Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2013 4:00:04 GMT -5
Full Name: Dr. Nathaniel Essex
Codename: Mister Sinister
Nicknames: Sinister, Pale Man, Nosferatu, White Devil, Nathan Milbury, Markus Kingfisher
Type: Canon
Gender: Male
Species: Homo Sapiens Sapiens, originally.
Age: In the range of 200.
Date of Birth: March 7th
Hometown: London, England
Current Residence: Sinister lives in whatever base suits him most at the time. As they are all linked via a set of Tesseract Teleporters, this does not particularly bother him.
Loyalty: He is the Lord and Master of the Marauders.
Occupation: Super-villain.
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Red
Height: 6'5”
Weight: 285lbs
Body Type: Adonically sculpted.
Typical Style: When Sinister deigns to wear something besides his body armour, he can be found in incredibly fine fashion, though it may come across as a tad out of date.
Distinguishing Features: Chalk White Skin. Glowing Red Eyes. Red Jewel in forehead.
Physical Mutations: See Distinguishing Features
Uniform: Sinister experimented with a form of resin carapace, attempting to see if he could 'grow' body armour. The fruit of this project was the iconic blue armour he is often found in. It is formed from a frame that was soaked in a special mixture of enzymes and chemicals, making it a very bacteria friendly environment. From there, bacteria which had been specially fed an alloy of high resistance materials, bordering the protective capabilities of Carbondanium, or Beta-Adamant, were allowed to propagate on the treated frame, and were then sprayed with an anti-bacterial solution. This killed them almost instantly, and created a highly protective suit of armour, that fits his body perfectly.
Personality: To sum him up in a few words, Sinister is ruthless, though principled, cruel in the pursuit of science, but capable of a twisted form of compassion for people he considers useful, or necessary. Beyond anything else, Sinister strongly believes that pursuit of science is it's own end, and it's own means. He will never falter in his work, though he may stray to pursue a side project now and then. Patient, almost to a fault, Sinister will allow his minions a second, or a third chance if circumstances beyond their control cause a failure, and he always considers the X-Men to be beyond their control. By the same token, Sinister makes no differentiation between the clones of his minions, and will often kill and revive them simply to make a point. To him, they are a renewable resource, a gift that will keep on giving.
It is worth noting that Sinister is obsessed with the Summers and Grey family trees, working to create the perfect mutant from that genetic stock. In his past, he has frowned on the direct creation of new entities, but recently, he has discovered a way to train them in a fraction of the time it takes for a human to live, days, in what took decades, and now has begun looking into the possibility of artificially creating and programming super-soldiers.
Sinister has a minor weakness in the twisted parody of affection he has for the Summers brothers. He will often indirectly render them aid if he can, and will always leap on an opportunity to bring them into his sway. In his perfect world, Alex, Scott, and possibly even Gabriel, would realize that he is the closest thing they could find to a father, more-so than Charles Xavier, and come to him. They would be welcomed with open arms.
Finally, on the nature of the genetic stock he has earmarked, they are a valuable commodity, of which he is fiercely protective, and should they not be within his genetic archives, he will do everything that does not risk exposure, or compromising of other plans, to obtain their safety.
Family: Mary Essex (Mother, Deceased)
Rebecca Essex Nee' Milbury (Wife, Deceased)
Adam Essex (Deceased)
Nameless Essex (Deceased in child birth)
Scott Summers (Considers a surrogate son)
Alexander Summers (Considers a surrogate son)
Gabriel Summers (Considers a surrogate son)
Madelyne Summers Nee' Pryor (Creation, Deceased)
[Name Redacted]* Summers (Considers a grand child)
History: In his youth, Nathaniel Essex was always overcome with the idea, that heaven was not to be found in the afterlife, for death was abhorrent to him, but in the world we live in. He was in Greenwich Park, when he finally was able to articulate this idea. He saw thousands of human lives, carrying on pre-ordained paths, and the cleanliness, and sanctity of this place was perhaps the closest thing he could find on earth to what he deemed to be Heaven. He was finally granted his Masters of Biology, and in 1859, made breaking headway in theories regarding human evolution, leaps and bounds following on the heels of the work of Charles Darwin, a respected colleague, and at the time, one of the few people Nathaniel would have considered to be friends. But Nathaniel was always rankled by the restraints that these great minds placed on themselves. It interfered with the idea that humanity could be pushed forwards, should be made to evolve, to thrive in the world he lived in. Made to be perfect, for they were part of the perfect earth. But then Nathaniel and his wife Rebecca had a tragedy within the family. His son had always been a sickly youth, much like Nathan himself had, but whereas the elder Essex had been able to thrive in the face of this adversity... His son was not so blessed, and at the tender age of four, Nathaniel sank deeper into his work as complications regarding his son took the young child's life. Vowing that no one else would ever feel that pain, he lost those few minor shackles which could be considered 'ethical'.
As a member of London's Royal Society, Essex was contemporary to some of the greatest minds to have ever lived, and in so doing, they were exposed to his own obsessive drive. Hailed by some as their greatest mind, and by others as an individual playing out internal fantasy that he could somehow save his son, there was a sharp divide in who believed Sinister was a fit partner to work with. Nathaniel Essex rejected the ideas of there being a God, placing faith in nothing, and determining that he would CREATE the Divine, that Mankind was moving towards such heights, not away. He found proof of this in what he called 'Essex Factors' in the human Genome. Having cracked the biological makeup of mankind so long before others could, Essex was centuries ahead of his time in his work, having created a working model, proving that when these Essex Factors interacted with the genes of mankind, and with each other, they would induce mutation of such a grand scale that the result would make tales of Angels and Demons look astray. The Royal Society decided to take these ideas with a liberal amount of salt, even going so far as to suggest, in the case of his friend, Darwin, that the wellspring from which they came was tainted by the grief of his Son's death. Suggesting that he should see a physician, for his own welfare, the ensuing investigation found Nathan guilty of unorthodox and dangerous experimentation, which would result in his expulsion. In this final moments, the man Nathan Essex began to die inside of himself, fertilizing Sinister seeds.
A chance meeting with a dubious man, a 'Cootie Tremble', who offended Essex with his mannerisms, but had much use for the unscrupulous Scientist, led to the first incarnation of an organization that would gain much infamy in the future. Cootie's marauders were collecting the freak, the fool, and misshapen, and all other manner of ne'erdowell at the behest of an overzealous official, only for Essex to give these degenerates a new destination. In exchange for a fair sum, these poor cretins would find themselves delivered in to 'care' of the nascent madman, who would continue his work in the name of science. He ordered these... Marauders to continue their work, and to dig a set of tunnels under London with which they could work unseen.
But they dug to deep, and when they stumbled into a tomb of a being who was not to be trifled with, the world would never be the same. En Sabah Nur. Apocalypse. The First One bade them go forward, to take this Apocalypse to their master, and to his new herald. They found Nathaniel in the midst of grisly work, exhuming the body of his own flesh and blood, his poor Adam, so that he could discover what it had been that killed his son. This would come to haunt Nathaniel, as he did not count on the curiosity of his beloved. She found the floating corpse of the son she had lost, body half disassembled, in a large scale canister, filled with green fluid. She went to the grave, forcing herself to go such ghastly deeds... And when she found the coffin empty, she passed out from shock. At this same time, Nathaniel was speaking with Apocalypse regarding the possibility of their collaboration. Finding the nascent tyrant cultured, and inquisitive, Nathan took him to a gathering of other minds of... Dubious, morals.
He knew not of what his wife had discovered, but he explained to Apocalypse that he was the first in a master race Essex envisioned from discovering that En Sabah Nur had the Essex Factor. And then they arrived in the Hellfire Club. What happened next was perhaps proof there is a God. In the midst of a show of power, Apocalypse slew a respected colleague of Essex's, and in that moment, Nathaniel knew this... Mutant, to be a brute, less the genteel ruler, and more a tyrant with a god complex. Wordlessly he left, and set himself to working on rebuilding his family, and his life. He had set behind himself this... Foolishness, and pain. But then he discovered the pens he had set himself to open empty... And the wife he loved holding his still born child in her arms. Dying from the stress of such a premature birth, he fell to his knees, begging her for forgiveness. She slapped his hand away, and in those final moments, spoke fateful words, proving the existence of a Devil. “To me, you are... utterly... and contemptibly... Sinister...” He watched his wife depart from this world filled with hatred, and cursing his name. And thus, as he sought out Nur, sought to become his herald, his Rider... and was born amidst pain beyond any other, a crucible of fire and agony, and was forced to choose a new name for himself... Using those dying words as his condemnation of the world that had taken so much from him.
Mr. Sinister was born.
His first words were to a vision he saw, of the woman he loved, whom he now had lost. “It was for us... I wanted our son to live where Adam had died. But now... Now I have shed humanity. I have become the Apex in what is needed. I am Sinister.” But for a minor rebellion, another minion of Apocalypse attempting a coup for power, with orders to create a contagion to end mankind, Sinister may have spent far more time with Nur. He set out, first killing all his servitors who may be able to trace him down, his unholy pallor, and demonic appearance inspiring terror and fright. When he returned, he released the plague. And smirked as it attacked Apocalypse. Calling him ignorant, a fool, and an enemy to all science, he watched his master be forced into a semi-comatose state. But he was telepathically forced to submit, praised for his strength, but warned that disobedience would not be tolerated again. He was Nur's.
Filled with a fear he had never known before his transformation, Sinister found himself adrift, spending thirty years perfecting strongholds across the world, places he could rest, and continue his work. In 1882, he was there when Darwin was buried, remarking that such an enemy of the church be buried in so holy a place ironic, but as he watched on, Sinister paid respects to the man who, more than Apocalypse, had been the genesis of his work. In the end, Sinister even admitted that Charles had cared about him. A rare strain of flower, that can only be killed with Fire, and will live for nearly ever, in a chalk white 1palour, with ruby petals, lays on the grave of Charles Darwin to this day. A fitting tribute to a great mind.
It was a growing obsession in him. A memory, that haunted him. Of a man surnamed Summers. He had saved the young Nathaniel Essex from brigands, and in his study of the man's descendants, one Daniel Summers, and a bride, Amanda Mueller... They were teeming with Essex factors, hundreds of thousands beyond any other lines he had come across, except for that of Nur, and a handful of others, no more than... ten, a country. Operating out of an Obstetrics clinic in New York, The Essex Clinic, he would be awarded for his groundbreaking work in New York under the name of Nathaniel Milbury, a pun on his wife's estates. Over the course of fifty years, Sinister would have unrestricted access to many generations of genetic information, and would take the time to catalog, and improve medical science, hiding some secrets, but sharing others, and in all, creating a strong network of colleagues, that with skillful manipulation, could aid in his experiments, increasing the speed with which he amassed knowledge. Who knows how far reaching the tendrils of Sinister's work extends.
But no matter how deeply he dug in, and how many friends Sinister had, he knew one day, Apocalypse would find him, again and again. He remembered watching the humans helpless, remembered watching En Sabah Nur destroy wisdom with rage. He needed to create a way to oppose that... Ignorant, Brute of a Mutant. None the less, he quietly carried out his orders, gathering information for when the Apocalypse returned, but he set into motion the plans which would culminate in multiple mutant bloodlines eventually producing mutants who could be located, and turned on his 'Master'.
It was a cold day, snowing heavily, when two strangers came to his door step. Both were badly injured, and the one who spoke with a heavy accent needed his help badly. He explained a fantastic story, which spoke of crossing timelines, and of traveling from the future. None the less, he paid well, and Sinister mended their wounds, gaining genetic material from them both, and incorporating the material of the young woman into his own, gaining absolute control over each cell within his body. Implanting the piece of brain matter back into the Cajun's body, Sinister never saw them again, at least not... As they were. Perplexed, but now able to shapeshift flawlessly, he went underground once he heard tale that his... 'Master' had awoken.
Six months after the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, when all the world was consumed in war, and Sinister was struck with disgust that once again, mankind was reduced to the level of Apocalypse, consumed with hatred, that he departed for England. He came across a man with burning ambition, who was filled with that same energy Sinister had once had as Nathaniel Essex, and so he awakened the Essex Factors in Jacob Shaw, granting him the power to Shapeshift, and leading to the assassination of his brother, Esau, who had incriminating evidence on Sinister.
It was shortly after the end of the Great War, when the world was in the midst of an economic boom, that Sinister found a man, in Geneva, who needed his aid. The great patron of the sciences appeared to him, as Herbert Edgar Wyndham feel deeply ill. He cured the man, and handed him a booklet. With a softly spoken command. “Do right by the Sciences.” He sent the man on his way, and smiled to himself. He had done right by the sciences, and given them a chance to flourish. A new generation of minds, a new flock. He their priest, and the Sciences their God.
It was in the dirty thirties, amidst a world depression, and economic chaos, that Sinister would find himself in California, often in the social whirl of the misplaced British nobility. Potent patrons, and many of them deeply interested in the Sciences, being in the midst of this activity was all Sinister needed to feel at ease. Money poured into his coffers, galas were thrown, and he found some measure of enjoyment for himself. His plans were well on the way, and he was simply waiting... Until he met her. She crossed paths with him, her powers of deep empathy crossing into his heart, awakening something long dead. Healing wounds that had dug so deep into him that he thought the scars would never vanish. Eyes like hers... Lips the same... It haunted him. Sinister was reduced to Nathaniel Essex once more... as he saw his dead wife reborn.
It was... So subtle. Just a few soft words, and the two of them retreated to his workshop. She was so afraid, but so... Enticed. He offered himself, if she would but allow him to study her. He soon came to know her as well as she knew him, the two exploring their bodies to an extent Nathaniel Essex had never been able to... But he was barren, and could not give her the child she wished for, even as he lied, and promised to try harder...
Finally, he showed her the man behind the mask.. And she softly kissed him, before fainting from a deep mental shock. When she awoke, she was destroyed in body, spirit, and mind. He made sure she was escorted safely to a nursing home in San Diego, and every year, on their shared birthday, he would go to her, and they would embrace, the two of them becoming joined in mind, though separate in body. Their dances were the joy of her year... And one of the saddest points in his.
Frost, Shaw, Brandt, Aven, Emile, Wyngarde, Summers, Kelley, Aucroix, Adler, Seiles, Enoch, Mueller, Jameson, Maddrox, Grey, Xavier, Engel, hundreds of family lines, and countless others, all followed by this Father of the Sciences. Watching them, watching the Essex Factors, and then he was in Germany when he was confronted with War. Once more, hatred had risen it's ugly head, and he was forced to take refuge in the halls of Nazism. It was a stroke of luck, being assigned to Auschwitz. He was granted the chance to study one of his earmarked subjects personally, and another from a distance.
Working alongside a man named Zeito Engel, Sinister found that he was quite pleased with the choice he had made, though the man was a little unstable. None the less, as Sinister gained the nickname Nosferatu in his habits of taking blood in exchange for candy, and coming across, though unknowing of it, a young Max Eisenhardt, he was able to escape into North America, alongside Raziel Brandt, Zeito Engel, John Greycrow, whom he had found regenerating from a failed execution, and a number of other Nazi officers and supporters, escaping the Red Army. Greycrow would become Scalphuner, the first of many Marauders, and would remain a loyal ally through the rest of Sinister's life.
It was two years afterward, in the guise of Nathan Milbury, that Sinister was head of the US Government Project, Black Womb. Working alongside the extremely long-lived Amanda Mueller, who remembered him from her time in his care so long ago, her degraded body no different to Sinister than she had been when she was a young woman, and soon, he found himself pleasantly challenged by such a mind. Alongside Alexander Ryking, Kurt Marko, and Brian Xavier, there was extensive experimentation, and observation of Mutant Children and Non in the middle of the New Mexico desert, under the guise of a Nuclear testing site. Milbury was known to have experimented on not only Charles Xavier, but also Kain Marko. It would be ten long years that this facility ran, but eventually Sinister left to pursue other interests.
In 1968, Mister Sinister was active and operating in Vietnam during wartime, kidnapping both Soldier, and Civilian, alongside his loyal ally Scalphunter. His terrible appearance, frightful tactics, propensity for inflicting fear, and utter inhumane nature earned him the nickname 'White Devil.' It would be during this time that Sabertooth, after being given a large sum of money, and having his commanding officers murdered, would become a Marauder, and an Enforcer of Sinister.
All the while, along the decades, Mister Sinister observed the development of select mutant children, whom he was able to either engineer their falling into his care, or acquire them through less dubious means. Many of these unfortunate younglings were earmarked by Black Womb, and noted or not, they would end up for the State Home for Foundlings, in Omaha Nebraska. Observing from a pseudo-biological laboratory, which the State Home had been built atop, Sinister was able to slowly, and subtly manipulate the development of the children in his care, as well as doing his best to influence them in their adult lives. The most promising would be developed as sleeper agents which would eventually be placed on a roster to become his minions, cohorts, and allies. As unfortunate as these cruelties were, it is noted that almost to the man, they have all found themselves successful in later endeavors.
When the Brotherhood kidnapped Emma Frost in an attempt to have her kill all mankind through Cerebro, Sinister had been treating her at the time, knowing she had been drugged, and there was a seething rage that would remain in him. He would humiliate that arrogant pretender, and make him pay for taking HIS subject.
Decades, of experimentation on himself and others, working to trace the bloodline of the Summers family, to all come to the end of overcoming Apocalypse, Sinister realized, in some bastion of his sanity, that he was losing control of himself. Faced with the Apex of wasting all this, making all these deaths in vain, and all this sacrifice worthless, or losing his own control... Nathaniel Essex continued his dark path.
Sinister was horrified to learn of a possible incursion from forces outside the world. They tried to attack HIS subjects. While no one else was watching, Sinister used his mental prowess to screen both Alexander and Scott Summers as they fell from the plane, and though their parents were abducted, Sinister had telekinetically softened the fall from the plane, alongside Scott's nascent optic blast. He ensured that medical personnel found the duo, and when they came to, Doctor Markus Kingfisher, head of the State Home was there to take them to their new home. Life was not all pleasant, and it never should have been, but Sinister took personal charge over Scott's more extensive medical care. While Alex would come to the orphanage in two weeks, Scott had suffered extensive head trauma, and over the course of a year, even though he could never truly fix all of it, medical technology, even HIS technology, still just short...
Sinister healed as much of Scott's mind and body as was within his power. The amnesia both shared was troubling, but he did not fully understand the mysteries of many minds yet, something he would proceed to study in his future. When Cyclops destroyed the roof of the ward they were in, Sinister created a lens, specially designed to counteract the effect of the beam, and to allow him to exist in normal society.
Like Alex before him, Scott would come to the State Home, and under Sinister's care, would be first given an extensive battery of tests, and a number of other... More experimental work, in an attempt to deal with the damage done to his brain. A prospective match for Alex arrived, and Nathaniel, though loathe to give up a Summers, loathe to give up one of the two people he could have replaced Adam, and his unborn son with... allowed Alex to be placed into the care of another, and kept him under close observation, though it had begun as a benign eye, it was unfortunately subsumed by the cold, scientific mind of Sinister.
It was also during this period of time that he noticed that there was a seeming instability in the mind of a woman known as Erika Aucroix, and while he could only do so much as Markus Kingfisher, did everything he could to heal her injured psyche, wanting to preserve her family line. He also arranged for two of the family lines he had been monitoring to merge, though it was by second cousins, in an attempt to preserve what was a troubling fall in their Essex Factors. One of the three in that generation had proven to be a latent carrier, not a full fledged mutant, and this meant that if the younger brother were to marry a non-carrier, non-mutant, then the line could die out.
Scott's powers would flare out of control once more, and before the young boy would run away, fleeing to join the Xavier School, Sinister gave him the lenses he had developed, and once Scott left, silently gave him his blessing, and best wishes, and vowing that Scott would come back to him. Some of Sinister's time would be spent as a neighbour to Scott's grandparents in Alaska, allowing him to monitor Scott, and others of his bloodline more closely, waiting for the day he could bring the Summers brothers back under his wing.
With Alex safely in the care of new parents, and Scott in the care of Xavier, Sinister was free to begin working on prospective Marauders, and other allies. It was during this period of time that he would perfect many of his techniques, build on his already encyclopedic knowledge of the sciences, and then would begin manipulating events in Canada.
A Superhuman Registration Act was being debated, and he subtly influenced it to be voluntary, but with substantial rewards to be offered for doing so. By registering willingly, people felt much safer, and soon he was able to trace entire dynasties with single keystrokes, while still acknowledging some respect for mankind. Forced registration would have been pointless, the landmass of Canada far to expansive to find everyone.
And then a bloodline nearly died out. Scrambling, Sinister mobilized what resources he had to reverse the situation, but the damage was done, and soon, what had been a promising back up turned into nothing but a single weapon, sent all over the world. Accidents may happen, but Sinister was nonetheless furious. It was this distraction that made him almost miss an opportunity. He was approached by a man who seemed... troubled, his powers running rampant. He was apparently the leading surgeon in the world, and in a strange reversal of fate, he would remove the exact same piece of tissue he had restored to an older traveler, years ago. The Paradox averted, Sinister was safe from a time-line disruption, and now had a young Remy LeBeau in his debt.
It was a freak accident, and a reaction of genetic material, but Sinister saw now the infinite potential of Jean Grey and Scott Summers. With a single master stroke, Apocalypse would be slain. Sinister had his shadows watch Jean, the ever loyal Zeito Engel watching in silence, and reporting in the midst of his delirium to his good friend, and fellow Doctor. She was reckless, brash, and dangerous. If she even bothered carrying the child to term, she may irreparably harm Scott. And so, the would-be Father created for his Son a perfect bride. He had taken cell cultures from Jean through an agent of an agent, and as he watched her come to life, watched her accelerated growth, and began implanting memories, his mind playing through the psychology he knew of Scott, how his creation would meet him, how they would interact, how it all would play out... And how he would eventually bring them to him, and train their child to be able to free this world from the yoke of apocalypse.
But then as she entered later puberty, he watched with displeasure as there was no signs of an activated Essex Factor. What was wrong? Why did her powers not awaken... WHY DID SHE NOT LIVE! Disappointed, and irritated, Sinister left her to sleep in the holding tank, maybe, hopefully, she would awaken with her powers, and if not, she was still an active cell culture.
Jean, or what Sinister thought was her, would die, in truth the Dark Phoenix, and a small spark of the Phoenix force would drift to the clone, and Sinister would watch her with amazement, as Madelyne Pryor was born. He finished the work he had began, updated everything she was, and gave her a life in the same part of Alaska that Scott's grandparents lived in, going so far as to place her in their airline. They would meet, they would fall in love, marry, and they would bring the child into this world. A Child that Sinister counted on. Sired by the Grey and Summer's Essex Factors, the most powerful in the world, they would be unstoppable.
It was an opportune moment. Scott Summers lost a battle for leadership to Storm. This was the last impetus needed. His creation, his child, and the grandchild he never had. Madelyne convinced Scott to go 'home' to Alaska. Remote, easily observed, and within his protection. If worst came to worst, he and his could take the child by force, and the weapon would be trained by Mister Sinister.
It was with intense, stomach churning disgust, that Sinister discovered that there was a group of mutants who were not only marked with many of his genetic manipulation techniques, but also were far below what could even be considered inferior breeding stock. Only half of a percentage of the Morlocks were acceptable to the White Devil in the slightest, and even then they would for the most part be used for things that a normal human could, with only half of the social stigma attached.
This. Would. Not. Stand. And so he summoned his patsy, the ever loyal Remy LeBeau, and bade him to go forth, and assemble the desperate, the potent, and the vicious, and bring them to him. They would be his new Marauders, his hands, and his fist. The world was spiraling into chaos, and it seemed that now he must prepare to take the reins. When Apocalypse was finally defeated, he would have a force that could be used to not only protect himself, but if he were to take power, he could rely upon.
Arclight, Blockbuster, Harpoon, Prism, Riptide, Scrambler, and Vertigo were all assembled, each given a full medical analysis by Mister Sinister, and cell cultures taken from each member, and put into storage. Should one fall, another could be reborn, again and again. His soldiers were informed of this, told, that they were his life long employees, and that should any dark fate befall them, they could be reborn, endlessly. Any new member of his team, any prisoner who proved pliable, anyone at all that Sinister had access to the genetic code of was able to be taken, and converted into a cell culture, could be turned into a Marauder. Many of these entities were unfortunately... Unique, in that they are only able to exist one at a time. Should more than one clone be created, the second, third, and onwards, will be catatonic, and useless without direct mind control being established. This is due to the technique used by Sinister, which also implants a suggestion of absolute loyalty, and submission to Sinister. No attempt to attack him is possible, in any form, by one of these clones.
There were casualties, of course. X-Men, and X-Force's involvement being an unfortunate, and irritating complication, but his Marauders operated well as a team, and that was what mattered, though a minor betrayal by Remy was noted, and regretfully taken as a temporary leave of absence, which Sinister would end at a later date.
When Jean Grey was revived, Sinister was forced to make a sacrifice. Madelyne was a ticking time bomb. If she was not taken out of commission NOW, she would go berserk, and likely kill Scott. The child was in as much danger as the Surrogate replacement for Adam, and so Sinister bade his command. “Go forth, slay Madelyne Pryor, and bring me the child!” An implanted suggestion to take the baby with her, when he hired her to move cargo to San Diego, and with some of the most accurate shots Scalphunter has pulled off in his existence, a specially ordered rifle from Acheron Arms, capable of rapid fire with still amazing accuracy in the range of kilometers, alongside a frontal assault by other Marauders, was successful in what Sinister believed would be killing her, even despite the complication of her awakened abilities. The child was his, and could be studied, and taken care of, raised to be the weapon their destiny meant them to be. With an extended erasure of the records of both Mother and Child, he left nothing but a single token behind, a toy that Scott had passed on to his child, which Sinister had passed to him.
With his child a captive of Sinister's care, and being programmed with an innate hatred of Apocalypse, Cyclops was leaked information as to the whereabouts of the child. Sinister lost his ultimate creation at the same time to a raid by creatures he had never encountered before. And then he found himself confronted with his ultimate failure once more. Madelyne Pryor, escorted by this... Creature, faced him. If he was going to do battle, he would do so hurting her, this failure, this unfortunate creation of his. Fate may have been cruel to her, but maybe, JUST MAYBE, her hatred would shift to him, and his surrogate son would be spared. Sinister could survive the wrath of this entity, with no issue. He did not feel the same of Scott. He bound her with his own Telekinetic might, and explained, in lurid, cruel detail, all of the terrible aspects of her creation, her empty existence as nothing but a brood-mare for Scott's DNA. Told she was a clone of Jean Grey. And then she overwhelmed him, slamming him into a wall. And the bastard creature presented her with the Child! She departed in the midst of a rage, and Sinister began to lick his wounds.
The Goblyn Queen's wrath upon the X-Men was the opening he needed. He had mentally attacked Madelyne at the same time the X-Men and X-Force had, and now, while they were vulnerable, he struck, beginning to assault the memories of Jean Grey. He could take her, and have the original, not so pale copy, as his own subject. He had moved from his base to the School, and laid in wait, ready to sweep in like a tempest once she was struck down, and with his loyal Marauders, his progeny and creations, he would have her, and the Child! But then Sinister reached beyond even his considerable grasp. He pushed Scott Summers to far, and pressed to hard. As Sinister was grabbing for Jean, his sons turned on him. And for the third time in his life, Nathaniel Essex felt a level of heartbreak.
In a flash of red, the man who Nathaniel Essex had sought to replace Adam with, swept him away, crushing him under his boots like the British and American War Machine had Nazi Germany, so many years ago. Cyclops... Had slain Mister Sinister.
Sinister would spend much time rebuilding his body, and mind, perfecting himself. It hurt, to have been so callously destroyed, but as he licked his wounds, and pondered this, it dawned on him. Neither of his... 'Sons' knew much of him. Neither knew him as Nathaniel Essex. He pondered the significance of this, and it was with the outbreak of the Legacy Virus that he acted. He appeared to Scott, and spoke of his feelings, acknowledging a Selfish caring, but a caring, for Scott, and his Brothers. For, unbeknownst to the others, Sinister knew much of the Krakoa incident. A slip of the tongue, and easily covered up, but he allowed it to sit, and perhaps eat at Scott. Suitable punishment for the man who had slain him. The nagging doubt. Sinister knew the third was far more volatile than even Havok, however, and so he bided his time.
It was also at this time he took a young girl, Threnody, under his wing, and nurtured her as a tracker of the Virus. But, it was for naught, as even though he had many subjects, Sinister's time was divided, and Moira MacTaggert would develop a cure, which was released by the sacrifice of Colossus. Overwhelmed by the nobility of this act, Nathaniel Essex offered to clone the mutant, which, while it would have placed a mole on the team, was still out of gratitude. This offer was refused.
Sinister spent much of the following time out of the lime light, choosing instead to work on his research, bide his time, and shore up his network of contacts, and financial assets. It would be someone attacking him, which caught him off-guard next. Someone used Faye against him. Despite his protests, that she was a husk, and nothing more to him anymore... He felt the pull of her empathic powers, felt her open Nathaniel Essex again... And when they were as one mind, he pulled her into a long, regretful dance, remembering her, his bride reborn, as he wished to. Sinister did not cry when she died in his arms, because he could not. But the pain was not so overwhelming. She had died happy. And her DNA was a useful cell culture, an extraneous addition to his ample supply of abilities, but one that was personally pleasing.
His gambit had paid off, when the child of Grey and Summers destroyed Apocalypse. He was free. No longer did he have Nur watching over his shoulder. And with this freedom, the world was now his to plunder. He moved forwards, and sent one of his agents to end the mortal scion of one of his earmarked bloodlines.
With the death of Henri Brandt, his adoptive son, the mutant, lucky to have been born, would break... And Sinister would be there, and would gain access to the mutation he needed to begin work on artificially created beings, a stabilization of the Genetic Code, beyond anything known, allowing for infinite change, and alteration.
Sinister would begin preparations for a new addition to his Marauders, a second unit, capable of supporting his loyal biological soldiers with cold, computer calculated precision. With the development of advanced nanite technology, Sinister was able to impart a low degree of superhuman abilities, while keeping them controllable, unlike with genetic modification. It also allowed them to interface with support units, which were built to have teleportation devices installed, as well as being a source of emotional comfort for the confused new soldiers once they were created. There would be six.
Fire, Water, Air, Shadow, and a duo. Alone, the mind would fracture. As a unit, it would grow.
To serve Mr. Sinister.
Classification: Zeta (Omega)
Powers: IMPORTANT: Before anything else, it is vitally important to understand that Sinister is capable of gaining the powers of ANY mutant he can obtain the DNA of. The powers listed are those that he has as of writing, and will more than likely be added to.[/u]
Superhuman Stamina: Nathaniel Essex has an undocumented level of Superhuman Stamina and Durability thanks to his shape-shifting It is quite feasible that he does not require sleep.
Superhuman Strength: Capable of bench-pressing 20,000lbs under normal conditions.
Superhuman Reflexes: Superior to anything a human could ever conceivably achieve.
Shape-shifting: Sinister has absolute control over every molecule of his body. In their entirety. How this is achieved is unknown.
Regenerative Healing Factor: Sinister is nigh impossible to kill. There has been no recorded instance of a permanent death for him, barring the touch of the mutant Rogue. Anything short of a tactical nuclear strike is a minor inconvenience, and beyond that it will take a handful of moments for him to regenerate.
Telepathy: Sinister has the ability to send and read thoughts at 250 miles under normal conditions, and this can be extended VASTLY with effort. It is conceivable, that with the proper settings and effort, he can extend his powers globally. He has shown the ability to Paralyze Mentally, Mind-control, and shut down powers. These are in addition to any abilities he may have gained due to the possession of genetic material of Emma Frost, Jean Grey, Charles Xavier, and other Telepaths.
Telekinesis: Sinister has demonstrated at the very least, the ability to lift 20,000 pounds telekinetically, and it stands to reason, that with the access he has to DNA from Jean Grey, and numerous other Telekinetic mutants, that he could have FAR BEYOND that in power. In addition to this unrefined use of telekinesis, he has demonstrated concussive blasts capable of shattering steel from his forehead and his hands, Force Fields capable of deflecting the Optic Blast of Cyclops almost indefinitely, and flight of a speed that cannot be determined. Again, like his telepathy, since he has the genetic material of powerful telekinetics, he may very well have other abilities not documented at this time.
Teleportation: Nathaniel Essex is in possession of a device which activates a set of arrays in his base, capable of teleporting him back to it, if he is over three miles away. There is more than one of these bases. It is built into his body, and activated mentally. The range of these devices is world wide, barring specific shielding technology. He can carry as much as he can physically lift with him, living or not. It is this device that the derivative technology for the Support Units of his Cyborg Soldiers is based on.
Skills: Nathaniel Essex is possessed of Genius level intelligence, and an array of skills as diverse and broad as the situation often demands. Should he fail to possess a needed skill, he is likely able to find someone who can. It is safe to assume that he has the required knowledge for almost any conceivable task relating to Genetics or the higher Sciences, and is an adept manipulator, and if faced with a problem he does not have the solution to, can acquire that training and knowledge in a scale of days, if not hours.
Weaponry: While his familiarity with weaponry is extensive, he prefers to rely upon his own powers. This being said, Sinister has complete access to almost all of En Sabah Nur's Celestial technology, and it is very possible that he can find a use for some of THAT to his advantage in a pinch.
Role Play Sample:The tones of an organ filled the air, Sinister staring into a computer screen, frowning. Zeito had shown him where the problem is, and from there, Mr. Sinister stared at it. Two minutes so far that he had been unable to find where the errant piece of code was. Until... Ahh, mis-tagged. He altered it, and the silver haired Doctor nodded. "Excellent, Doctor. You have gained an amazing grasp of this."
Sinister did not hunt for praise, but he did enjoy learning. Enjoyed gaining a mastery over new aspects of the world. Computer technology was inherent to the world now, and with knowledge of how it works, he was able to open many new avenues. He turned to Zeito, and leaned back. "So, Doctor Engel. How have the headbands been working out?"
"Excellent, Doctor Essex. That they work at all amazed me at first, but with your oversight, I have been able to address a number of the issues. And now with the..." An explosion, the Silver and Sable haired doctors turning, only to see the broken carcass of one of Zeito's programmed minions. And on it's chest, a note pinned with almost care.
And there was a photocopy of someone's middle finger. Zeito was the first to speak. "I think we may need to take stronger measures, Doctor."
Your Name: I suppose now... Nathaniel is appropriate. I have a feeling I will become known as the Canon. Seru is my actual handle.
Other Characters: Peter Emile, Zeito Engel, Tereph D'Emile; Zeito Engel is relegated to NPC status as of writing, and Peter Emile will be as soon as I get a plot event out of the way.
* This will be filled in if we get someone claiming the child of Scott Summers and Jean Grey
Codename: Mister Sinister
Nicknames: Sinister, Pale Man, Nosferatu, White Devil, Nathan Milbury, Markus Kingfisher
Type: Canon
Gender: Male
Species: Homo Sapiens Sapiens, originally.
Age: In the range of 200.
Date of Birth: March 7th
Hometown: London, England
Current Residence: Sinister lives in whatever base suits him most at the time. As they are all linked via a set of Tesseract Teleporters, this does not particularly bother him.
Loyalty: He is the Lord and Master of the Marauders.
Occupation: Super-villain.
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Red
Height: 6'5”
Weight: 285lbs
Body Type: Adonically sculpted.
Typical Style: When Sinister deigns to wear something besides his body armour, he can be found in incredibly fine fashion, though it may come across as a tad out of date.
Distinguishing Features: Chalk White Skin. Glowing Red Eyes. Red Jewel in forehead.
Physical Mutations: See Distinguishing Features
Uniform: Sinister experimented with a form of resin carapace, attempting to see if he could 'grow' body armour. The fruit of this project was the iconic blue armour he is often found in. It is formed from a frame that was soaked in a special mixture of enzymes and chemicals, making it a very bacteria friendly environment. From there, bacteria which had been specially fed an alloy of high resistance materials, bordering the protective capabilities of Carbondanium, or Beta-Adamant, were allowed to propagate on the treated frame, and were then sprayed with an anti-bacterial solution. This killed them almost instantly, and created a highly protective suit of armour, that fits his body perfectly.
Personality: To sum him up in a few words, Sinister is ruthless, though principled, cruel in the pursuit of science, but capable of a twisted form of compassion for people he considers useful, or necessary. Beyond anything else, Sinister strongly believes that pursuit of science is it's own end, and it's own means. He will never falter in his work, though he may stray to pursue a side project now and then. Patient, almost to a fault, Sinister will allow his minions a second, or a third chance if circumstances beyond their control cause a failure, and he always considers the X-Men to be beyond their control. By the same token, Sinister makes no differentiation between the clones of his minions, and will often kill and revive them simply to make a point. To him, they are a renewable resource, a gift that will keep on giving.
It is worth noting that Sinister is obsessed with the Summers and Grey family trees, working to create the perfect mutant from that genetic stock. In his past, he has frowned on the direct creation of new entities, but recently, he has discovered a way to train them in a fraction of the time it takes for a human to live, days, in what took decades, and now has begun looking into the possibility of artificially creating and programming super-soldiers.
Sinister has a minor weakness in the twisted parody of affection he has for the Summers brothers. He will often indirectly render them aid if he can, and will always leap on an opportunity to bring them into his sway. In his perfect world, Alex, Scott, and possibly even Gabriel, would realize that he is the closest thing they could find to a father, more-so than Charles Xavier, and come to him. They would be welcomed with open arms.
Finally, on the nature of the genetic stock he has earmarked, they are a valuable commodity, of which he is fiercely protective, and should they not be within his genetic archives, he will do everything that does not risk exposure, or compromising of other plans, to obtain their safety.
Family: Mary Essex (Mother, Deceased)
Rebecca Essex Nee' Milbury (Wife, Deceased)
Adam Essex (Deceased)
Nameless Essex (Deceased in child birth)
Scott Summers (Considers a surrogate son)
Alexander Summers (Considers a surrogate son)
Gabriel Summers (Considers a surrogate son)
Madelyne Summers Nee' Pryor (Creation, Deceased)
[Name Redacted]* Summers (Considers a grand child)
History: In his youth, Nathaniel Essex was always overcome with the idea, that heaven was not to be found in the afterlife, for death was abhorrent to him, but in the world we live in. He was in Greenwich Park, when he finally was able to articulate this idea. He saw thousands of human lives, carrying on pre-ordained paths, and the cleanliness, and sanctity of this place was perhaps the closest thing he could find on earth to what he deemed to be Heaven. He was finally granted his Masters of Biology, and in 1859, made breaking headway in theories regarding human evolution, leaps and bounds following on the heels of the work of Charles Darwin, a respected colleague, and at the time, one of the few people Nathaniel would have considered to be friends. But Nathaniel was always rankled by the restraints that these great minds placed on themselves. It interfered with the idea that humanity could be pushed forwards, should be made to evolve, to thrive in the world he lived in. Made to be perfect, for they were part of the perfect earth. But then Nathaniel and his wife Rebecca had a tragedy within the family. His son had always been a sickly youth, much like Nathan himself had, but whereas the elder Essex had been able to thrive in the face of this adversity... His son was not so blessed, and at the tender age of four, Nathaniel sank deeper into his work as complications regarding his son took the young child's life. Vowing that no one else would ever feel that pain, he lost those few minor shackles which could be considered 'ethical'.
As a member of London's Royal Society, Essex was contemporary to some of the greatest minds to have ever lived, and in so doing, they were exposed to his own obsessive drive. Hailed by some as their greatest mind, and by others as an individual playing out internal fantasy that he could somehow save his son, there was a sharp divide in who believed Sinister was a fit partner to work with. Nathaniel Essex rejected the ideas of there being a God, placing faith in nothing, and determining that he would CREATE the Divine, that Mankind was moving towards such heights, not away. He found proof of this in what he called 'Essex Factors' in the human Genome. Having cracked the biological makeup of mankind so long before others could, Essex was centuries ahead of his time in his work, having created a working model, proving that when these Essex Factors interacted with the genes of mankind, and with each other, they would induce mutation of such a grand scale that the result would make tales of Angels and Demons look astray. The Royal Society decided to take these ideas with a liberal amount of salt, even going so far as to suggest, in the case of his friend, Darwin, that the wellspring from which they came was tainted by the grief of his Son's death. Suggesting that he should see a physician, for his own welfare, the ensuing investigation found Nathan guilty of unorthodox and dangerous experimentation, which would result in his expulsion. In this final moments, the man Nathan Essex began to die inside of himself, fertilizing Sinister seeds.
A chance meeting with a dubious man, a 'Cootie Tremble', who offended Essex with his mannerisms, but had much use for the unscrupulous Scientist, led to the first incarnation of an organization that would gain much infamy in the future. Cootie's marauders were collecting the freak, the fool, and misshapen, and all other manner of ne'erdowell at the behest of an overzealous official, only for Essex to give these degenerates a new destination. In exchange for a fair sum, these poor cretins would find themselves delivered in to 'care' of the nascent madman, who would continue his work in the name of science. He ordered these... Marauders to continue their work, and to dig a set of tunnels under London with which they could work unseen.
But they dug to deep, and when they stumbled into a tomb of a being who was not to be trifled with, the world would never be the same. En Sabah Nur. Apocalypse. The First One bade them go forward, to take this Apocalypse to their master, and to his new herald. They found Nathaniel in the midst of grisly work, exhuming the body of his own flesh and blood, his poor Adam, so that he could discover what it had been that killed his son. This would come to haunt Nathaniel, as he did not count on the curiosity of his beloved. She found the floating corpse of the son she had lost, body half disassembled, in a large scale canister, filled with green fluid. She went to the grave, forcing herself to go such ghastly deeds... And when she found the coffin empty, she passed out from shock. At this same time, Nathaniel was speaking with Apocalypse regarding the possibility of their collaboration. Finding the nascent tyrant cultured, and inquisitive, Nathan took him to a gathering of other minds of... Dubious, morals.
He knew not of what his wife had discovered, but he explained to Apocalypse that he was the first in a master race Essex envisioned from discovering that En Sabah Nur had the Essex Factor. And then they arrived in the Hellfire Club. What happened next was perhaps proof there is a God. In the midst of a show of power, Apocalypse slew a respected colleague of Essex's, and in that moment, Nathaniel knew this... Mutant, to be a brute, less the genteel ruler, and more a tyrant with a god complex. Wordlessly he left, and set himself to working on rebuilding his family, and his life. He had set behind himself this... Foolishness, and pain. But then he discovered the pens he had set himself to open empty... And the wife he loved holding his still born child in her arms. Dying from the stress of such a premature birth, he fell to his knees, begging her for forgiveness. She slapped his hand away, and in those final moments, spoke fateful words, proving the existence of a Devil. “To me, you are... utterly... and contemptibly... Sinister...” He watched his wife depart from this world filled with hatred, and cursing his name. And thus, as he sought out Nur, sought to become his herald, his Rider... and was born amidst pain beyond any other, a crucible of fire and agony, and was forced to choose a new name for himself... Using those dying words as his condemnation of the world that had taken so much from him.
Mr. Sinister was born.
His first words were to a vision he saw, of the woman he loved, whom he now had lost. “It was for us... I wanted our son to live where Adam had died. But now... Now I have shed humanity. I have become the Apex in what is needed. I am Sinister.” But for a minor rebellion, another minion of Apocalypse attempting a coup for power, with orders to create a contagion to end mankind, Sinister may have spent far more time with Nur. He set out, first killing all his servitors who may be able to trace him down, his unholy pallor, and demonic appearance inspiring terror and fright. When he returned, he released the plague. And smirked as it attacked Apocalypse. Calling him ignorant, a fool, and an enemy to all science, he watched his master be forced into a semi-comatose state. But he was telepathically forced to submit, praised for his strength, but warned that disobedience would not be tolerated again. He was Nur's.
Filled with a fear he had never known before his transformation, Sinister found himself adrift, spending thirty years perfecting strongholds across the world, places he could rest, and continue his work. In 1882, he was there when Darwin was buried, remarking that such an enemy of the church be buried in so holy a place ironic, but as he watched on, Sinister paid respects to the man who, more than Apocalypse, had been the genesis of his work. In the end, Sinister even admitted that Charles had cared about him. A rare strain of flower, that can only be killed with Fire, and will live for nearly ever, in a chalk white 1palour, with ruby petals, lays on the grave of Charles Darwin to this day. A fitting tribute to a great mind.
It was a growing obsession in him. A memory, that haunted him. Of a man surnamed Summers. He had saved the young Nathaniel Essex from brigands, and in his study of the man's descendants, one Daniel Summers, and a bride, Amanda Mueller... They were teeming with Essex factors, hundreds of thousands beyond any other lines he had come across, except for that of Nur, and a handful of others, no more than... ten, a country. Operating out of an Obstetrics clinic in New York, The Essex Clinic, he would be awarded for his groundbreaking work in New York under the name of Nathaniel Milbury, a pun on his wife's estates. Over the course of fifty years, Sinister would have unrestricted access to many generations of genetic information, and would take the time to catalog, and improve medical science, hiding some secrets, but sharing others, and in all, creating a strong network of colleagues, that with skillful manipulation, could aid in his experiments, increasing the speed with which he amassed knowledge. Who knows how far reaching the tendrils of Sinister's work extends.
But no matter how deeply he dug in, and how many friends Sinister had, he knew one day, Apocalypse would find him, again and again. He remembered watching the humans helpless, remembered watching En Sabah Nur destroy wisdom with rage. He needed to create a way to oppose that... Ignorant, Brute of a Mutant. None the less, he quietly carried out his orders, gathering information for when the Apocalypse returned, but he set into motion the plans which would culminate in multiple mutant bloodlines eventually producing mutants who could be located, and turned on his 'Master'.
It was a cold day, snowing heavily, when two strangers came to his door step. Both were badly injured, and the one who spoke with a heavy accent needed his help badly. He explained a fantastic story, which spoke of crossing timelines, and of traveling from the future. None the less, he paid well, and Sinister mended their wounds, gaining genetic material from them both, and incorporating the material of the young woman into his own, gaining absolute control over each cell within his body. Implanting the piece of brain matter back into the Cajun's body, Sinister never saw them again, at least not... As they were. Perplexed, but now able to shapeshift flawlessly, he went underground once he heard tale that his... 'Master' had awoken.
Six months after the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, when all the world was consumed in war, and Sinister was struck with disgust that once again, mankind was reduced to the level of Apocalypse, consumed with hatred, that he departed for England. He came across a man with burning ambition, who was filled with that same energy Sinister had once had as Nathaniel Essex, and so he awakened the Essex Factors in Jacob Shaw, granting him the power to Shapeshift, and leading to the assassination of his brother, Esau, who had incriminating evidence on Sinister.
It was shortly after the end of the Great War, when the world was in the midst of an economic boom, that Sinister found a man, in Geneva, who needed his aid. The great patron of the sciences appeared to him, as Herbert Edgar Wyndham feel deeply ill. He cured the man, and handed him a booklet. With a softly spoken command. “Do right by the Sciences.” He sent the man on his way, and smiled to himself. He had done right by the sciences, and given them a chance to flourish. A new generation of minds, a new flock. He their priest, and the Sciences their God.
It was in the dirty thirties, amidst a world depression, and economic chaos, that Sinister would find himself in California, often in the social whirl of the misplaced British nobility. Potent patrons, and many of them deeply interested in the Sciences, being in the midst of this activity was all Sinister needed to feel at ease. Money poured into his coffers, galas were thrown, and he found some measure of enjoyment for himself. His plans were well on the way, and he was simply waiting... Until he met her. She crossed paths with him, her powers of deep empathy crossing into his heart, awakening something long dead. Healing wounds that had dug so deep into him that he thought the scars would never vanish. Eyes like hers... Lips the same... It haunted him. Sinister was reduced to Nathaniel Essex once more... as he saw his dead wife reborn.
It was... So subtle. Just a few soft words, and the two of them retreated to his workshop. She was so afraid, but so... Enticed. He offered himself, if she would but allow him to study her. He soon came to know her as well as she knew him, the two exploring their bodies to an extent Nathaniel Essex had never been able to... But he was barren, and could not give her the child she wished for, even as he lied, and promised to try harder...
Finally, he showed her the man behind the mask.. And she softly kissed him, before fainting from a deep mental shock. When she awoke, she was destroyed in body, spirit, and mind. He made sure she was escorted safely to a nursing home in San Diego, and every year, on their shared birthday, he would go to her, and they would embrace, the two of them becoming joined in mind, though separate in body. Their dances were the joy of her year... And one of the saddest points in his.
Frost, Shaw, Brandt, Aven, Emile, Wyngarde, Summers, Kelley, Aucroix, Adler, Seiles, Enoch, Mueller, Jameson, Maddrox, Grey, Xavier, Engel, hundreds of family lines, and countless others, all followed by this Father of the Sciences. Watching them, watching the Essex Factors, and then he was in Germany when he was confronted with War. Once more, hatred had risen it's ugly head, and he was forced to take refuge in the halls of Nazism. It was a stroke of luck, being assigned to Auschwitz. He was granted the chance to study one of his earmarked subjects personally, and another from a distance.
Working alongside a man named Zeito Engel, Sinister found that he was quite pleased with the choice he had made, though the man was a little unstable. None the less, as Sinister gained the nickname Nosferatu in his habits of taking blood in exchange for candy, and coming across, though unknowing of it, a young Max Eisenhardt, he was able to escape into North America, alongside Raziel Brandt, Zeito Engel, John Greycrow, whom he had found regenerating from a failed execution, and a number of other Nazi officers and supporters, escaping the Red Army. Greycrow would become Scalphuner, the first of many Marauders, and would remain a loyal ally through the rest of Sinister's life.
It was two years afterward, in the guise of Nathan Milbury, that Sinister was head of the US Government Project, Black Womb. Working alongside the extremely long-lived Amanda Mueller, who remembered him from her time in his care so long ago, her degraded body no different to Sinister than she had been when she was a young woman, and soon, he found himself pleasantly challenged by such a mind. Alongside Alexander Ryking, Kurt Marko, and Brian Xavier, there was extensive experimentation, and observation of Mutant Children and Non in the middle of the New Mexico desert, under the guise of a Nuclear testing site. Milbury was known to have experimented on not only Charles Xavier, but also Kain Marko. It would be ten long years that this facility ran, but eventually Sinister left to pursue other interests.
In 1968, Mister Sinister was active and operating in Vietnam during wartime, kidnapping both Soldier, and Civilian, alongside his loyal ally Scalphunter. His terrible appearance, frightful tactics, propensity for inflicting fear, and utter inhumane nature earned him the nickname 'White Devil.' It would be during this time that Sabertooth, after being given a large sum of money, and having his commanding officers murdered, would become a Marauder, and an Enforcer of Sinister.
All the while, along the decades, Mister Sinister observed the development of select mutant children, whom he was able to either engineer their falling into his care, or acquire them through less dubious means. Many of these unfortunate younglings were earmarked by Black Womb, and noted or not, they would end up for the State Home for Foundlings, in Omaha Nebraska. Observing from a pseudo-biological laboratory, which the State Home had been built atop, Sinister was able to slowly, and subtly manipulate the development of the children in his care, as well as doing his best to influence them in their adult lives. The most promising would be developed as sleeper agents which would eventually be placed on a roster to become his minions, cohorts, and allies. As unfortunate as these cruelties were, it is noted that almost to the man, they have all found themselves successful in later endeavors.
When the Brotherhood kidnapped Emma Frost in an attempt to have her kill all mankind through Cerebro, Sinister had been treating her at the time, knowing she had been drugged, and there was a seething rage that would remain in him. He would humiliate that arrogant pretender, and make him pay for taking HIS subject.
Decades, of experimentation on himself and others, working to trace the bloodline of the Summers family, to all come to the end of overcoming Apocalypse, Sinister realized, in some bastion of his sanity, that he was losing control of himself. Faced with the Apex of wasting all this, making all these deaths in vain, and all this sacrifice worthless, or losing his own control... Nathaniel Essex continued his dark path.
Sinister was horrified to learn of a possible incursion from forces outside the world. They tried to attack HIS subjects. While no one else was watching, Sinister used his mental prowess to screen both Alexander and Scott Summers as they fell from the plane, and though their parents were abducted, Sinister had telekinetically softened the fall from the plane, alongside Scott's nascent optic blast. He ensured that medical personnel found the duo, and when they came to, Doctor Markus Kingfisher, head of the State Home was there to take them to their new home. Life was not all pleasant, and it never should have been, but Sinister took personal charge over Scott's more extensive medical care. While Alex would come to the orphanage in two weeks, Scott had suffered extensive head trauma, and over the course of a year, even though he could never truly fix all of it, medical technology, even HIS technology, still just short...
Sinister healed as much of Scott's mind and body as was within his power. The amnesia both shared was troubling, but he did not fully understand the mysteries of many minds yet, something he would proceed to study in his future. When Cyclops destroyed the roof of the ward they were in, Sinister created a lens, specially designed to counteract the effect of the beam, and to allow him to exist in normal society.
Like Alex before him, Scott would come to the State Home, and under Sinister's care, would be first given an extensive battery of tests, and a number of other... More experimental work, in an attempt to deal with the damage done to his brain. A prospective match for Alex arrived, and Nathaniel, though loathe to give up a Summers, loathe to give up one of the two people he could have replaced Adam, and his unborn son with... allowed Alex to be placed into the care of another, and kept him under close observation, though it had begun as a benign eye, it was unfortunately subsumed by the cold, scientific mind of Sinister.
It was also during this period of time that he noticed that there was a seeming instability in the mind of a woman known as Erika Aucroix, and while he could only do so much as Markus Kingfisher, did everything he could to heal her injured psyche, wanting to preserve her family line. He also arranged for two of the family lines he had been monitoring to merge, though it was by second cousins, in an attempt to preserve what was a troubling fall in their Essex Factors. One of the three in that generation had proven to be a latent carrier, not a full fledged mutant, and this meant that if the younger brother were to marry a non-carrier, non-mutant, then the line could die out.
Scott's powers would flare out of control once more, and before the young boy would run away, fleeing to join the Xavier School, Sinister gave him the lenses he had developed, and once Scott left, silently gave him his blessing, and best wishes, and vowing that Scott would come back to him. Some of Sinister's time would be spent as a neighbour to Scott's grandparents in Alaska, allowing him to monitor Scott, and others of his bloodline more closely, waiting for the day he could bring the Summers brothers back under his wing.
With Alex safely in the care of new parents, and Scott in the care of Xavier, Sinister was free to begin working on prospective Marauders, and other allies. It was during this period of time that he would perfect many of his techniques, build on his already encyclopedic knowledge of the sciences, and then would begin manipulating events in Canada.
A Superhuman Registration Act was being debated, and he subtly influenced it to be voluntary, but with substantial rewards to be offered for doing so. By registering willingly, people felt much safer, and soon he was able to trace entire dynasties with single keystrokes, while still acknowledging some respect for mankind. Forced registration would have been pointless, the landmass of Canada far to expansive to find everyone.
And then a bloodline nearly died out. Scrambling, Sinister mobilized what resources he had to reverse the situation, but the damage was done, and soon, what had been a promising back up turned into nothing but a single weapon, sent all over the world. Accidents may happen, but Sinister was nonetheless furious. It was this distraction that made him almost miss an opportunity. He was approached by a man who seemed... troubled, his powers running rampant. He was apparently the leading surgeon in the world, and in a strange reversal of fate, he would remove the exact same piece of tissue he had restored to an older traveler, years ago. The Paradox averted, Sinister was safe from a time-line disruption, and now had a young Remy LeBeau in his debt.
It was a freak accident, and a reaction of genetic material, but Sinister saw now the infinite potential of Jean Grey and Scott Summers. With a single master stroke, Apocalypse would be slain. Sinister had his shadows watch Jean, the ever loyal Zeito Engel watching in silence, and reporting in the midst of his delirium to his good friend, and fellow Doctor. She was reckless, brash, and dangerous. If she even bothered carrying the child to term, she may irreparably harm Scott. And so, the would-be Father created for his Son a perfect bride. He had taken cell cultures from Jean through an agent of an agent, and as he watched her come to life, watched her accelerated growth, and began implanting memories, his mind playing through the psychology he knew of Scott, how his creation would meet him, how they would interact, how it all would play out... And how he would eventually bring them to him, and train their child to be able to free this world from the yoke of apocalypse.
But then as she entered later puberty, he watched with displeasure as there was no signs of an activated Essex Factor. What was wrong? Why did her powers not awaken... WHY DID SHE NOT LIVE! Disappointed, and irritated, Sinister left her to sleep in the holding tank, maybe, hopefully, she would awaken with her powers, and if not, she was still an active cell culture.
Jean, or what Sinister thought was her, would die, in truth the Dark Phoenix, and a small spark of the Phoenix force would drift to the clone, and Sinister would watch her with amazement, as Madelyne Pryor was born. He finished the work he had began, updated everything she was, and gave her a life in the same part of Alaska that Scott's grandparents lived in, going so far as to place her in their airline. They would meet, they would fall in love, marry, and they would bring the child into this world. A Child that Sinister counted on. Sired by the Grey and Summer's Essex Factors, the most powerful in the world, they would be unstoppable.
It was an opportune moment. Scott Summers lost a battle for leadership to Storm. This was the last impetus needed. His creation, his child, and the grandchild he never had. Madelyne convinced Scott to go 'home' to Alaska. Remote, easily observed, and within his protection. If worst came to worst, he and his could take the child by force, and the weapon would be trained by Mister Sinister.
It was with intense, stomach churning disgust, that Sinister discovered that there was a group of mutants who were not only marked with many of his genetic manipulation techniques, but also were far below what could even be considered inferior breeding stock. Only half of a percentage of the Morlocks were acceptable to the White Devil in the slightest, and even then they would for the most part be used for things that a normal human could, with only half of the social stigma attached.
This. Would. Not. Stand. And so he summoned his patsy, the ever loyal Remy LeBeau, and bade him to go forth, and assemble the desperate, the potent, and the vicious, and bring them to him. They would be his new Marauders, his hands, and his fist. The world was spiraling into chaos, and it seemed that now he must prepare to take the reins. When Apocalypse was finally defeated, he would have a force that could be used to not only protect himself, but if he were to take power, he could rely upon.
Arclight, Blockbuster, Harpoon, Prism, Riptide, Scrambler, and Vertigo were all assembled, each given a full medical analysis by Mister Sinister, and cell cultures taken from each member, and put into storage. Should one fall, another could be reborn, again and again. His soldiers were informed of this, told, that they were his life long employees, and that should any dark fate befall them, they could be reborn, endlessly. Any new member of his team, any prisoner who proved pliable, anyone at all that Sinister had access to the genetic code of was able to be taken, and converted into a cell culture, could be turned into a Marauder. Many of these entities were unfortunately... Unique, in that they are only able to exist one at a time. Should more than one clone be created, the second, third, and onwards, will be catatonic, and useless without direct mind control being established. This is due to the technique used by Sinister, which also implants a suggestion of absolute loyalty, and submission to Sinister. No attempt to attack him is possible, in any form, by one of these clones.
There were casualties, of course. X-Men, and X-Force's involvement being an unfortunate, and irritating complication, but his Marauders operated well as a team, and that was what mattered, though a minor betrayal by Remy was noted, and regretfully taken as a temporary leave of absence, which Sinister would end at a later date.
When Jean Grey was revived, Sinister was forced to make a sacrifice. Madelyne was a ticking time bomb. If she was not taken out of commission NOW, she would go berserk, and likely kill Scott. The child was in as much danger as the Surrogate replacement for Adam, and so Sinister bade his command. “Go forth, slay Madelyne Pryor, and bring me the child!” An implanted suggestion to take the baby with her, when he hired her to move cargo to San Diego, and with some of the most accurate shots Scalphunter has pulled off in his existence, a specially ordered rifle from Acheron Arms, capable of rapid fire with still amazing accuracy in the range of kilometers, alongside a frontal assault by other Marauders, was successful in what Sinister believed would be killing her, even despite the complication of her awakened abilities. The child was his, and could be studied, and taken care of, raised to be the weapon their destiny meant them to be. With an extended erasure of the records of both Mother and Child, he left nothing but a single token behind, a toy that Scott had passed on to his child, which Sinister had passed to him.
With his child a captive of Sinister's care, and being programmed with an innate hatred of Apocalypse, Cyclops was leaked information as to the whereabouts of the child. Sinister lost his ultimate creation at the same time to a raid by creatures he had never encountered before. And then he found himself confronted with his ultimate failure once more. Madelyne Pryor, escorted by this... Creature, faced him. If he was going to do battle, he would do so hurting her, this failure, this unfortunate creation of his. Fate may have been cruel to her, but maybe, JUST MAYBE, her hatred would shift to him, and his surrogate son would be spared. Sinister could survive the wrath of this entity, with no issue. He did not feel the same of Scott. He bound her with his own Telekinetic might, and explained, in lurid, cruel detail, all of the terrible aspects of her creation, her empty existence as nothing but a brood-mare for Scott's DNA. Told she was a clone of Jean Grey. And then she overwhelmed him, slamming him into a wall. And the bastard creature presented her with the Child! She departed in the midst of a rage, and Sinister began to lick his wounds.
The Goblyn Queen's wrath upon the X-Men was the opening he needed. He had mentally attacked Madelyne at the same time the X-Men and X-Force had, and now, while they were vulnerable, he struck, beginning to assault the memories of Jean Grey. He could take her, and have the original, not so pale copy, as his own subject. He had moved from his base to the School, and laid in wait, ready to sweep in like a tempest once she was struck down, and with his loyal Marauders, his progeny and creations, he would have her, and the Child! But then Sinister reached beyond even his considerable grasp. He pushed Scott Summers to far, and pressed to hard. As Sinister was grabbing for Jean, his sons turned on him. And for the third time in his life, Nathaniel Essex felt a level of heartbreak.
In a flash of red, the man who Nathaniel Essex had sought to replace Adam with, swept him away, crushing him under his boots like the British and American War Machine had Nazi Germany, so many years ago. Cyclops... Had slain Mister Sinister.
Sinister would spend much time rebuilding his body, and mind, perfecting himself. It hurt, to have been so callously destroyed, but as he licked his wounds, and pondered this, it dawned on him. Neither of his... 'Sons' knew much of him. Neither knew him as Nathaniel Essex. He pondered the significance of this, and it was with the outbreak of the Legacy Virus that he acted. He appeared to Scott, and spoke of his feelings, acknowledging a Selfish caring, but a caring, for Scott, and his Brothers. For, unbeknownst to the others, Sinister knew much of the Krakoa incident. A slip of the tongue, and easily covered up, but he allowed it to sit, and perhaps eat at Scott. Suitable punishment for the man who had slain him. The nagging doubt. Sinister knew the third was far more volatile than even Havok, however, and so he bided his time.
It was also at this time he took a young girl, Threnody, under his wing, and nurtured her as a tracker of the Virus. But, it was for naught, as even though he had many subjects, Sinister's time was divided, and Moira MacTaggert would develop a cure, which was released by the sacrifice of Colossus. Overwhelmed by the nobility of this act, Nathaniel Essex offered to clone the mutant, which, while it would have placed a mole on the team, was still out of gratitude. This offer was refused.
Sinister spent much of the following time out of the lime light, choosing instead to work on his research, bide his time, and shore up his network of contacts, and financial assets. It would be someone attacking him, which caught him off-guard next. Someone used Faye against him. Despite his protests, that she was a husk, and nothing more to him anymore... He felt the pull of her empathic powers, felt her open Nathaniel Essex again... And when they were as one mind, he pulled her into a long, regretful dance, remembering her, his bride reborn, as he wished to. Sinister did not cry when she died in his arms, because he could not. But the pain was not so overwhelming. She had died happy. And her DNA was a useful cell culture, an extraneous addition to his ample supply of abilities, but one that was personally pleasing.
His gambit had paid off, when the child of Grey and Summers destroyed Apocalypse. He was free. No longer did he have Nur watching over his shoulder. And with this freedom, the world was now his to plunder. He moved forwards, and sent one of his agents to end the mortal scion of one of his earmarked bloodlines.
With the death of Henri Brandt, his adoptive son, the mutant, lucky to have been born, would break... And Sinister would be there, and would gain access to the mutation he needed to begin work on artificially created beings, a stabilization of the Genetic Code, beyond anything known, allowing for infinite change, and alteration.
Sinister would begin preparations for a new addition to his Marauders, a second unit, capable of supporting his loyal biological soldiers with cold, computer calculated precision. With the development of advanced nanite technology, Sinister was able to impart a low degree of superhuman abilities, while keeping them controllable, unlike with genetic modification. It also allowed them to interface with support units, which were built to have teleportation devices installed, as well as being a source of emotional comfort for the confused new soldiers once they were created. There would be six.
Fire, Water, Air, Shadow, and a duo. Alone, the mind would fracture. As a unit, it would grow.
To serve Mr. Sinister.
Classification: Zeta (Omega)
Powers: IMPORTANT: Before anything else, it is vitally important to understand that Sinister is capable of gaining the powers of ANY mutant he can obtain the DNA of. The powers listed are those that he has as of writing, and will more than likely be added to.[/u]
Superhuman Stamina: Nathaniel Essex has an undocumented level of Superhuman Stamina and Durability thanks to his shape-shifting It is quite feasible that he does not require sleep.
Superhuman Strength: Capable of bench-pressing 20,000lbs under normal conditions.
Superhuman Reflexes: Superior to anything a human could ever conceivably achieve.
Shape-shifting: Sinister has absolute control over every molecule of his body. In their entirety. How this is achieved is unknown.
Regenerative Healing Factor: Sinister is nigh impossible to kill. There has been no recorded instance of a permanent death for him, barring the touch of the mutant Rogue. Anything short of a tactical nuclear strike is a minor inconvenience, and beyond that it will take a handful of moments for him to regenerate.
Telepathy: Sinister has the ability to send and read thoughts at 250 miles under normal conditions, and this can be extended VASTLY with effort. It is conceivable, that with the proper settings and effort, he can extend his powers globally. He has shown the ability to Paralyze Mentally, Mind-control, and shut down powers. These are in addition to any abilities he may have gained due to the possession of genetic material of Emma Frost, Jean Grey, Charles Xavier, and other Telepaths.
Telekinesis: Sinister has demonstrated at the very least, the ability to lift 20,000 pounds telekinetically, and it stands to reason, that with the access he has to DNA from Jean Grey, and numerous other Telekinetic mutants, that he could have FAR BEYOND that in power. In addition to this unrefined use of telekinesis, he has demonstrated concussive blasts capable of shattering steel from his forehead and his hands, Force Fields capable of deflecting the Optic Blast of Cyclops almost indefinitely, and flight of a speed that cannot be determined. Again, like his telepathy, since he has the genetic material of powerful telekinetics, he may very well have other abilities not documented at this time.
Teleportation: Nathaniel Essex is in possession of a device which activates a set of arrays in his base, capable of teleporting him back to it, if he is over three miles away. There is more than one of these bases. It is built into his body, and activated mentally. The range of these devices is world wide, barring specific shielding technology. He can carry as much as he can physically lift with him, living or not. It is this device that the derivative technology for the Support Units of his Cyborg Soldiers is based on.
Skills: Nathaniel Essex is possessed of Genius level intelligence, and an array of skills as diverse and broad as the situation often demands. Should he fail to possess a needed skill, he is likely able to find someone who can. It is safe to assume that he has the required knowledge for almost any conceivable task relating to Genetics or the higher Sciences, and is an adept manipulator, and if faced with a problem he does not have the solution to, can acquire that training and knowledge in a scale of days, if not hours.
Weaponry: While his familiarity with weaponry is extensive, he prefers to rely upon his own powers. This being said, Sinister has complete access to almost all of En Sabah Nur's Celestial technology, and it is very possible that he can find a use for some of THAT to his advantage in a pinch.
Role Play Sample:The tones of an organ filled the air, Sinister staring into a computer screen, frowning. Zeito had shown him where the problem is, and from there, Mr. Sinister stared at it. Two minutes so far that he had been unable to find where the errant piece of code was. Until... Ahh, mis-tagged. He altered it, and the silver haired Doctor nodded. "Excellent, Doctor. You have gained an amazing grasp of this."
Sinister did not hunt for praise, but he did enjoy learning. Enjoyed gaining a mastery over new aspects of the world. Computer technology was inherent to the world now, and with knowledge of how it works, he was able to open many new avenues. He turned to Zeito, and leaned back. "So, Doctor Engel. How have the headbands been working out?"
"Excellent, Doctor Essex. That they work at all amazed me at first, but with your oversight, I have been able to address a number of the issues. And now with the..." An explosion, the Silver and Sable haired doctors turning, only to see the broken carcass of one of Zeito's programmed minions. And on it's chest, a note pinned with almost care.
To whoever was naive enough to attack me;
I am a CSIS trained Assassin, Special Forces Captain, and have held my position in the Hellfire Club from mutant challengers as a human. You are going to need to do better than that.
Henri Brandt
I am a CSIS trained Assassin, Special Forces Captain, and have held my position in the Hellfire Club from mutant challengers as a human. You are going to need to do better than that.
Henri Brandt
And there was a photocopy of someone's middle finger. Zeito was the first to speak. "I think we may need to take stronger measures, Doctor."
Your Name: I suppose now... Nathaniel is appropriate. I have a feeling I will become known as the Canon. Seru is my actual handle.
Other Characters: Peter Emile, Zeito Engel, Tereph D'Emile; Zeito Engel is relegated to NPC status as of writing, and Peter Emile will be as soon as I get a plot event out of the way.
* This will be filled in if we get someone claiming the child of Scott Summers and Jean Grey
