Tower

==Background==
Pat van Heughten was a photojournalist in East Timor during its bloody struggle for independence. He was in an armoured United Nations convoy that was attacked by militia. His vehicle was thrown off the road by the force of a landmine and rolled down a slight embankment. The other two vehicles were totally destroyed. When the militia moved to finish their job they discovered van Heughten was the only survivor, but none of the armed men stayed around long enough to finish him. They ran with the fear of marked men, not stopping until they had returned to Indonesian-occupied territory. The stories they told made their leaders nervous, and no more incursions were sanctioned in the following three weeks.
Pat van Heughten was not dead, but he had changed. When the militia peered down the embankment they saw his twisted body and the remains of the vehicle wrapped around his ankle. His legs were as long as a passenger train, his body as big as a hill and his head the size of a temple. It seemed to the militia that they had awoken a demon, but in actual fact they had merely triggered van Heughten's metagene.
When he recovered, van Heughten found himself grown to twenty metres tall. The Australian Army recovered him, but only had him in their care for twenty four hours before he was secretly transferred to a Darwin hospital. While recovering, and at his regular height, van Heughten was approached by representatives of the Murdoch Media Empire. He was hired as an executive producer, transferred to New York, and initiated into the world of Tarot.
As Tower, he has brought immense physical power to the world-wide criminal empire; and as van Heughten he also serves Tarot's interests through his work with Rupert Murdoch.
==Peraonality and Motivations==
Tower is inquisitive and adventurous, which is what initially drove him to become a photojournalist and then an agent of Tarot. He views the world through his camera, keeping distance between him and whatever is going on around him. During times of war he has remained impassive, able to walk through streets of pain and suffering in search of the perfect face to represent the horror.
He sees death and destruction as artistic expression, and although he does not participate in wanton destruction, he does feel a sense of purpose in witnessing it. Tower has shown an interest in the activities of The Blood Red King and Abyss, and secretly wishes to meet them, preferably on a battlefield after the destruction has been wrought.
Tower is a supervillain for the thrill of it all, rather than because of a need for power or riches.
==Quote==
"I embody the reach of Tarot. You cannot escape."
==Powers and Abilities==
Tower is a metahuman with the ability to grow to enormous size. In the past he has reached in excess of 120 meters tall, although his activities as a member of Tarot usually exclude him reaching such levels. In addition to his increased height, Tower's power also grants him increased strength and durability while he's at normal size. This last ability was what drew Tarot's interest and still serves as Tower's trademark. He's as fit and strong as an Olympic gymnast, and somehow doesn't need to work out to maintain that level of fitness.
==Appearance==
Pat van Heughten is a tall man, hardened by his travel and experiences. His face is tanned and weathered which has produced wrinkles that make him look approachable and gregarious. He is neither of these. When he works as an executive producer, van Heughten wears tailor made suits and is never seen dressed-down. As Tower he wears a sleeveless dark red bodysuit with black boots and cowl. There is a crumbling tower motif on his chest, taken from the tarot mythology.
Category:Characters
Category:Australian Characters
Category:Australian Villains
Category:Male Characters
Category:Male Villains
Category:Bricks
Category:Tarot Villains