PERSONAL

Gender: Male

Kit: Natural

Location: Nottingham, England

AFFILIATION

Alignment: Hero

Team: Infinium: The Engine of Perpetual Motion

VITAL STATS

Strength: standard (rank 1)

Agility: superior (rank 2)

Mind: standard (rank 1)

Body: standard (rank 1)

Spirit: (rank )

Charisma: (rank )

RECORD

Fame Points: 380

Personal Wins: 62

Personal Losses: 47

Team Wins: 0

Team Losses: 0

Tourney Wins: 0

Tourney Losses: 0

STATUS

Status: Active

M Bison

THE TIMES 16 November 1838

THE RETURN OF LORD BECKETT

Lord Beckett has finally returned from his yearlong exploration of the island of Kha-Zarn yesterday. He and his team were the first to explore this mysterious Island since it was discovered three years ago by American merchants. THE TIMES was there at Liverpool port on the arrival, and is the first newspaper to bring you an exclusive report on Lord Beckett's findings.

Continued overleaf

"Kha-Zarn is a humid, sticking place" says Richard Brown, 22, a sailor on Beckett’s ship. "I didn't get the chance to explore the Island myself, but even the beaches are covered in forest. There was barely any sand on them. And it was so hot; you could barely breathe unless you were below deck in the summer. It just didn't feel natural."

This is the story most of the sailors gave us. Beckett often would travel out into the dense forests with a small team of his most trusted officers, returning to the ship a few days later before leaving again the next morning. William Gibson, 27, became concerned about this behaviour. "Well it was very odd. He'd leave; just him and some scientists, and they'd be gone for days. They wouldn't tell us anything. Now, it wasn't our job to do anything but make sure the ship was safe and functioning, but after a few months you expect to know why you're there at least. They'd always take some rum with away with them too. We had enough to last us, but that was aggravating."

"It was fine at the beginning" says Edwin Murray, 26. "We had playing cards, we had rum and whisky, and it felt like it would be a laugh. That feeling didn't last though. We were never allowed to travel into the island; it was just Beckett and his mates. Other than that, only some of the soldiers were allowed to even set foot on it, and they were only there to stop us getting into the forest. On top of that, they'd never bring back any of the rum they took out with them. Not a drop. But they were always sober when they got back. There was something going on in that island. They weren't just exploring."

Rebecca Marshall, 32, one of the nurses who had travelled to ensure everyone stayed well, believes this also. "The sailors would never have noticed it; all they cared about was the rum. But it was more than that that Beckett took off the boat with him. He'd take bed sheets, linen, cotton. And just like the rum we'd never see it again."

Beckett himself was unavailable for comment, as were his officers.

THE TIMES 22 November 1838

SHOCKING DISCOVERY OF MONSTERS ON KHA-ZARN

Lord Beckett today revealed the secret he had been keeping from his crew, and the world, during his voyage over the past year. The island of Kha-Zarn had in fact been home to a race of savage monsters. Speaking to the British Science Association in a swiftly organised special meeting, Beckett revealed how his travels had brought him into contact with an amazing race of monstrous creatures.

"They were reptilian, but they were somewhat intelligent. More akin in mind to the primitive men of Africa or the Americas then true beasts. Indeed I had hoped that we, the great peoples of the British Empire, might be able to extend our influence and help to civilise these brutes as we have done in India, but it was not to be. Tragedy befell them. A huge volcano in the centre of the island, that had not been active for centuries, violently erupted. Their civilization was destroyed."

However, the most amazing revelation was yet to come, as Lord Beckett continued "But all is not lost, for in a desperate attempt to rescue his civilisation, a village elder gifted to me two children". A caged creature was carted onstage, as tall as a human child. It appeared like a lizard, only standing on two legs, like a human being. "The female, unfortunately, did not survive the return journey. She was weak, and fell ill. However, this specimen, named Victor, I will raise as my own child, in an attempt to determine what potential for intelligence these creatures truly had, and to better understand how God shaped the world and its inhabitants."

Victor Beckett crouched over his desk. It was late, but he simply didn't want to sleep. The old newspaper clippings amused him. If only those reporters had known the whole truth. What really happened. Then again, they may have ignored it. Similar atrocities were being carried out towards the native people in America at that same time, and nobody cared. They were savages. They were nothing but an obstacle on the road to progress.

Not wanting to dwell on such depressing subject matter, Victor turned to another book. His copy of The Meditations had grown old and battered, but even now Descartes was still capable of fascinating him. Despite disagreeing with many of Descartes' propositions, the man was undoubtedly a genius. He lit his pipe as he muttered to himself.

"Cogeto ergo sum..." Victor mulled the phrase over in his mind. "I think, therefore I am." This thesis alone was the reason Descartes was the great thinker of the millennium. As much as Victor liked to challenge the great philosophers, to test his own mind against their thoughts, he had never been able to dispute the cogeto. As much as they wished otherwise, there was no doubt in his mind: he was a thinking thing. He existed, and they had no right to deny it.

Victor had been in hiding for a week now. His library had been his underground sanctuary from the outside world since he was first a small boy. It began as just a den in a forest, like any normal child might create. But it became something different. As he grew older, he'd never forget where it was, hidden, deep in those same forests Robin Hood was supposed to have fought in hundreds of years before. Over the years, Victor had made it bigger and bigger, his natural advantages over the humans he had come to know making this a surprisingly easy task. He'd fill it with books and any other possession he cherished. As a child, he had hidden here from his adoptive father. Now, like Robin Hood, he hid from corrupt lawmen.

Over the last month, Victor's world had been changed entirely, all because of one book. He glanced over toward it, found after his father's death.

The Diary of Lord Beckett

"Their speed is incredible"

     Super Speed: superior (rank 2)

Diary Entry: January 13 1838

These savages are fools. But that's all the better for us I suppose. It's been barely a month and already they appear to trust us, letting us into their homes, giving us food and shelter. And for what? Our cheapest, lowest quality rum is more than enough for them to allow us to do as we please, take what we want. If they were human we’d have their women as well.

I don't know why they accept our rum so gladly. They can't take it; they mustn't have ever experienced alcohol before now. Why, last night, practically the entire tribe was in a drunken fury. But that was when we found out about them. What they can do.

I didn't take part in the festivities, though I allowed some of my men to. But I could see them, dancing around that fire. So drunk, so depraved. Inevitably, in their state, there was a fight. And then one of them started running. It was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen. The speed the creature moved was incredible. The beast was a blur, my eyes could barely follow. Amazement, however, gave way to fear. If they, in a pathetic, intoxicated state, could move that quickly, how fast must they have been sober? What kind of threat did something like that pose us?

"Our bullets cannot catch them"

     Reaction Speed: superior (rank 2)

My fears were soon proven to be justified. The running creature made a turn, and came right toward where I and the village elder had been overseeing the drinking. Though we had not yet come to master each other’s language, we'd achieved a form of basic communication. And the high squeal of the elder was an expression of fear. It knew this creature, and it was no ally.

I raised my rifle in protection of the elder. There was no better way to endear myself than to save the life to their respected leader. But before I could aim, its speed had already brought it upon its target, biting and clawing at him. But now the beast was at close range, I had an easy shot. But it was not to be. I fired, and it leaped off the elder. It was unharmed. I don't know how it could possibly have been that fast, but it actually dodged the bullet. I was in utter shock. Fortunately, a pair of guards (doubtless their inaction prior to this was because of the rum) assaulted the attacker, bringing the monster down.

The sheer speed of the savages here is incredible. We must continue to study them.

Safe House

     Digging: standard (rank 1)

Victor turned away from the diary. Once more, he'd allowed him mind to wander. He instead turned to the newspaper he'd managed to steal away in his last trip outside. He laughed quietly to himself. They'd told the public.

THE DAILY MAIL February 04 1870

BECKETT’S MONSTER FINALLY BETRAYS US

For years, we have warned the public about the dangers of Lord Beckett’s inhuman creature being allowed to exist in our society. Now, THE DAILY MAIL can reveal that the beast has turned down a polite request directly from Her Majesty to serve the country it owes its life to, brutally assaulting some of the fine men from our countries military.

Inspectors are currently unable to locate the monster, which leads us to believe it is being protected. Most likely, it has terrified a poor family into keeping him hidden. If anyone has any information-

.......

Victor stopped reading. The story had more glaring inaccuracies than could be believed. He never attacked anyone. He defended himself. The request certainly wasn't polite. More importantly, and fortunately for Victor, they had made one other major mistake. There was nobody protecting him. He'd forced nobody to hide him. This place, he’d built by himself, with his own claws and teeth. As long as his pursuers were ignorant of that, Victor knew he was safe.

Victor retreated back into his own mind again, his thoughts turning to the diary once again.

"Vicious weapons on hand and foot"

     Slashing Weapon: standard (rank 1)

September 19 1838

We've done it. Finally, the finest chemists that we brought with us to the island have created something that we can combat these things with. And tonight, we get to use it. They've invited us to their yearly feast, and we've offered to prepare the main meal, and plenty of alcohol, to honour their hospitality.

These savages are idiots.

September 20 1838

It's done. These monsters will not be a threat to our occupation of this island. We need only look toward the Americas to see what problems primitive humans can cause. These monsters are something else entirely. We could not risk trying to civilise them. This was the only way.

It wasn’t without a heavy toll on my heart. The guilt I felt when I discovered one of them had strength left in him to slay Officer Andrews was unfathomable. He was a great friend. The savage, upon realisation of what was happening to him and the other beasts, struck out at Andrews, tearing at him with unimaginable speed and ferocity, opening him up with his great claws. We should have had our guns raised. We should have been more prepared.

It was a systematic matter, dealing with the children. They aren't as fast as their parents, it was a simple matter of knocking down the doors to their underground huts and shooting them. I had my men recover a female specimen for study, but I decided to keep one of the male children alive. I’m curious as to what these creatures are capable of, and, who knows, one could make a valuable ally indeed.

...

The tears rolled off Victors cheeks once more. He recalled the day he first read it, when he first discovered the truth. The man he'd looked up to all his life was a monster. A savage. A beast. He felt sick again, and attempted to take him mind off the event.

He turned to the final thing that sat on his desk. A curious thing, and envelope, somehow delivered by hand to his underground hiding place. If this was the work of his pursuers, why had they not come for him yet? He lifted it up, ready to open it. The single word on the outside was the most curious thing of all.

Infinium.