H3x

Junker member of Team Pancakes who owns his own shop in Junkyard. He's aided the New Wells Six on some occasions, and crafted Addie's armor and shield.

## History

### Arc 7: Tracking Liberty

April 19th, after Cassidy's "test", Addie, River, and Gregg were led to a garage with the name "H3x's Hacks". Upon arriving at a side door in an alley, the group was greeted by a robotic arm with a camera on the end. At Cassidy's vouching, they were let in. The group was greeted by lifts propping up mechanical projects, tools lining the walls. Cassidy introduced Addie and River to a stocky man with mostly white hair and a long beard, H3x, putting them forward as new potential clients.

Upon laying eyes on River, recognition dawned on H3x's face, and after confirming her name, he mentioned he'd seen her baby picture a lot. He then properly introduced himself as Xavier, saying he knew River's father. River reacted with discomfort, telling H3x she wasn't dealing with that now and her girlfriend came here for armor. H3x immediately dropped the point, and shifted to helping Addie design her armor, mentioning he'd heard of her and her group's exploits.

During the design process, Addie tried to drag more details out of H3x about River's father. He mentioned Dick stole from their group, something dangerous that they all took an oath to get back. He divulged he knew Dick as a straight shooter, a man who cared a lot about his daughter and wife and worked hard to try and find them. It drove him to do, in H3x's words, "weird shit" to get stronger. Dick always seemed a bit off to him, and after a few drinks one night, he confessed to H3x he was a cold-blooded murderer. He detailed the night he killed the man he thought Anne was cheating on him with, and how he was dragged off to prison after. It seemed to him Dick was a man full of regrets.

During his story, Addie nitpicked he mentioned something about an artifact, which H3x resisted elaborating on. He resisted, that is, until Gregg mentioned he could pet her cat and have her boomerang. H3x folded at the teenager's request and divulged his group had a heavy hitter as a client, and they'd taken some trips through the Hunting Grounds. A puzzle box called the Abyssal Maw contained the soul of a very powerful demon, something that manifested near the beginning of man, and Team Pancakes had snagged the artifact from a cult attempting to open it. And Dick had then taken it and run off. H3x mentioned Dick kept his promises, and he had promised to find River.

River then revealed she'd been listening in, and commented she could readily imagine him running off with the loot. H3x conceded he could have, though mentioned Dick had done a lot of good things. River bitterly asked what kind of hero runs off, leaving his family with his debt and killing a man in cold blood, and H3x went silent. After a pause, H3x told her people aren't perfect, and if Dick was trying to get better, he was willing to forgive him for it. River stormed out of the building, followed by Addie. Gregg stayed behind to ask H3x to fix her skateboard, which he quickly accepted.

A short time later, Choc and Edna found their way to H3x's shop. Choc brings forward a deal for H3x, in working with valuable schematics he'd found. H3x took him up on his deal with interest, and the three worked through the night.

The next day, Addie, Atom, Gregg, Toussaint, River, and Bandage headed to H3x's shop to meet up with Choc. Before the meeting can start, Atom speaks with H3x about an alternate design for Choc's terrifying leather furby spirit, and H3x immediately started helping on the design.

### Arc 8: Redwater

Late April 28th, H3x finished crafting Addie's power armor: the Phallanx MK1. However, she didn't have time to pick up before the NW6 were pulled into a mission.

On the night of April 29th, realizing they were surrounded by Combine forces and attempting to recover a powerful artifact, Dick was urged by the group to call in Team Pancakes for backup. He reluctantly did so, and upon the NW6's arrival at the Redwater air base's surface, Dick's former allies rode in to cover the party. H3x came fully suited in his power armor, fighting off Combine soldiers.

Later, H3x and Team Pancakes assaulted Dick with a flash-bang and rubber bullets while he was speaking to Addie. Not reacting well to being caught in the crossfire, Addie and Gregg drew their weapons while Atom held H3x in the air using his metal manipulation powers. H3x was twirled end over end until Addie and Thomas agreed both sides sheath their weapons, and Atom finally set the man down.

On the way back to Junkyard, Team Pancakes helps guard the nuke the NW6 had found in Redwater.

The same evening, H3x hosts a meeting with Team Pancakes and the New Wells Six. Dick is the first to disclose to their new allies the client he and his people had been working with was Darius Hellstromme. Addie and Atom immediately voiced their distaste for the man, and their disbelief he'd do anything to help their cause. H3x mentioned he'd been looking into Hellstromme's resources, found Hellstromme had a series of still-operational satellites he was using to track Reckoner movements. Or at least, believed Rechoner movements. Addie and Atom pressed the group, and other Richard admited they have no idea what Hellstromme's really doing with the artifacts they fetch for him. Addie asserts she needs answers from Hellstromme, and she and Atom asserted they won't work with him, especially blindly. Addie also established the Bell of Saint Michael, which was recovered from Redwater, will be going to Simon and not Hellstromme, which Thomas and Cassidy only grudgingly agreed to.

During the party's downtime, Addie also commissioned H3x to make a magic shield for her: Aegis, imprinted with the image of a gorgon.

### Arc 9: The Goat, the Witch, and the Warden

On the morning of May 5th, Addie approached H3x to ask him to make a new board for Gregg, since hers was blown up with her truck on the way back to Junkyard. Atom sent over some schematics for a hoverboard idea, and H3x quickly went to work making it.

Before the group could leave Junkyard for Boise, H3x met up with them, hoverboard in hand. He detailed to Gregg about what it could do, told her it was an express order for her, but she had to cut back on being an asshole. Gregg seems confused on what he meant, and Addie mentioned she had a lot to learn about morality, and H3x tagged on she could stand to learn some empathy. He told her to listen to her family, the group she's got, and gave her the board. Addie thanked H3x for backing her attempts to teach Gregg right from wrong before she headed off to Boise with her group.

Addie later returned to pick up her shield from H3x.

### Arc 10: The Summit

A short time before the faction summit in Junkyard, on June 25th, Team Pancakes volunteered to act as a guard for the Library delegation heading into Junkyard's underground. They were to make contact with the moorlocks, the mutated residents of the tunnels beneath the city. While traveling, they were ambushed by hostile moorlocks, mercenary soldiers, witches, and a bear-like creature, and attempted to defend the delegation. H3x fought the creature, a sin-eater, and was forced to retreat. On the 25th, after most of the Librarians and their people were captured, H3x and Essence fell back to protect moorlock civilians while Thomas and Cassidy pushed forward to try and find their enemy's base.

The mercenaries, who were revealed as OPEC soldiers, pushed on their position. H3x and Essence fought back, and were soon met with help by the recently arrived NW6. Together, the two teams captured a handful of OPEC operatives and a witch. Afterwards, H3x attempted to follow the NW6 to the church, but his power armor ran low on power, and he went with Essence to look after the civilians.

After escaping the underground tunnels, H3x put his time into aiding the Union.