering or raising the perscribed dosage of his medication by 1 milliliter, simple things. But before long, the boy was full on hacking. It came to him intuitively. He could dig as deep into the hospital's records and transactions as simply as he could turn on his laptop. He continued to keep his ability a secret however, knowing how much trouble he would be in at this point simply for admitting what he had done. Gradually the school year started again, and Felicia went back, her visits becoming less and less frequent. Rather than be angry at her, the boy was angry at himself. He was recovering, his strength returning slowly, but he knew his life wouldn't be the same. At least not any time soon. And though the two stayed in touch electronically, he couldn't ask Felicia to bear with that.
The boy was now thirteen, and roughly six physical therapy-filled months after his birthday, was able to return home. Felicia had not been returning his calls and texts the last few days, and he talked his parents into taking him to his friend's house to check up on her and tell her the good news. The boy received some bad news in return. he girl's parents claimed that she had been sent to an academy for advanced students overseas, and that she would be leaving at the end of the school year. Caleb was crushed. Gone? She was leaving? The boy quickly determined that he would find a way to tell the girl how he felt about her before she left, and soon. But that chance never came. As he did school from home and she did public school, the two were unable to spend their days together. And as the nights came and went, Felicia was often unable to spend time with him, claiming that she had night school. The time they did spend together was...unusually quiet, and sometimes even awkward. Thinking the girl was simply distancing herself from him in preparing for leaving, he slowly stopped asking quite so often. Something was wrong. Caleb could feel it. Felicia seemed more and more tired, distracted and sometimes outright afraid when they spoke. Though of what, he had no clue. At the girl's going away party at the end of the year, Caleb begged her to tell him what was really happening, but got nothing.
She was gone. The first girl he'd ever liked, the first person he'd ever really trusted besides his adoptive parents, and something that smelled very, very fishy as an explanation for why she'd left. If it was a prestigious honor to go where she went, why did she seem so scared? So offput? He didn't believe it and before long, his curiosity got the best of him. He'd been practicing using his gift for some time, and could no longer resist. He snuck out of his house, making his way to Felicia's and hiding nearby. He reached out with his mind, finding the house's computer and hacking his way in. Luckily it was on, and he found a lot more than he bargained for. Encrypted files, service records, he peeked in, then blazed past these, finally settling on a secure email sent out from the computer regarding Felicia. The boy's eyes widened. Powers?? What?? She had been gifted like him all along? And this academy...where had they sent her? Was she alright? The boy was determined to find answers. And he knew he would never find them out in the open.
The next year for Caleb was started with this interesting event. And it quickly became more and more so. Knowing that to find more information about what had really happened would involve some very much illegal activities, the boy used his home schooling to cover his work, as the classes were barely a mental exercise for him by this point. He created a pseudonym for himself: "Deus Ex." He found it amusing, and it worked to keep people off his scent. With this and the internet at his fingertips, the boy began hacking into every government database he could find. What he found was scarce, but interesting. There were other gifted, like him. Many of them, as it turned out. And there were many mentions of a containment program, though they were so heavily secured even he, and his consumer grade laptop, couldn't break into. He had hit a brick wall, and found himself very frustrated. After 6 months of trying and failing to break into one of these hyper-encrypted databases however, the boy found aid. Soon he was contacted via a heavily encrypted email by a representative of a larger group, by the code name of Isis. This person claimed that her group had been keenly interested in the work that he was doing, especially for a boy his age. After he showed interest, she revealed that she belonged to an anarchistic hacking group by the name of Babylon. In exchange for his aid in several other hacking jobs, the group would him break his way into the deepest parts of the system he had failed to penetrate initially, find the group that had Felicia, and bring them down from the inside. Reluctantly, Caleb agreed. He had no choice. They knew what he could do, and they were his only chance to get to Felicia.
Caleb went to the Radners, asking them for a favor. He needed a new computer to run more advanced programs for a class, and the one he had just wasn't cutting it; that was the excuse he gave, at least. Eager to help their son any way they could, the couple agreed to give him the funds to build his own computer. Though Caleb was loathe to deceive his adoptive family, he was more terrified of what could be happening to Felicia, and what would happen if he did nothing. With a more powerful computer and the aid of Babylon, Caleb was more than able to complete the jobs they assigned. His natural skill and his power were more than enough to break through security of all kinds and retrieve pass codes, account numbers, whatever they needed. While he enjoyed the challenge, the boy couldn't hope but think he was getting in too deep. And he quickly found he was right. During a particularly difficult hack into a government network just under two months later, a startling pain suddenly hit Caleb like a hammer blow.
The boy's vision exploded into lines and streams of color, noise. The world was a bright, stunning complex of light and confusion and there was data in it all. Video, audio, texts and calls, the assaulted Caleb all at once and his mind wilted under the sudden strain. The boy blacked out in moments. Without him at the helm, the government quickly tracked his computer and made their way to his home. After bursting in, the agents and his parents were horrified to find a boy mumbling, glaze-eyed, slumped in front of his computer, trying to speak. Upon looking at his computer, they confirmed that though he had been using it, the keyboard had never been touched. And the signals sent from the computer had come not from its system but a strange, almost organic code that they did not understand. The agents' suspicions were confirmed. Caleb was a gifted. Making the excuse that their son was very ill and in need of specialized care, the agents whisked the boy away. If he wondered where Felicia had gone, he was about to find out. Caleb awoke on a plane several hours later, coming out of his stupor, terrified and unaware of where he was. When he finally got a word out of the agents on the plane with him it was one: Ashford. The boy immediately calmed as best he could, closing his eyes. It wasn't how he planned but...
"...I'm coming, Felicia."
Behind the Character
Name: The name's Vox...James Vox
Chatango Name: VoxHumana
RP Experience: It has been an age. Or two? No definitely three.
How did you find us?: The one ring led me here.
RP Sample: N/A
