Theodore Vero, Ph. D.

From the research and personal journals of Dr. Theodore Vero.

4/2/2005 - research entry
Gravity. One of the four fundamental forces of the universe. People think it's so strong, and sometimes I don't blame them. I mean, Gravity reaches for thousands of light-years. It forms the galaxies, and can even manipulate light. But it's actually the weakest. Electromagnetism seems weak, until you go down to a junkyard and watch it defy gravity. The nuclear weak force, the one that aids radioactive decay, is between elctromagnetism and gravity in terms of strength. It has a limited range, but it can also defy gravity. Some scientists theorize that electromagnetism and the weak force are aspects of the same force, dubbed electroweak. It makes sense. Just last century, electricity and magnetism were believed to be seperate. Finally, the nuclear strong force. The only force strong enough to defy electromagnetism. Without it, we'd cease to be. It has a range that is barely a range at all. And thankfully, no hero or villain has been able to manipulate that force. It would be too much power for any one person to have, and they'd be absolutely unstoppable.

That's why I'm here, at the supercollider. I'm studying the forces. To be specific, I'm studying gravity. Searching for the existence of gravitrons. I just need to activate the shielding, start up the supercollider, and I'll finally find them. Years of research boil down to this one moment. I'll either find them or I won't. But either way, science will benefit.

4/4/2005 - mixed entry
I'm in the hospital... why? Oh right, the explosion. A safety malfunctioned, one of the electromagnets failed for a brief seconds, maybe the shields dropped. I don't know what caused it. I'm absolutely parched though. And the water's on the opposite side of the bed.

What? The glass is hovering over to me. It seems that there was more to that explosion than met the eye. It seems I've gained the ability to manipulate gravity. I'll have to experiment with this some more.

4/5/2005 - personal entry
I've discovered a new power after being released from the hospital. I was ambushed by a group of Skulls on the way home, but instead of running, I wanted to stay and fight. I nearly took them all out, but unfortunately, one of their lieutenants, the ones they call "Fallen" was nearby. I saw my life flash before my eyes, but before the killing shot was delivered, a strange green sphere formed itself around, and the bullets simply bounce off of it. I try to use my powers to throw the Fallen against the ground, but I find that they are also blocked by this sphere. Tommorow I'll have to go sign up for my superhero license.

4/6/2005 - personal entry
I have my license now, and the people at the registration office pointed me to the hot zone, where an apparantly rikti-made drug is being used by street thugs to give themselves superpowers. I agree to go there. The police there are doing as good a job as they can, under the circumstances, and I feel this great rush when I arrest my first bad guy. If this is what being a hero is like, I'm glad that supercollider malfunctioned. Tommorow I begin patrolling Atlas Park. Apparently, I'll be dealing with the Vahzilok for the most part.

4/9/2005 - mixed entry
The Vahzilok are extremely misguided. They are apparantly attempting to use science to extend the human lifespan and improve upon the species, yet all they've acheived so far are what some people term "zombies". From what I've seen of them in battle, the term is somewhat accurate. They shamble, they have the most unpleasant odor, and, if one isn't careful, they can rise up from being "destroyed". I've begun to foil some of their schemes, but not all of them. And as a result of exercising my powers, I've gained more ways to use them. I can now hold a foe in place, completely helpless, by warping and twisting the gravity around him, and I can aid a teammate by giving them a forcefield similar to my own, except this one is one way. Unfortunately, I seem to be incapable of creating that one around myself. I still have yet to figure out exactly how I manipulate gravity like this, but I shall in due time.

10/18/2005 - mixed entry
I've taken some time off from heroing to find out exactly how my powers work. I am closer to figuring it out, but I still can't quite fit that last piece in. I have, however, found out what happened to cause the explosion. The supercollider is near the area known as "The Hollows". Apparently, an Outcast bombing of a Troll base nearby caused a brown out, which caused the particles to hit the sides, causing an explosion. I also found out that the explosion injured my research partner, badly. He was released from the hospital yesterday, and will be stuck in a wheelchair the rest of his life. The Outcast and Trolls will pay for this. I'll make sure of it.

10/20/2005 - personal entry
I need to plan better. These outcast and trolls are nothing like the Vahzilok. They plan. All of them plan. I was beaten by a group that I would have been able to take if I'd planned ahead, or brought an ally. I write this as I return to The Hollows, and seek out a party. I have also gained another ability. I discovered it fighting a group of Outcast, when I "threw" a nearby oxygen tank at one of them. I actually manipulated the gravity around it to make it fly at high speeds towards the gang member, but I think referring to it as "throwing" will be easier from now on.

10/24/2005 - personal entry
I have defeated a pair of Outcast gang bosses. Electric Eel, and Bedrock. I also gained the ability to immobilize many foes at once, protecting me from having to engage in fisticuffs.

10/26/2005 - I prevented an Outcast raid on a Troll base, that could have had similar effects to the one that gave me my powers. I also helped a fellow hero take down Frostfire, who apparently rules the Outcasts in The Hollows. I gained a new forcefield to put around my allies. This one gives them protection from elements.

10/27/2005 - personal entry
It seems that Frostfire managed to escape from jail. Looks like I'll be taking it to him in his new base.

10/28/2005 - personal entry
Frostfire is in jail, this time for good, as far as I know. I feel that I've avenged my research partner, and I'll go back to fighting the Vahzilok, whose creations have gotten more powerful. Hopefully, I'll be able to get some of them to reform.

((I had planned on having an update on the continuing adventures of Quantum Ted, but unfortunately, my cohupdater.exe and cityofheroes.exe are both corrupted, so I'm re-downloading them overnight tonight.))

I've met a new type of Vazilok. The Embalmed. They are suicide bombers, without the suicide part. The Vazilok "scientists" considered them flawed creations, and therefore rig them to explode when they approach anything that isn't Vazilok. I discovered this the hard way. While engaging in a battle with the Vazilok, one of my teammates was severely injured, and out of the range of the defenders healing ability. I didn't know how at the time, but I managed to pull him back. I do this by creating a wormhole, through which I "pull" the other hero. Apparently, I can also gain a lot of currency through this new power, as I see other heroes with this ability "taxiing" their fellow heroes about.

Today I reached security level 15. I have learned how to "teleport." It's really a fascinating process. I open a wormhole in front of me, then simply allow its gravity to pull me in and spit me out seconds later nearly 100 yards away. I've seen some heros teleporting even faster, but this is definitely much faster than running everywhere.

I've now been fighting a couple of new groups instead of Vazilok recently. The clockwork, whose appearances are deadly deceiving, and the Council. I've researched the history of this paramilitary organization, and its somewhat intriguing. The Council was once known as the 5th column, an arm of the German Army back in World War 2. They used subversive tactics to attempt to overthrow the US government, although they seem to have become a bit more open in their methods of late. They seem to have a serum that has similar effects to the Superadine that the Trolls use, however it doesn't seem to turn them bestial, but rather to subvert their will to that of their superiors. They will be far tougher enemies to fight due to their organization, far better than that of the Trolls and Outcasts in old Eastgate.

Note to self: Keep better track of updating your journal, Theodore.

((OOC: I know people have been reading this. Please do review.))

Interesting.. good to see someone weaving their game experience with a little RPing. Makes for an interesting read.

((Thanks . Unfortunately, I won't get any play time in today, as I picked up some extra hours at work this morning. So, no new journal entries yet.))