Robert Addison

Robert Addison
Player: @Therra Arcson
Origin:	'
Archetype:	Mastermind
Threat Level:	'
Personal Data
Real Name:	Robert Addison
Known Aliases:	too numerous to list
Species:	Human
Age:	Unknown, appears to be 30s perhaps
Height:	5'10
Weight:	160
Eye Color:	Green
Hair Color:	Black, some grey
Biographical Data
Nationality:	'
Occupation:	Arms dealer, cloner
Place of Birth:	South Africa
Base of Operations:	None
Marital Status:	None
Known Relatives:	None known
Known Powers
Appears to be normal human
Known Abilities
'
Equipment
.45 handgun. Various small arms. Clones of various effectiveness, including duplicates.
'

Public information

Name: Robert Addison Alias: [Redacted] [Redacted] [Redacted] DOB: Unknown

This notice is going out to all international law enforcement partners. At 2:38 AM CET, 16 Oct 2021, Robert Addison was found deceased in his cell in [Redacted], France. Autopsy, forensic (DNA) analysis and PMPP (Postmortem psi profiling.) We can state with confidence this is Robert Addison. Prosecution is being terminated, though investigation into the actions of the Agency and his allies is ongoing. task force operations and priorities will be discussed during next meeting at [Redacted]

- IACTF End

-ATrak network- "I won't believe it 'til I stop seeing the bodies. Man was a cloner."

23 Oct 2021 - Potential sighting in Jakarta 26 Oct 2021 - Potential sighting, Grand Cape Mount, Liberia 10 Nov 2021 - Potential sighting, Miami, FL, USA...

Background

Childhood

Robert Addison was born in Apartheid-era South Africa. His mother was a mixed-race housekeeper. His father was a businessman from Latin America, himself a mulatto. His father left - either actually left or was killed - when Robert was about two, leaving himself and his mother poor. His mother picked up another job, and so was rarely home, leaving her son to fend for himself fairly often, though not by choice.

And so Robert did what a mixed-race kid in a classist, racist society did to survive. He got into trouble. He found a group of boys that seemed to accept him and ran with them. He learned early on not to give trust very easily. As he grew, he came to bury emotions and learned to see people as things to be used. His mix of pragmatism and ruthlessness got him in control of the gang that was growing around him. He used who could be used, culled who couldn't... and then did something surprising, to anyone looking in from outside.

Robert had learned about the other members of his gang, and he made sure the most promising - and most cunning - went back to school and took it seriously. Robert knew just being a gang member would lead to prison or death, possibly both. He'd seen the dealers. He'd seen the gangs and mercenaries fighting. And he knew to make it, not only would he have to know more, but so would those around him.

The turnaround, while not trusted by all the teachers or parents, was eventually accepted. His gang soon had several straight A students pursuing their own areas of interest... and feeding those interests back to the gang. The science "nerds?" Started mixing custom drugs to sell at a premium. The math wizzes started doing books and looking for places to make, hide, and invest money. Gym, of course, kept everyone in shape somewhere they wouldn't get shot. Shop taught others machining and design. And the "clever" ones, the ones that didn't have a specialty?

Well, they listened and watched. Opened up opportunities and shut down threats before they got their footing.

They thrived, and they knew who they owed it to. They spread out, the authorities not noticing a gang turning into an organization. And they got into new ventures. Drugs and prostitution went hand in hand - as did blackmail with some of those same encounters. They were protected by the weapons created and improved with shop skills. And with computers and bulletin boards - later the internet, and cell phones - hacking and the gathering (and manipulation) of information turned quite profitable.

The gang had even started going international, engaging where it could open new markets, even starting to touch on mercenary connections (for a cut) with wars in and around Angola.

Robert left his mother as soon as he didn't need her any more. He doubted she ever noticed, and didn't care if she did. She'd served her purpose and was discarded without looking back. For him, he had an organization to run.

No, not an organization... an Agency.

Opportunity

Watching and listening paid off with new ventures. Addison and his crew were growing rich - though, to his mind, perhaps a bit large for the secrecy they needed to grow farther. Business expanded, and the Agency learned to create shell companies to hide its doings and make deals that couldn't be done in the shadows.

One of these was a failing arms manufacturer. While the Agency had been able to purchase and modify small arms, its ability to do so had been limited to some extent. This and issues with creating larger weapons was limiting profits - so when Gesler Armaments lost another contract (on top of government investigations into some of its dealings) and was put onto the block, an "investment group" was created to purchase it. Publicly, the company has had an "incredible turnaround" with clean management and aboveboard, but limited, personal defense arms sales. Privately, the deals and designs discovered presented whole new opportunities.

The more impactful change, though, came with the almost offhand purchase of a medical research company's assets.

The original aim had been to use the pharmaceutical research to improve both the diversity, quality and quantity of the drugs the Agency was making, with perhaps a legal front in the profitable pharmaceutical industry. What Addison's scientific team found, though, led to so much more.

Part of the reason the company had been failing was the money being dumped into research into cloning. While the company - trying to stay somewhat legit - didn't really have the money, they felt the research into cloned organs and animals could make their product development much cheaper and safer. And in part of those notes - with several complaints and warnings from legal - was the possibility of human cloning, even notes on potential "control hooks." Of course, the company researchers meant that as far as experimental controls for certain testing.

Addison and his researchers took it as something far different, and darker.

The last piece fell into place when a raid uncovered a hidden Crey backup facility, with information on personality and memory editing and transfer technologies.

After a few years and a cool billion or so, some strategic hires (or kidnappings) and shadow facilities being created, Addison was ready to introduce some new product lines.

"Lines of business"

The Agency's interests, through its various shadow arms and holding companies, spread far and wide. They still create small arms and sell them to all comers. Addison finds it fortuitous when they can make sales to both sides of a conflict, for instance.

Through hidden manufacturing and both stolen and original designs, larger items up to light tanks have been created and sold.

Dawnchaser Light Aircraft is a civilian operation... ostensibly. They create a number of small civilian aircraft for general and sport aviation. They also have facilities in South America, Asia and Africa in "friendly" nations which churn out light attack aircraft. Low or free of taxes, though that's often made up in part by bribes. They also have a business travel interest for those needing fast, sometimes international travel. Or discrete smuggling.

The Agency's medicinal branch is still going strong, especially overseas, with daytime production helping meet shortfalls in affordable medications in less developed countries. They've gained international acclaim for this. Their nighttime production, of course, brings in much more money, though production is lower. Synthetic opioids, narcotics and other designer drugs, on top of experimental drugs and those otherwise banned due to their "questionable" uses - are all made and distributed.

Of course, all these lines need people. People who won't talk. And while there are some exceptional hires at the top, Addison has one other division that makes a very useful, very profitable product - clones. What good are small arms, tanks and planes without people to use them? Why risk someone telling your rivals or law enforcement about illegal drugs - or trying to find someone to smuggle them? Why let those human rights violations and war crimes get traced back to you? The Agency can tailor clone batches for your - or their - own use. They're great at getting rid of evidence - even of themselves - being the source of "ghost army" rumors that pop up in some warzones.

The Clones

Military

Many of the military lines aren't named lines. They are meant, in general, to be the "faceless legions" - often almost literally. They can do everything from guard duty to maintenance to flight, whatever gets programmed into them at creation. They're often given the minimum of everything, essentially genderless and often looking "faceless" or "melted," with just enough to equip required gear to receive orders and carry out missions.

More advanced models meant to lead the base clones look more human, as they have to interact with human commanders, and have the option of some initiative to handle battlefield changes, but still just take orders. Their personality and creativity is limited and they're often described as being "like talking to a seven year old" - albeit a seven year old that can handle any weapon programmed into it.

Still more "advanced" models can be tweaked for special operations - including terror, with heightened aggression. These often are set to self-terminate, dying and literally melting into nothing after brutalizing a target population.

Industrial

Typically a tougher line, industrial clones are brought in where you can't - or don't want - civilian workers. By default, they're not smart, but will work without complaint. If they're injured on the job or the job itself would be fatal, just order a replacement. The Agency uses these for their own clandestine production. There are a few named lines.

ANDI - A "brute," with somewhat limited mental capacity, this is one to order when you just need muscle. Very popular in mining and heavy labor operations. Can be produced as male or female formed.

CARL - usually an equipment operator and mechanic, slightly more expensive than Andi.

LORI - Female, with enhanced eyesight and dexterity for laboratory type work, or sometimes delicate electronics. Teams of Loris working 24/7 may be behind some of the clothing you wear, too.

Medical

There are a few standard lines, but they're essentially blank templates of (typically) human male and female bodies of various races. The benefit comes from human testing before it's been authorized, making later "official" trials go well, and from not having to simulate diseases (either ones you want to cure, or ones you need a target to infect) for research. You need someone to get cancer, you can order it and trigger it as needed. No payoffs, and no disappearances for authorities to discover and start tracking down while important scientific work gets done.

Entertainment

Probably the most frequently ordered, the entertainment lines can be ordered as one-offs or in batches. They're ordered for special events as arena or other bloodsport fodder, as servants, something pretty to hang off a rich person's arm for an event or to satisfy desires in a back room - and not have to pay off later. These have some short, pointlessly brutal lives, even compared to other clones.

Known lines include:

ANDI: With some modification, also popular here.

BUNNI: Tall, blonde, short memory before she resets - she won't remember a thing done within half an hour, and heals quickly.

CANDI: Shorter redhead. Very popular demo model for what the Agency can bring.

GRACE - a one-off demo model which was used heavily for blood sport and after-arena 'entertainment,' stolen by an employee (later terminated) who's become a problem - model no longer available.

JESTER: A more direct "entertainment" line, she tries to be the life of the party or the stage. Low-level psionic ability keeps attention on her instead of what else might be going on.

Custom

Blends of the lines can be made at request. For instance, a few dictators have gorgeous "ceremonial guards," attractive amazons who guard them. While considered showy, these expensive custom orders are gladly provided and theoretically 100% loyal to their owner... though they often feed information back to the Agency. The agency will also "stepford" a target - either making a more compliant partner you can't otherwise get rid of, or doing so without the target's consent to force a policy or legislation through that's favorable to the Agency.

Internal lines

Addison, of course, has his own use for his clones. He'll sometimes use them as bait or gifts. Several politicians, for instance, suddenly have children thanks to him, or have family who "miraculously" had perfect organ donor matches. Agency security forces are headed by some of his most trusted human bosses, but made of heavily of enhanced clones. And of course the Agency's own research continues.

See Prinzeps for an example of line development of a model meant for small unit integration for special tactics.

Arrest and ... death?

The Agency's activities did not go unnoticed, and Robert Addison personally became a very wanted man, despite his desire to hide in the shadows. In February of 2000, he was finally seized in a raid on a terrorist stronghold and extracted along with the terrorist leader. He was placed in an above-max security facility designed for dangerous metahumans, literally dropped in the deepest hole in France to await his trial as multiple nations argued over who got a piece of him first and for what.

While they argued, Addison sat and waited, professing always to have just been a businessman and not knowing what the "fuss" was over.

In late 2000, Robert Addison was found dead in his cell due to cardiac failure. The autopsy showed the scars he'd obtained through life, traces of old broken bones that had healed - enough for most nations to agree this was actually Robert Addison, dead and deserving it.

However, the Agency is still going strong, and rumors of sightings of Robert Addison continue... Including at Lane-Oliver Research and Design, which appears to just be an unfortunate lab tech who looks somewhat like him.

Notes

For once, a character and piece of music just clicked. Robert's "theme," not that he'd pick one - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mGSMZYmCv4 Umbrella Corporation.