Spring-Heeled Jack's Story (Tobyverse)
Atlantis is a truly modern wonder. A technological masterpiece. But it, like all countries, has its dark side. Its capitalist spirit, which has brought so much wealth, can also be a relentless destroyer of men. For those unlucky enough to be caught between the gears, it can be devastating. Ambrose Chase was one such man caught between the gears. A mildly successful businessman, he simply wanted to make money and provide for his family. Unfortunately, this was not to be. Ambrose's wife and two sons were living a good life. Mary Chase was a respected socialite and her two sons were, if not perfect, at least respectable. Quentin was a bit of a hell-raiser, always hanging out with the children of the workmen, but at least he was staying out of serious trouble. And Oliver, his younger brother was an exceptionally quiet and well-behaved child. Then things started to spiral. First Ambrose made some poor business deals. In another time or place, they would have just meant lost profit. In the cut-throat business world of Atlantis, it meant devastation.
He was nearly ruined, his fortunes lost. And Quentin saw it all. He saw how his father's former partners pushed him relentlessly, cutting into their family business with hunger in their eyes. He saw it all as his family was forced into the slums, driven to live in the worst squalor. He saw the damage that corrupt businessmen were doing to the people every day. He saw the wreck of his father's company, the workers with no jobs, the closed up apartments. His father and mother saw that he needed some sort of outlet. And so, through the few connections they had left, they saw that he was applied at Blackwell Academy. And Quentin was accepted.
It was there he found some sort of peace, or at least equilibrium. He threw himself into his studies, spending long hours reading, practicing or chatting with his teachers. He made some friends, but his intensity and drive, exceptional even for Blackwell made it difficult for him to bond with his fellow students. Still, it was at Blackwell that he became the man that he is today. At every occasion he impressed his teachers, but they were worried. Especially David Chess, someone who was particularly close to Quentin. Chess saw the anger in the boy, recognized it as something he had seen in others. Crooks and super-villains, men and women angry at the world. The news that his mother had committed suicide and that his father had passed soon after only exacerbated Quentin's feelings. And even as Quentin came up with new and creative ways to apply himself, Chess feared the worst. But it never came. Quentin Chase graduated Blackwell Academy with honors, having distinguished himself in almost all fields. The faculty had high hopes for him.
And then Quentin Chase returned to Atlantis. He had turned himself into a weapon and an agent for change, and he knew what he had to do. First, he found his brother, who he had remained in contact with. Oliver had proved to be a highly talented tinkerer, especially for such a young teenager, and was currently working with a local machinist. He told his brother of his plan. At Blackwell, they taught you to become a symbol, but work within the system. Bring about change through example. But Quentin Chase didn't want that. He had different dreams, dreams of smashing the corruption that he knew was growing in Atlantis. Its ideals had spoken of business and technology, but not of this. Not this corrupt mockery of the system. And so he prepared. He did endless research and preparation, memorizing routes across the city, studying his opposition, crimelords and corrupt executives alike. He learned of their habits, their employees and their psychology, a subject at which he had always excelled. And then, to complete his guise, he began his studies as a pre-med student. Few would suspect a healer of being what he wished to become, and once he was a doctor he would be able to give back to the community in ways that he would be unable to as his new persona. Then, Oliver unveiled his latest creation. Modified tech-braces and boots that would allow for prodigious leaps and acrobatics across the city, cushioning nearly any fall and lending an inhuman strength to kicks against flesh and materials. At the beginning, those braces were all Quentin had, but as he worked, he gained new resources from his targets, funding his weaponry and gadgets from the spoils he took off his fallen foes.
Today, Blackwell despairs at his behavior, and Quentin is in the midst of terrifying the ivory towers of Atlantis business and the lowest dens of crime as Spring-Heeled Jack, Atlantis's newest vigilante. Talking in a rough, crude accent to mask his origins and wearing an outfit designed to evoke the tales of Jack the Ripper he needs time to fully become a true hero. But for now, he's a terror, fighting the good fight.
Costume: Quentin Chase wears a long opera cloak, and underneath something that approximates a suit of upper-class evening clothes. These are actually reinforced material designed to turn away blades and other weapons and are reinforced with kevlar. He wears a bowler, and hides his face with a pair of large red goggles and a scarf. The goggles have several vision modes, including infrared and nightvision.
Personality: Quentin feels driven to clean up corruption and overthrow what he sees as corruption infesting Atlantis, a claim not without some truth. His reasons for doing so are two-fold. On one hand, he hopes to gain revenge for his family's destruction at the hands of heartless businessmen. On the other, though, he hopes to bring about positive change, serving as the bogeyman to those that would treat their workers cruelly or go to far in the pursuit of wealth. Still young, Quentin has a fiery spirit and thinks he can change Atlantis all by himself. In his civilian persona, he is a quiet, intense young man who is devoted to his studies, likable if not charming. His best friend is his younger brother Oliver, an insufferable genius who nonetheless supports his brother's new activities. As Spring-Heeled Jack, he's a theatrical spook, reveling in putting fear and apprehension into his opponents and striking at them psychologically as well as physically. Only time will tell which side of him will grow stronger.
Powers: Quentin Chase has no super-powers. He is, however, a Blackwell graduate with honors, with all that implies. He is highly trained, highly motivated and highly dangerous, a ruthless and cunning opponent who boasts a particularly mastery of combat analysis, recognizing physical and emotional weak spots that he can push on to gain an advantage. He has also shown a near supernatural ability to weaponize his environment, and his marksmanship with weapons aimed and thrown in impeccable (think a slightly toned-down Bullseye).
Writer's note: Atlantis has problems, and Spring-Heeled Jack is here to illustrate them. It isn't completely corrupt or oppressive, and the Liberals have been gaining more and more power in Atlanetan government. But that doesn't change the problems that are already there. And of course, Batman is one of the inspirations for this character, but he's an reworked version of an old character I came up with for something a bit like this, and I couldn't resist. Plus, who doesn't want a bunch of Batmen running around, right?
