Smoke

## Meta

> "*"Last time we ran into each other, you really Smoked me."*"
> ― Kenneth to Melody, S4E57 Mirrors Don't Lie
>
>

Smoke is the alter-ego of Kenneth Ribald. Concerned about the technology and power that organizations like AEGIS and Bishop held, Kenneth adopted the Smoke persona to steal their technology and secrets in an effort to develop countermeasures. Highly intelligent, Smoke and his illusions should not be taken lightly.

After recent events, Kenneth was appointed as an AEGIS liaison to the Big Team, essentially making him a babysitter that makes sure the team and AEGIS can work together for the better of Halcyon City.

## About

Kenneth Ribaldi is a former AEGIS scientist. With his genius intellect and natural aptitude for the sciences, Kenneth rose through the ranks of AEGIS quickly. During that time, and seeing what his own brother and AEGIS were doing with technology at their disposal, Kenneth found himself becoming increasingly dissatisfied.

Smoke recruited Mirror to help him liberate technology from organizations like AEGIS and Bishop. While partnered together, the pair broke into multiple AEGIS holding facilities, and aided with his knowledge of the organizations inner workings were able to steal significant chunks of AEGIS' collection. Until Mirror's betrayal, Smoke had been stashing all they stole in a holding facility of his very own.

As of Mirror's arrest and subsequent revelation of Kenneth being her partner, he has been in AEGIS custody. Kenneth believes he deserves this, as despite his intentions his methods were illegal. He blames himself for enabling Mirror to do exactly what he'd intended to counter, and is content with dealing with his sentence and other consequences that may arise. He has rejected Big Team's offer to bust him out, not wanting to hurt Sam further or paint a target on the backs of the Big Team.

While he can come off as very serious, and somewhat anarchist in his Smoke person, Kenneth Ribaldi is actually a gentle, caring person. Also quite the nerd, he sometimes has a little trouble gushing out over tech he finds cool. Calm and calculated,  he is very aware of both his own limitations and of the darker implications pushing boundaries with tech can have.

## Appearance

Tall and lanky, Kenneth has the appearance of a man whose body grew tall before he could get completely accustomed to it. Dark, slightly messy hair crown his head, joined by slightly too long but well kept sideburns. While Kenneth appears perpetually tired, his dark grey eyes forever burn with sparks of curiosity.

Kenneth's usual attire consists of collared button-ups, sans tie, and are paired up with dinner jackets and blazers. This look is often finished off with chinos or khakis, though he's been known to wear denim pants quite often.

As Smoke, Kenneth's costume is made up of a dark bodysuit, armored at the chest, shoulders, forearms, and shins in a dull, grey alloy. This look is finished off with a similarly dark formless helmet, often concealed under the hood of his cloak - seemingly made of a material that looks like drifting ash and smoke.

## Powers and Abilities

Unlike his brother, Smoke has the ability to manipulate smoke to various effects. Combined with a suit of his own design, and his intellect, Smoke uses this power to create powerful visual illusions and burning smoke blasts.

### *Smoke Manipulation*

Kenneth is able to manipulate, and to some degree summon smoke. Aided by his suit, this lets Kenneth create deceitfully strong illusions, enough to fool even the most powerful of surveillance technologies. Since the smoke is a physical entity, Kenneth is able to have his illusions physically interact with others. While he prefers not, the smoke can also cause some real damage. It can be heated up to intense degrees, and manipulated in the form of blasts, bursts, and even explosions. Combined with his cunning, Smoke can trap his enemies in elaborate mazes of confusion and deceit.

### *Genius Intellect*

Kenneth is a certified genius, his achievements having earned him a high position within AEGIS. He's the mastermind behind most of the surveillance technology AEGIS uses, and has worked on a number of other technologies the organization makes use of. The suits he and Mirror use were both designed and developed by him.

## Relationships

### Smokescreen

Smokescreen is Kenneth's older brother. The relationship between the two is strained and tenuous, and Kenneth only kept a connection between the two for the sake of his niece, Samantha Ribaldi.

### Samantha Ribaldi

Samantha Ribaldi is Kenneth's niece. After her father was hospitalized and revealed to be the supervillain Smokescreen, Kenneth took over as Sam's guardian. He loves his niece dearly, and the pair shared a healthy relationship until she learned of his own escapades as Smoke. Kenneth will go to any extent to keep Sam safe and happy, and he hasn't forgiven himself for betraying her trust.

### Mirror

Smoke's former partner in crime. While unaware of her true intentions, Kenneth had a lot of faith and trust in Mirror. The pair shared a close bond, something built through the events that led up to their partnership. Kenneth holds himself responsible for not seeing her betrayal before it came, and blames himself for the danger she presents. Maybe deep down he believes she can still be saved. Maybe.

### Whiz

Kenneth and Tiago first met through the work Tiago did for AEGIS. The two build a quick rapport, working together on many different projects for AEGIS. Kenneth sees Tiago as a son, and cares for him immensely. Kenneth had hoped to bring Tiago in on his own crusade, but after Mirror's betrayal, he feels like he's let the boy down. Besides Sam, Tiago is the one person Kenneth is willing to go extreme lengths to keep safe and happy.

### Bolt

Kenneth and Bolt first met through AEGIS' attempt to recruit some of the Big Team as agents. While impressed by Bolt's enthusiasm and spirit, he worries about the boy getting a little too in over his head at times. Despite this, he finds himself caring for the boy and fears that like Sam and Tiago, he might have pulled Bolt a little too deep into something terrible. Also, he loves those robots.

### Cypher

Cypher promised to look after Samantha after Kenneth revealed he would most likely be taken into custody. He's holding her to her word, and trusts her to look after his niece. While he hasn't said it outright, Cypher reminds him of Samantha a little.