Post by Annalise Thergo on Oct 28, 2019 10:34:35 GMT -6
“I know always that I am an outsider; a stranger in this century and among those who are still men.”-H.P. Lovecraft
☆Personal Information☆
Full Name: Annalise Auria Thergo
Nickname(s): Anna, Anne, Thergo. In the lab, she went by Project 5.
Age: 65. She appears to be in her 20’s.
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Ethnicity: White
Orientation/Sexual preference: Heterosexual
Blood Type: Type O.
☆Appearance☆
General Appearance:
Height: 5’6”
Weight: 120 lbs.
Eye color(s): Brown.
Body build: Lean and fit.
Hair color(s): Black.
Hair style: Short and layered.
Complexion: Sun-kissed.
☆Personality☆
General Personality:
Annalise knows right from wrong in accordance to what society and what prominent religions have to say, and she abides by them as best as one can. However, despite what she knows and accepts, if Annalise had to make a choice that could come with emotional or moral conflict, she is capable of shutting herself off in order to make the difficult decisions without remorse. If it has to be done, then it must be done.
In tense situations, Annalise is more than capable of keeping her cool and seeks to deescalate a situation before taking action that could add to the problem. Peace should come first, but if peace cannot be obtained, then violence is the last resort.
In a social situation, the environment dictates how she will behave, but one can count on her being reserved and more of the listener than the contributor. She would rather find out more about the person sitting across from her than them finding out about her. Annalise is the sort to make someone feel like they being listened to, and asks questions.
Most prominent personality trait: Calm.
Best traits: Determined, intelligent, remains calm in a stressful situation, adapts, insightful, and observant.
Worst traits: Her honesty can irk people as she does not seek to sugar coat things.
Likes: Minimalist lifestyle, coffee (exceedingly), camping, solitude, food (excessive amounts of it), cooking, reading (especially H.P. Lovecraft or authors of a similar style), and creating jewelry.
Dislikes: Messes, people wasting things, egotistic or indecisive individuals that won't help themselves, and being forced into conversations.
Fears: Succumbing to madness, losing her grasp on reality, and what awaits on the "other side."
Goals: Live a fulfilling life.
Habits: One of Annalise’s vices is rum.
☆Character Information☆
Current faith or religion: None.
Current superstitions/quirks: None.
Alignment: Neutral.
Marital status: Single
Occupation: She sells jewelry online under an alias, Garnets Galore, and polishes gems, which she sells online as well. She also goes to estate sales for rare items that won’t take up too much space in her van, restores them as best as she can, and sells them off.
Family: None that she knows of or bothers to discover.
☆Power/Abilities☆
Powers and Abilities:
+ Fast Healing: Annalise is capable of healing most wounds, both minimal and fatal, at a fast rate. However, after a certain point, she must consume something of caloric value in order to keep this ability going. The act of healing requires energy, and energy has to come from somewhere. If she does not eat, her healing abilities will become sluggish, and wounds have the potential to become fatal. If she loses a limb, she can reattach it, but this act alone requires a large amount of calories for it to reintegrate to her body.
+ Increased Strength: Annalise is quite a strong individual, but this has limitations. For instance, she cannot lift an 18-wheeler, but she can lift some of it, i.e., just enough for the wheels in the back to be, at most, ¼ inch off the ground. If she were to force herself past that, this could result in tendon, muscular, and bone damage, thus requiring her to intake calories to heal.
+ Fast Reflexes: Annalise’s reaction time allows for her to get out of harm’s way, to catch something, or to counterattack swiftly.
+ Enhanced Senses: Annalise’s sense of sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch are amplified, but she can enhance one over the rest. There is a risk in doing so as this can result in an overload if she is not cautious. For example, if she amplified her hearing and fired off a gun, the results would be quite unpleasant.
+ Who Goes There?: This is a minor version of Embracing Entropy and much more focused. Annalise can instill discomfort in individuals one by one for a short span of time. This ability amplifies paranoia and overloads the fear response in the brain, inducing panic. When this is cast, people could start hallucinating or hearing things that would distract them, but what is seen or heard is left to the recipient's overactive mind. The most she can inflict within a minute is four, after that, she has to let her mind rest for a short while.
+ Embracing Entropy: A power she obtained from experimentation gone wrong, Annalise has the capacity to unleash horrific illusions upon minds within a 50 ft. radius, maximum. What one sees in the fog is entirely up to their own minds, which become their own worst enemy if they are not steadfast. The more someone believes what they see, the more it will affect them both physically and mentally, and the less they believe, the more misshapen illusions become and the voices become quieter. Those outside of the ability will see an ominous fog that lowers visibility to minimal levels. [Note: This ability had only been used once. Documenting this for future RPs if this ends up being used.]
Skills and Talents:
+ Jewel Crafter.
+ Survival in the wilds.
+ Sharp shooter.
+ Fast learner.
+ Adapts quickly.
+ First Aid knowledge.
Equipment:
+ Combat knives.
+ Throwing knives.
+ Two Glock G20 10mms
+ First Aid Kit
+ Protein bars
☆History☆
Current residence: In a grey van she modified for living in to allow for travel.
Birthplace: New York, New York.
Memorable Figures: Eliza, a nurse who helped her escape the lab and gave her a chance to live a life that was as normal as one in her position could obtain.
General History:
Entry 1:
Project 5, otherwise known as Annalise Auria Thergo, has been dubbed to be a lost cause by the doctors. The girl is a cocktail of neurological deficiencies and developmental shortcomings that have resulted in her family losing nearly all of their livelihood. Project Nine has seizures, atrophied muscles, and a mental blockade that hinders communication. She can only communicate via a screen with images to convey what she needs or wants, and even then, it is sometimes unclear. The seizures exhaust her, and a lack of exercise has made her sluggish. The child was seized by the government now that the parents could no longer care for her, and that is where I chose to step in. There is always a used for a genetically modified individual, and seeing that this child is going to die young, I may as well give her a second chance in life.
I am nothing if not generous.
Entry 2:
We began administering injections for the past month and we are seeing signs of improvement in her cognitive and neurological reactions. She is making eye contact and responding to simple inquiries. Physical therapy has been initiated and her motor skills are recovering nicely. The nurse practitioner, Eliza, is providing emotional support to Project 5, and taking the time to teach her how to read and write. The child’s mind is sharp and she is catching on quickly. We expect her to further recover from here.
Entry 3:
The injections have proven to be more successful than I anticipated. Project 5 has become stronger, and her mind moves at an alarming rate. Her reflexes are faster than what the human eye can follow, her strength makes the other scientists uneasy, and her mind is faster than anything I’ve seen. I wouldn’t dub her a genius, and she is certainly nowhere near the rest of us, but she is observant and quick to catch on. My hopes of making something extraordinary with this broken child are beginning to see the light, but more must be done to ensure she is what I envision. We have to be wary of what we say around her. She must not know of our plans. It is best to keep children in the dark.
Entry 4:
Project 5’s senses have mutated and improved. She can hear through our thick glass and steel walls so we had to take our conversations farther and farther away with the passing months. We found the best solution to tune her out is to play loud music and speak in hushed tones. Eliza is useful in keeping Project 5 calm, having taken on a motherly role for the child. I disliked the notion at first, but as long as she can keep Project 5 under control, I will table this.
Two scientists quit today. I had no choice but to dispatch them. No one must know of what I’m doing here, not until I am done. My vision must be made whole before the world knows of my hard work, and I won’t let some scientists who lost their spine ruin this for me. Keeping Eliza out of the know would be difficult since she has access to much of the facility, but I have my ways keeping things to myself.
Perhaps, those spineless imbeciles could be useful…
Entry 5:
I began pushing Project 5’s physical capabilities. I’ve sent her through obstacle courses in a room dedicated to such tasks, and I upped the requirements each and every time she passes. Project 5 seems to enjoy this pastime or she is making me think she is. Regardless, the more I test her, the more satisfied I am with the results of my work.
Some of these tests require Eliza’s absence as she has grown quite fond of my little experiment. Fondness is tolerable, but I have to keep a closer eye on her. The two whisper to each other when they think I’m not looking, but I know better. She won’t take Project Five from here, and Project Five is not a substitute daughter for her to coddle. I will make sure she does not spoil things for me, and if need be, I will eradicate her myself.
I used failed viruses to drive the scientists into madness to test Project 5’s capabilities in a combat situation. She did not want to hurt them and she pled with me to put them back in their cages, but once they attacked, the girl reacted with lethal proficiency. It was bizarre watching her make the switch to accepting that self-preservation had to be a priority. The girl did not mourn her choice, not at all.
This behavior is a boon and a curse. On the one hand, she could take on a mission and do what must be done without emotional conflicts weaving its tangled web, but on the other, what is to stop her from turning her back on me, her father, for all intents and purposes? I gave her a new life, a better one, and there is a part of me that fears ungratefulness will give way to spite.
My concerns aside, I have heard rumors of life being mutated by an anomaly that few could explain, but it harbors potential for my vision. I must get samples of this, expose it to my program, and test it against Project 5’s DNA. If it is acceptable, I shall consider this the next step in her evolution. Perhaps this will solidify things. Perhaps this will be what it takes to ensure her utmost loyalty to me and me alone.
Entry 6:
The mutated genetic material I acquired holds potential beyond my imagination. It bonded itself to strands of Project 5’s DNA and altered it at a level I do not yet understand. I need to investigate this further before applying it to Project 5. The last thing I want to do is unravel years of hard work.
Project 5 and Eliza have been spending more and more time together, and I am considering cutting time off between them. Project 5 cannot see her as being more significant than I! Project 5 is my creation! All this Eliza does is maintain her physical health and give her distracting material. I’ll start setting up a schedule to lessen their contact. She will not ruin this for me!
Entry 7:
Further testing is giving me hope. I took various tissue and blood samples from Project 5 and the results continue to amaze me! Never in all my years have I seen such a harmonious unity. I believe now more than ever that Project 5 is ready to ascend. The other scientists think I am mad. Hah! Crazy am I? I will show them all that Project 5 is just the beginning. I have more subjects within my sight that I will take on, and Project 5 will help me with this once she is perfected. Soon, all shall know of me, and all shall demand my research! They will see. They will all see!
Video Surveillance:
A girl no more than 17, perhaps older, is strapped to a table, and scientists are seen hovering about her taking her blood pressure, taking blood samples, and monitoring her heart rate.
The video skips ahead to Dr. Heisenberg administering an injection to the girl’s IV. The fluid is noted to be a deep burgundy.
The video skips sometimes. The scientists are in different areas throughout the time noting her vital signs, taking blood pressure, and taking notes on their pads. The girl begins to look uncomfortable and squirms on the table.
Another skip and the girl is struggling against her bonds. The scientists try to calm her down, and Dr. Heisenberg tries to talk to her, but his face is obscured.
The video skips again, and the room is clouded in a black fog.
Audio is fragmented, but one can hear distorted screaming. The camera abruptly cuts out.
--
Project 5, Entry One:
From the moment I felt that concoction stream into my veins, my world changed. I saw into an abyss that no human mind should ever venture to, and well beyond it. No matter how far gone a mind can be, it should never go past the threshold, it must never know what lies past our understanding. I felt myself drift far into the cosmos and to a realm where I am but the tiniest insect in the face of an insatiable god.
“The Old Ones were, the Old Ones are, and the Old Ones shall be. Not in the spaces we know, but between them. They walk serene and primal, undimensioned and to us unseen.”
I saw them in their splendor, towering over me in the farthest reaches of the universe where they dwelled. I quivered in their presence, fell to my knees, and felt the madness pull me under until I could scarcely take in a breath. I heard their whispers, their beckoning, and their honeyed promises. Give in, they crooned, but instinct cried out for self-preservation. Was it all but an illusion? I know not. Next thing I knew, I awoke in Eliza's arms, shivering, panicking.
All, save for Eliza, had perished. When I asked her what happened, she told me that a strange fog had covered the lab, and she heard the scientists screaming inside. I looked to their bodies. Some looked to have been torn apart and others were physically unharmed.
Eliza had introduced me to H.P. Lovecraft some time ago, and I attached myself to those stories with an unhealthy obsession. My mind must have leeched to those stories that fascinated me and were made manifest. That must be the logical conclusion. The Old Ones are not real; they have never been. Right?
Project 5, Entry Two:
Eliza smuggled me out of the lab and to her home, a small house on the outskirts of New York City. Why she chose to work for Dr. Heisenberg is well beyond my comprehension, but with his demise, she was left in a predicament.
On the subject of difficulties, controlling the new powers I had obtained from those injections was tedious. My mind would waver, and I could hear those whispers. It was a cacophony of indecipherable hisses that left me sweating and panicking. Eliza was a great help in bringing me back to the present and figured out a means to keep me grounded. She found a locket that plays a chime called the Blue Danube Waltz. Should I begin to feel myself slip away, I only have to open it, and the melody would bring me back from the brink.
I do not know what I would do without her.
Project 5, Entry Three:
Learning how to interact with others is difficult.
Eliza began taking me outside of the house and introduced me as a cousin whom she chose to adopt. The ploy worked, but people don’t know what to do with me. Introductions and basic conversations are simple, but beyond that, I am at a loss. I am incapable of relating to these people. None of them were in a lab subjected to genetic therapies. Dr. Heisenberg seemed hell-bent on eradicating enough of my humanity to make me a tool, and to some degree, he succeeded.
I would never be like these teenagers who’s only fear is passing school, being liked by their peers, and figuring out who they would marry. Their concerns were valid to them, and I was envious. They had a childhood, families, and their share of drama, and I would trade anything to experience those.
If wallowing in self-pity could solve all problems, I would choose to be neck deep.
Annalise Thergo, Entry Four:
Eliza insisted that I start my entries with my name rather than my number, to which I agreed. Dr. Heisenberg has been dead for years, and it is time I accept my birth name.
It had been some time since I last heard the whispers, and through patience and diligence, Eliza's techniques to stop me from relapsing into panic from what I saw years ago were working. She believes that denial isn't healthy. She thinks that there was some truth in what I saw, and that I had to interpret it differently or try to understand it, but I choose not to. I only saw all of that once, and I carry both hope and doubts that it would happen again. It was the drugs that the doctor gave me--it had to be.
I began to notice something that has disturbed me. Eliza is aging, the teenagers are aging, and I ceased to age. While Eliza developed crow’s feet and smile lines, I remained youthful and frozen. The outside was still, but internally, I felt much older than I should have.
I had accepted some time ago that I was different, and this would remain the case until the end of my days. My only fear is losing Eliza. She was the first person who showed true kindness when it was not a necessity, and when she goes, I will be left with nothing.
I dread that day more than anything.
[The rest of the files are inaccessible.]
Years Later:
Annalise had spent a great deal of time learning new things once it was safe for her to venture outside the house. The once choiceless teenager found a wide array of decisions before her, and she tackled this new path with vigor. What is this? What is that? She had to take things apart and put them back together.
Annalise found her calling in the jewel industry and became an apprentice at a jewelry store. She proved to be a bright and dedicated student to the craft, and in time, became an accomplished jeweler. Once she learned all that she could, Annalise decided to set out on her own. She wanted to see the world, and in the process, pursue her passions. In traveling, she found more gemstones, learned how to apply them to her art, and sold them at Renaissance fairs and conventions.
The death of her adopted mother, Eliza, left her with enough money to purchase a live-in van, obtain items needed to create jewelry, and she set out into the world. Eliza had left her with a wealth of knowledge and connections to ensure she could live out her life in peace, if she so desired. These connections proved valuable, for in time, she had to change her identity and pose as her own daughter. The changing of fashion with the decades made it easy to adopt the new persona.
The birth of the internet made it easier for her to sell her jewelry while maintaining anonymity. None of her frequent buyers knew what she looked like, and she kept it that way. Annalise made a point of not having a footprint on the internet. No Facebook, no Pinterest, etc. All she had was an Instagram account to advertise her jewelry, and even then, she used an alias. Eliza had warned her against giving her information willingly, and she stuck by this advise. As the presence of the internet grew in people's lives, she became more wary about what she submitted online.
The years rolled by. Annalise updated her mode of transportation, made modifications, and continued to learn and grow from experiences.
One day, portals began to open in Kansas City, and the ever curious woman decided to check this out. That was when she met Kazadus after he was publicly criticized for saving a child's life. Annalise found that the two of them had some things in common, such as requiring nourishment to heal wounds. As the two conversed, time stopped, and a mage of some sort appeared before her, asking for her help with Kazadus. The more she learned, the more conflicted she became. Should she lie to maintain this world's wholeness or tell Kazadus what she just learned? Going against her own code, Annalise chose to withhold information, and instead offered advice on taking his time to re-learn himself.
It wasn't entirely a lie. Eliza had taught her much about the mind and how too much at once could cause more harm than good. If he were to go slow, then maybe, this "other half" would be found and destroyed, allowing Kazadus to live the life he desired.
While the two of them wandered the city, Kazadus got a call, and was asked to help at a scene where mutants were attempting a robbery. Annalise was hesitant in participating, but she decided to go against Eliza's prior warnings, and chose to assist. For the first time in her life, she used her abilities out in the open. The fight proved to be difficult, but in the end, they took the trio down.
Celebrations did not last, for the mage appeared before the two of them as the world around began to distort. Annalise tried to process all she was told, but it was just too much to accept. The world was ending? A gate was opened?
Speaking of opened gateways, a portal appeared and began to suck herself and Kazadus into it to an unknown world. Try as they might, they could not avoid it, and they were pulled in! What awaited on the other side was unknown.
