Welcome to Gaia! ::

Name: Leandro Guerra
Age: 31
Appearance: Leandro is a tall Spanish man, standing evenly at 6'2". While he is solidly built, he does appear slender for his height. His skin appears naturally tanned, and his black hair is kept in a neatly-kept buzz cut. Thick eyebrows adorn an overhanging brow, the bridge of his nose jutting strongly forward before hooking down. His cheeks slope into a narrow jaw, making his head seem strangely top-heavy.

Apparel: Leandro likes to wear conservative but comfortable outfits. When in a professional setting or even enjoying time off, he's known to wear a suit, usual in blacks and grays. Instead of a button shirt, however, he'll usually wear a form-fitting turtleneck under his jacket. Even in field situations not requiring a uniform, he'll wear a pair of black slacks, dress shoes, and one of his turtlenecks (he's got them with long and short sleaves.).

Skills: Leandro is, first and foremost, a demolitions expert. He is familiar both with the inner workings of architecture, and the explosives that brings architecture to its knees. In terms of combat, he is proficient with standard firearms, but nothing special. He has persued karate recreationally, and has reached the level of 8-dan in Shotokan style. He speaks English and Spanish.

Cybernetic enhancements: Leandro has the standard cyberbrain network adaptor, as well as ocular enhancements allowing to see a wider spectrum than the usual eye. This enhancement can release certain types of radiation that allows Leandro to see the chemical tags lacing most explosives, as well as X-rays that allow him to see the supports under most structures. Unfortunately, when his eyes are set to this level of detection, he stands out on most sensors that extend beyond the range of visible light. He also has a minor enhancement to his brain specifically designed to carry out high-speed geometric calculations, allowing him to quickly size up a structure's integrity (and how to bring it down).

Previous job / awards: Three awards of recognition in the field of architecture as the Head Architect for Manabu Seido, Ltd. Two commendations for work in the field (one construction, one demolition) as an Officer in the GA.

Brief history and personality synopsis: Leandro was born to a well-off Spanish family, and his upbringing had a heavy emphasis of logic. He entered school early, and skipped half of high school. He graduated from the renowned Carter City University, and thanks to his family connections, was soon given a cooshy job with Manabu Seido, Ltd. A company that dabbled in a little bit of everything, he headed up a number of innovative building projects, and his talent was soon highly-touted within the private sector.

A sizeable portion of Leandro's education was spent in boarding schools, and there he was taught hard moral values that his parents never took the time to teach him. Leandro, with his backing in science, developed a sense of justice rooted in logic. The MS company was many things, and one of these things was corrupt. Leandro turned a blind eye to this aspect of his employer at first, but soon came to despise the inneficiency caused by the corruption. After several years of sticking with the company, he finally quit. With his qualifications, he was certain he'd find a new position in no time.

What he didn't take into account was the sheer amount of clout held by Manabu Seido. Seido wanted Mr. Guerra's work under the MS name, and he saw to it that no positions opened up to Leandro. The best Leandro could manage was a low-ranking position with a small demolitions company, and given his knack, he excelled in bringing buildings down as much as he did in building them up. He spent the better half of the next decade learning the ins and outs of the various explosives used in the demolitions field.

He was approached with an offer from the GA about four years ago, when violent activity from the many superpowered dwellers of Gaia started to rise. They wanted someone with top-notch skills to back their structures, making them more secure, as well as someone who would give them better access to opposing defenses. Leandro was promoted quickly, aided largely by his organized and logical approach to... well, everything.

With the new opportunity afforded to him by his high rank, he saw a chance to create a new balance. Eager to put things to order as he saw it, he joined up, accepting along with his new position the cybernetic enhancements that would make him that much better at his job.

Leandro is highly organization-oriented. He seeks order in everything, including his demolitions. Destruction is part art, part science, and he takes it very seriously. The quest for order is also what brought him to his study of karate.

Name: Alexander Xavier Edwards

Age: 25

Skills: Expertise in public speaking/mass comm, negotiation, media relations, basic law, black belt in aikido, personal training, internet surfing, post cognitive narcolepsy. He still got his 3 point shot as well.

Appearance: Standing a little over six foot his frame would be considered stocky with chiseled features. His skin is lightly tanned with short black hair and a slight five oclock shadow. Overall this makes him look a bit older than he actually is, especially when he speaks in a cool, husky tone with a slight accent. His eyes, although cybernetic are made to look natural and are chocolate brown in color.

Clothingwise, he always 'dresses for success'. Despite being a cop, he's fairly charming and friendly which draws reporters (female) to him, thus living somewhat of a minor celebrity life... and enjoying it without becoming overly damaging to his repuation. His involvment in charities for kids, sporting events, and victims only boosts his popularity.

Cybernetic enhancements: Internal regulator (this includes body temp... never caught with wet armpits, oxygen extraction for that needed endurance, blood pressure/clotting, sugar levels, adrenaline release, pretty much a long list of common medical readings), Optical package (includes time, short/long range vision, recording and playback, the internal regulator readouts, night and thermal vision), Lie detection sys (combination of senses gather information on likelihood of whether someone is telling the truth).

Previous job: Throughout his years of learning criminal justice in college, he worked as a 'calendar model' and was a member of the men's basketball team.
A combination of a 4.0 GPA at graduation and excellent work in the lab and field raised eyebrows and brought attention to him. (Having the DA's teenage daughter have a major crush on you might help too...)

Otherwise he spent a lot of time working at his parents seafood restaurant back home.

Brief history: Nothing really extrodinary or exciting happened while growing up, for the most part he was raised as a normal, moderate view, only child by two loving parents who reside Santa Monica, California. From an early age he always wanted to be a cop, mainly in part to television's glamourization of the profession. (Yes, CHIPS was one of his favorites which is why he rides a motorcycle even now.)

Prior to cybernetic enhancement, he was on medication for narcolepsy. While asleep, he would occasionally relive a moment in the past, usually within a week which his subconscious would note some small detail he had missed. (Whether he realized it or not varied depending on what was going on at the time.) Other than that the only other problem he's had is a slight addicition to drinks, not alcohol per se but mainly various juices up to a gallon a day.

He believes in justice with balance since he feels every situation is conditional, thus warrants specific consideration. However, he has less tolerance for people who constantly abuse the system and moreso for those who feel they are above it. Thus, these individuals is the reason that motivates him to drop the AXE.

Age: 27
Appearance: Egyptian skin tone and facial structure. Lanky. Short, spiky black hair. Multiple earrings in left ear. Usually wears a gender neutral charcoal suit underlain with a white ruffled shirt.
Skills: Network applications (i.e. hacking), research, data analysis, sensor operations
Cybernetic enhancements: E-brain, ocular implants (along with IR/starlight/MADscan sensor package, this includes a camera mode which can write still images and short videos to internal memory or an external unit)
Previous job / awards: Research specialist with the GPD's investigative unit; three commendations for exceeding department requirements and general excellence, and two citations for violation of dress code.

Brief history & personality analysis:
Most of Kory's young life was spent in the back - the back of the classroom, the back of the bus, the back of the theater, and the back of her parents' attention. Whatever was necessary to stay out of the limelight. Zhe did quite well as far as grades, and zir long practice with introversion made zir well-suited for research projects. Which, in turn, opened up an internship with the GPD in zir senior year of high school as a research assistant.

Kory was selected for induction into the GPD, with an offer for fully-paid training in investigation and research for the department. It would require attendance at the police academy - no hope of anonymity there - but would guarantee zir a spot in the investigative branch, and was almost as good as a pass to any job zhe wanted. Upon zir graduation with minor honors, zhe chose to take an open slot as director of investigative research at one of the GPD's slower precincts.

Of course, being in Barton's upper-crust district meant Kory had to deal with some of the more socially conservative coworkers the GPD had to offer. Zhe had to endure such remarks as, "Why don't you just pick one? It's stupid that I should have to learn a whole new set of pronouns just because you want to be different." And then there was the classic slack jaw when someone new found out about zir intersex state, often followed by such gems as, "So, do they both, y'know, like, both work? Both sets? Y'know?"

But Kory didn't want to be known as the lawsuit magnet, so zhe did zir work, earned zir awards, and told zirself that once zhe climbed the ladder a little higher, zhe would be able to lock zirself in an office and not deal with the outside world. What she hadn't expected was the glass ceiling. Sure, women had made great strides in achieving top promotions. But Kory didn't exactly fit the standard sexes or genders, and so zhe found that zhe was viewed less as a team member worthy of respect and promotion and more as a curious specimen who persisted in coming to work each day.

So when the email came from Senator Iroph, Kory jumped at the opportunity. Zhe even had zir eyes replaced with a sensor suite that had a lovely set of real amethyst iris focii. (Hey, it's not like zhe was planning on using all that retirement money, anyway.)

Name: Riley Trachtenberg
Codename: Spyder
Age: 27
Appearance: Brunette with a pronounced golden-brown highlight, shoulder length hair. 5'6" and athletically built jewish female. Usually dresses in designer clothing.
Skills: Navy SEAL training, excels in infiltration. Has the ability to read sign language, read lips, and can read, write, and speak in a dozen different languages. She can also 'read' vibrations. Riley is a decent hacker as well, though not a "Class-A".
Cybernetics: Since joining Department 5, Riley has set about creating a sizable information network tied to her, for Department 5's use. To faciliate this, Department 5 has provided a top of the line cyberbrain, enhanced tactile sensors in her hands and feet, and a 'Geordi LaForge' style interface system to allow her the use of external imaging equipment. The cyberbrain comes with all the abilities you'd expect from a computer-as-a-brain, including recording capabilities (all senses), macro creation, pattern recognition, speech translation, computer interface, and more... all backed by a 4 layer firewall system.

Department 5 also gave Riley a sizable fund for use in developing her information network. She has used this to purchase 12 decots (decoy robots) which have been secreted in 12 safehouses strategically placed throughout Gaia. These decots are remote-presence operable, meaning that Riley can operate these as if they were her own body, 'downloading' her essence to the machine at the cost of not being able to operate her own body for the duration. All of them have individual names, and have advanced combat software that does the fighting for her. Two of these decots are 'shell decots'...that is to say they are wearable. One is a male made as intimidatingly as possible with a herculean physique and obvious signs of cyberization, the other a matronly and rotund woman with apply cheeks, an apron, and a rolling pin. All the rest are beautiful ("hey, why not?") women positioned in various walks of life...including one that she has managed to station as the IT Security Chief for a major satellite imaging and GPS positioning corporation. (this one required the assistance of D5's best hacker.) Each decot's job, if they hold one down, is selected for its information value and the ability to cover for frequent absences. The money made from these decots' salaries goes directly back into funding the solidification of their identities, such as the purchase of secretary robots, housing, vehicles, and clothing. (Riley was sorely tempted to use the salaries for her own life, but realized she'd lose the value of these personas if she did that...so Riley still has to live in her tiny apartment.)

Optical Gear: Riley's optical gear has two forms: stylish sunglasses and rugged military-grade gear. They include Night Vision, MADScan, IR, barcode, RFID, 'X-Ray', Circlevision Visor, Netdive Interface, and binoculars. These optics are powerful, requiring more space than could fit in the eye sockets.
Natural enhancements: Riley is a mutant. She has glands on her illium that secrete spidersilk, which is distributed in a mesh-like pattern all over her subdermal tissue. The spidersilk is additionally anchored along her illiac crests, and end at two small openings in her lower back flanking her spine. She can pull these non-sticky threads out, and has developed a trick where she leaves a strand of silk behind, and feels the vibrations along it to gather auditory information long after she's left the area.

Not-So-Brief History and personality synopsis: Riley is addicted to the high life. Fine wines, expensive cars, top brand name merchandise, designer dresses. Unfortunately, Riley also can't afford the high life. She certainly makes enough money to live very decently thanks to her D5 salary, but decently doesn't include beluga caviar, a personal chef, or a rack of the finest in wines. Not to mention that Porsche GT Carrera she rides around town in. So instead, Riley lives in the extremes. Fine-wine-with-instant-ramen lunches, gourmet dinner and wine (served by her personal chef) eaten on a TV tray in her cramped studio apartment. On her cheap but brand name answering machine (It's a Sony! That's a good name!) are daily messages from her dear old mom, demanding to know when she's going to settle down and give her grandkids. (And did you know that babies born to women under 30 live longer lives?)
But Riley isn't interested in that quite yet. Kids are for women who stay at home...and Riley has too much of adventurer in her blood to sit back and change diapers. Since the Dawn Of Time, Riley had been a tomboy. She was hanging off trees in her parents' front yard, scuffing her knees chasing down a baseball, or playing arcade games in the local pizza joint at any given day in her childhood. With her family being poor, these activities were usually punctuated by meals sponsored by Lunchables or Oscar Mayer. ("Good, upstanding brand-names", claimed her mom.) While these brandnames did do a very decent job, especially with Kraft Singles added to the occasional sandwich, the pre-teenage pallette starts to yearn for something more than coldcuts. And so when her high school 'buddy', Marissa Townsend, invited Riley over to her cousin's graduation party held at a ritzy restaurant, it was love at first bite. Unable to read French, Riley had literally randomly pointed at something on the menu: Gratinée de Coquille St Jacques. The food was so good, she nearly cried. If anything, she wanted to taste this food again, and eat it every day.
Riley did the research she could. First, she seriously began studying French. Second, she realized very quickly that her wardrobe didn't hold anything in it that would be suitable to wear in such a restaurant. T-shirts and jeans were Good, Solid Choices...except if you wanted to have the very best. Money. She needed money. Working for McDonalds was out of the question...now that she'd tasted perfection, the thought of the grease filled air made her gag. Plus, she'd never be able to afford anything on that menu with the wages she'd make there. Retail was regarded, then discarded. Riley needed to make serious money now...and that's when she found the Gaian Navy ROTC brochure. Hrm. It wouldn't get her a lot of money now...but...Foreign Language Proficiency Pay! 5,000 gold per month.... what's basic pay like for an officer? 150k gold salary? That sounds really appealing! Besides, the military sounded like fun.
...Riley's parents didn't take it that well. Their girl, joining the military? Still, that girl was as stubborn as they come, and so they gradually had to give in. So Riley underwent ROTC training while she was in school, and thanks to the scholarship from that training, Riley was able to go to a nice brand name college in Durem, where she majored in linguistics. This education persisted alongside her continued ROTC training, which had specialized at this point to take her down the Special Warfare Officer program. It was definitely the most exciting of the branches she could have taken, and many of the others were selecting that option as well.

Graduation was a double-celebration. Riley Trachtenberg not only got her bachelor's degree, but now also held the rank of Ensign. She had completed her BUDs training (Basic Underwater Demolition), and had survived SEAL training. More importantly, Riley had money...and the Navy meal program was really very decent. Ensign Trachtenberg's SEALs assignments took her to far off Communist Neopia. As the smallest and most agile of her team, she was often assigned the hardest infiltration missions. She began to take pride in this, and pulled off her missions with increasing efficiency. It was around this time period too that her mutant ability to generate spidersilk came into use. Her superiors continued to challenge her with harder and harder infiltration missions, almost always to gather intelligence. Riley developed her 'dancing web' technique here: she'd slip a strand of spider silk close to the conversations she was to monitor, then crawl off to safety where she'd feel the vibrations from the strand the conversation had created.

Riley soon became well known within the SEALs as their best infiltrator, and her information gathering skills were also highly lauded. It was her information that proved key to stopping the illegal exchange of Gaian Gold and Neopia Oints, and her actions that revealed the threat of Neopia's WMD, the TC:G (aka the Trans-Continental: Gaia) nuke. Before ending her tour of duty with the SEALS, Riley had garnered the Gaian Navy Distinguished Service Medal, the DoD Distinguished Service Medal, the Purple Heart (where Navy surgeons discovered Riley's secret, and where Riley's question of whether her spidersilk could stop a bullet was answered), the Neopia Campaign Medal, and the Gold War Victory Commemorative Medal.

Riley left the SEALs only after being approached via email by Senator Iroph. The pay increase and the job description intrigued her, the top of the line cybernetics lured her over, and the prospect of citylife (where fine wines and restaurants dwelt) sold her.