X1

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X1
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## Chronological and political information

### Affiliation(s)

* NoHead Empire
* Order of the NoHeads
* Police

### Masters

The Belligerent
Poe Ledsa (NoHead Masters)* Ronald Koda (police)

**X1** was the name of a clone of the late Dero, the secret apprentice of the Imperial officer Xod and the Dark mutant Dorphane Giles and restorer of the Police Grand Army. When Dero died in 2022, shortly after the formation of the Arcanus, Poe Ledsa presumably endeavored to recreate Xod's disciple by utilizing cloning technologies. He lost contact with his maker, the Belligerent, and befriended NoHead Annabeth Black, which is probably what prompted him to fight in the Second NoHead War.

## Personality and traits

Like the failed clones created by Poe Ledsa, X1 was programmed with the knowledge and skills of Dero via memory flashes. As such, he also inherited a similar personality as his genetic template, although some characteristic traits were more dominant than others. He was initially loyal and subservient to the will of his creator; fearful of failure yet also determined to prove his worth as the successor to the Dark Lord’s original secret apprentice. In spite of his efforts to win Ledsa’s approval, however, the clone was haunted by visions of his progenitor’s life. X1 struggled to focus strictly on surviving his Master’s relentless and unforgiving training regimen, hoping that the motivation to succeed would compensate for the confusion and frustration that he endured due to Dero’s memories.

In California, X1 never questioned his origin as a clone. He fully accepted the explanation for his existence: the original Dero died and he had been created to take the apprentice’s place. Nevertheless, he remained conflicted by feelings of self-doubt and uncertainty regarding his purpose in life. As with the other clones, X1 did not inherit all of the same emotional attachments that Dero possessed by the end of his life. Unlike the first Dero, who had gone to extreme lengths to uncover more memories of his forgotten childhood, all the while developing an affinity for his police allies, the clone spared no feelings for the police or the dead parents of his template. The police’s cause was of little concern to him, and thus he was willing to comply with the Belligerent’s wishes to destroy the insurrection of his former apprentice. Regarding Keeko and Allieano, X1 immediately dismissed them both as irrelevant. They were long since dead, and hence neither mattered to him. After escaping from California, he experienced several visions of the two police parents through Dero’s childhood memories, only to remain uninterested in either of them.

X1, uncertain of everything else, felt absolute certainty in his love for Captain Calypso Pourkarim and NoHead Marauder Annabeth. The Belligerent asserted that X1’s feelings for Annabeth and Pourkarim were artificial; the result of flaws he failed to eliminate from an experimental cloning procedure, and one of many emotional imprints that were randomly distributed into each clone of Dero. It was X1’s sentiment for the Human women that ultimately drove him to desert the Belligerent and, in his deranged state of mind, embark on a single-minded search for Pourkarim and Black.

X1 managed to distinguish himself as a separate individual from his genetic template to a certain degree, as the clone adamantly refused to be acknowledged as “Dero.” In his eyes, the original apprentice’s birth name belonged to a different man, not to the clone who had been created to replace him.

## Powers and abilities

### Powers

* **Mutant Clone Physiology**: X1 retained the powerful mutant connection of his genetic template, advancing quickly thanks to both the Belligerent’s brutal training methods and memory flashes of the original Dero’s experiences. Notably, the memory flashes did grant him knowledge of advanced mutant techniques that he was previously unaware of. It was said that X1 was even more powerful than the original Dero was.
	+ **Telekinesis**: X1’s skills with telekinesis were such that he could catch and crush N-54 fighters in mid-flight. When unleashing telekinetic pushes, he could clear massive areas as everything in front of him was blasted back.
		- **Telekinetic Weapon Proficiency**: Highly proficient at Telekinetic Weapon Proficiency, he would often direct his swords to seek out specific enemies. He was even able to catch or redirect missiles and other ballistics in mid-flight.
		- **Telekinetic Repulse**: Most notably, X1’s telekinetic repulse unleashed sufficient energy to disintegrate enemies within a certain proximity, the only protection against this ability being either heavy armor or advanced mutant abilities.
	+ **Electrokinesis**: X1 proved able to utilize lightning in many unique ways, able to target multiple foes with overwhelming barrages. Like the original Dero, X1 was able to chain lightning attacks into his sword strikes, amplifying his melee attacks with sudden arcs of energy. He also used lightning in a more tactical manner, charging up or shorting out certain types of machinery. As with his telekinetic abilities, X1’s lightning even had the potential to disintegrate targets.
	+ **Mind Control**: One of X1’s unique abilities was a variant of mind control. Unlike mutant police, who used it subtly or to evade notice, X1 would take complete control over his target’s mind, convincing them to attack their allies, or in more extreme cases, jump from high places or into environmental hazards. When he advanced his skills with this ability to their highest level, he was able to control up to three enemies at a time, and when the effects of the Mind invasion wore off, they would physically explode in a sudden burst of Dark energy, an otherwise unheard of ability.
	+ **Emotion Empowerment**: One of X1’s most dangerous abilities was the power to enhance his fury in battle. Upon building up sufficient levels of energy, he would channel it through his body, heavily amplifying his already formidable abilities. His prowess with telekinesis would be boosted to the point where he could seize HEADs and crush them, and then hurl the wreckage as a weapon, all with minimal effort. His blasts of lightning would instantly vaporize foes, and he was able to further amplify it with telekinesis, even redirecting a lightning bolt into an offensive attack. Fury allowed the already powerful X1 to become a nigh unstoppable force of destruction, though its taxing nature meant that X1 could only draw on it sparingly. In the 2050s, he had become capable of drawing sustenance from the emotions or even slowing aging.

### Abilities

* **Master combatant**: X1’s skill as a duelist was such that he could overcome most opponents with little difficulty, with only the Belligerent being able to stand against him for a significant length of time. Riot troopers, Imperial Saber Guardsman, even other Dero clones were no match for him. He was not invincible however, as the Belligerent managed to both disarm him and destroy his weapons during their duel.
	+ **Swordplay**: As was the case with most of the Dero clones, X1 was trained to fight with dual-swords. X1 strongly favored the Svarna and Miinan sword forms, using their dual-blade training regiments to develop his skills, mastering Niiten. In combat, X1 utilized heavily pre-practiced fighting sequences, performing them instinctively while he lapsed into a trance-like state. His bladework was elaborate and highly unpredictable, reinforced by sudden mutant-based attacks that he chained into his sequences. Like Dero, X1 favored the Nimssan-style reversed grip. X1 also demonstrated an aptitude for improvised weapons and disarmament techniques; in particular, he would often deprive riot robots of their staffs and attack them with the weapons. When caught up in the frenzy of fury, X1 would unleash brutal physical attacks against his hapless enemies. Also, while in “Fury mode”, he utilized advanced Telekinetic Weapon Proficiency techniques, throwing his dual-swords in devastating arcs, often striking multiple opponents at a time.

## Possessions

### Weaponry

* **Swords**: X1’s swords were modified versions of the stock swords provided to the clones of Dero. They all featured a transparent hilt that displayed the sword’s energy oscillating within, which was lined by a series of black plates. The activator was a simple red button on a silver ring around the hilt approximately halfway along its length. The emitters on X1’s swords featured a slanted, wrap-around guard that bore design similarities to emitter shrouds, as opposed to the standard emitters on the original stock design. The vast majority of the clones wielded wooden swords, but X1 and other select clones were provided with exoweapons that were made of metal. X1 later replaced the tungsten energizers with a set of copper energizers provided by Ronald Koda.

### Wardrobe

* **Test Subject Garments**: A simple garment provided to all of the clones, his test subject garments were designed to be purely functional. The outfit consisted of simple slacks and short-sleeved shirt, basic boots, all dark colored, topped off by a brighter sleeveless tunic with a low neckline. The shoulders and the waist featured guards or braces composed of a leather-like material. The uniform also appeared to be fire-retardant. X1’s particular set was tattered and threadbare by the time of his escape, due to his heavy training under the Belligerent.
* **Imperial Flightsuit**: X1 evidently found his Imperial flightsuit garment on board the Belligerent’s fighter when he stole the vessel. The outfit was a simple Imperial flightsuit, though X1 notably did away with the helmet and chest-mounted equipment.
* **Hero's Armor**: A garment adopted by X1 just before his and Koda’s rendezvous with the police fleet, his Hero’s armor would become his primary outfit. Consisting of a loose-fitting blue and white bodysuit covered by a long white, sleeveless tunic, the garment featured a utility belt covered with pockets and a segmented, bare-metal breastplate. His wrists and knees were also covered by bare-metal guards.
* **Training Suit**: The clone would also adopt a worn-out training suit that was used by the original Dero.

## Relationships

### Calypso Pourkarim

X1 fell in love with Calypso Pourkarim for all the same reasons as Dero did. Ever since his escape from the Belligerent, X1 began desiring to keep her in his life, to the extent that he started considering the idea of leading the aspiring police against the Belligerent and the NoHeads. He ultimately got his wish to be with her after the Belligerent was captured.

On the other hand, Calypso believed that the clone who sought her out would turn out to be the same hero as the original Dero. Upon discovering a renegade clone of Dero, she was both stunned and elated, believing at first that the secret apprentice had somehow overcome death itself. She was shocked when Torin revealed that the man she saw was just a clone whose artificial feelings belonged to the dead man that loved her. Calypso refused to believe that the clone was anyone else other than the real Dero, mainly out of desperation and desire to believe that Dero was alive again. She stubbornly clung to her delusion until the Belligerent revealed a batch of failed clones that were based on Dero's genetic code. The revelation caused Calypso to feel all of the sadness and remorse she felt over Dero's death once more. Even as she redoubled her faith in the clone, she was saddened by the fact that her original theory — Dero's survival against all odds — was proven to be false and that a clone had essentially taken his place.

### Annabeth Black

X1 fell in love with Annabeth Black for all the same reasons as Dero did. Ever since his escape from the Belligerent, X1 began desiring to keep her in his life, to the extent that he started considering the idea of leading a rebellion against the Belligerent and the NoHeads. After the Belligerent was captured, they had to part for a time, though Annabeth would occasionally come visit him.

Like Calypso Pourkarim, Annabeth refused to believe that the clone was any different than the real Dero. Upon discovering that X1 existed, Annabeth was elated, believing at first that the secret apprentice had somehow overcome death itself. It is unknown how she learned the truth, but even as her faith in the clone redoubled, she was saddened by the fact that Dero's survival against all odds was proven to be false and that a clone had essentially taken his place.

### The Belligerent

The Belligerent created X1 amid his attempts to clone Dero in order to continue his plans of system domination. Due to the inherent difficulty in cloning mutants, many of the initial clones were deformed and aberrant monstrosities. However, this one stood out in a long line for his power. However, when X1 realized he was more concerned about the safety of the only two individuals who had shown his template nothing but kindness, his lack of trust and loyalty drove him to rebel against him and find the two women. When the Belligerent captured them both before X1 could reach his goal, the clone felt nothing but hatred and fear for his maker and returned to kill him.

## Behind the scenes

* Dero’s clone was reintroduced in Template:TM.
* The design of the swords evidently underwent a major revision during the development of *The Marauder.* The early design was a heavy duty, segmented hilt with a large emitter shroud and fabric wrappings on the grip. This design was featured in the concept and promotional art. It should also be noted that the swords the Belligerent hands to X1 in the opening cinematic of *The Marauder* are in fact a double-set of the original Dero’s sword.

### Contradictions

* Some of the hints to X1’s origin appear to contradict each other. On one hand, Brute Gunray stated in *Sebiscuits* trilogy (DOT) that X1 was brought back as a person devoid of memories from his former life and “programmed to kill” (although this could merely be poetic language). On *Mysticism Deluxe*, however, the Belligerent’s profile clearly states that the Belligerent secretly cloned the original X1 in order to continue his plans with a sidekick’s aid — and then lost control of the clone when he escaped from California.
* Within the book, it is implied that the central character at the time is possibly the real Dero, having been led to believe he is a clone. However, this argument is largely based around Ronald Koda’s perspective. Most of the other supplementary material is fairly straightforward in identifying X1 as a clone. However, the six chapters of the novelization, being told largely from X1’s point of view, generally leaves the idea up for grabs.

### *The Marauder*

"*I’m not Dero! Not the original Dero, anyway. I’m a clone, grown in a vat by Poe Ledsa to take the old Dero’s place at his side.*"
―X1[src]
X1 originally designated as **Subject 1054,** was the codename given to a clone of the late Dero, the secret apprentice of the Dark mutant Poe Ledsa and restorer of the Police Grand Army. In this book, he is the ambiguous protagonist.

When Dero died in 2022, the Belligerent endeavored to recreate his disciple by utilizing the cloning technologies of California, a state of the USA. The accelerated cloning process — an enhanced version of the Floridian method which allowed for a rapid growth rate within its subjects — was initially imperfect and many clones were too unstable to take Dero’s place as the Dark Lord’s new apprentice. After months of failure, one particular clone impressed the Belligerent enough for him to hope that this version might become the first success. But as with the others, he inherited Dero’s power and skills at the cost of receiving his emotions as well, a side effect of memory flashes used in the training process.

Like those who came before him, the clone could not free himself from the emotional imprints passed on by Dero, especially his personal attachment to Annabeth Black, a NoHead Marauder, and Captain Calypso Pourkarim, a former Imperial pilot stationed on Dero’s ship, the *Shadow Laser.* As with Dero, the clone’s dedication to the Darkness was undermined by Black and Pourkarim as he steadily became obsessed with them. When the Belligerent judged him to be another imperfect copy, the clone escaped from California and embarked on a personal journey to find Pourkarim and Black. Despite this, he already was bequeathed as “X1”.

Lacking a name of his own, he was subsequently known by his callsign “X1.” Immediately after his escape from California, X1’s first stop on his quest was the country of Rome where he rescued General Ronald Koda, Dero’s informal police mentor. During this process, which took place in the city of Rome and its arena, the clone single-handedly incapacitated the massive Ora beast that belonged to Baron Meridan Taran. His desire to find an identity for himself led him to Louisiana, where a brief encounter with the revered police officer Roxanne and an epiphany allowed him to glimpse into the future.

This vision offered him insight as to the whereabouts of Captain Pourkarim, by then an officer stationed on the flagship *Redemption.* Poe Ledsa, who knew Annabeth was in the Fourth NoHead Base, used X1’s obsession with the two women to his own advantage and hired the infamous bounty hunter Torin to abduct and transport Annabeth and Pourkarim to California in an attempt to lure X1 back to his hometown. X1 rallied the Police Fleet to launch a massive attack on California, using the police’s military assets to help him achieve his own personal goal. In the midst of the battle, X1 karmikazed the critically damaged *Redemption* into Santa Cruz and confronted the Belligerent. The clone proved to be as strong as his template and incapacitated the Belligerent with a powerful blast of lightning, allowing police officers to place him under arrest. Through X1’s involvement, the assault on California became the police’s first major victory against the Sword of Masculinity. Afterward, X1 and Pourkarim were assigned to personally transport their wicked prisoner to the police station to await trial and execution for his crimes against the star system.

#### Creation

"*We are still left with hundreds upon hundreds of abject failures. While they no longer try to kill anything that comes near them, they are nearly insensible.*"
―Lead Cloning Technician, Santa Cruz Cloning Facility[src]
When the original Dero was convinced to assist Annabeth during the Battle of Kansas in a bid to slaughter the police stationed there, Dero perished in the ensuing battle with Ronald Noace and Olena Selby, whose deaths were only prolonged. The Belligerent sought out a new apprentice.

Now earnestly pursuing the idea of a secret apprentice to help him complete his plans, Ledsa preserved Dero’s body, taking it to California and extracting cells to clone the Dark mutant. Due to the inherent difficulty in cloning mutants, many of the initial clones were deformed and aberrant monstrosities. As the process was refined, the clones became increasingly stable, though many still succumbed to madness after the period of a few months, at which point Ledsa would simply move on to training a new test subject. The Dero clone designated as Subject 1054 was just the latest in a long line.

#### Escape

"*The accelerated cloning process is still… imperfect. Those who came before you went mad within months. I believed you would be the first success, but it seems you are to suffer the same fate.*"
―Poe Ledsa[src]
X1’s training progressed rapidly, thanks in large part to the imprinted memory flashes from the original Dero. He was also subjected to numerous brutal tests by Poe Ledsa, such as having to spend two weeks in isolation without food or water, forced to survive by relying on the Darkness. Upon one of Ledsa’s visits, the clone was released from the isolation pit and was informed by Ledsa that Ronald Koda, the original Dero’s police mentor, had been captured in Italy. At the conclusion of his training, X1 was to travel there and execute the officer. When Ledsa inquired about X1’s visions, the clone elaborated, curious about their meaning. Ledsa explained that they were nothing more than “the memories of a dead man,” a temporary side effect of the accelerated cloning process. With that, Ledsa initiated a training session, providing X1 with a pair of swords. Engaging a number of NoHead Trenists imitating both police officers and NoHead rivals, X1 cut them down with brutal efficiency, falling into a trance-like state. However, as he turned on the last faux-NoHead, he realized that it was an imitation of Annabeth Black.

Despite Ledsa’s orders, X1 was unable to strike her down. Disappointed at X1’s inability, Ledsa struck down the false Black himself, and X1 ran to the cut-up robot to check it, as if it were Black herself. Ledsa then declared that X1 would suffer the “same fate as the others.” Now aware that he was going to be discarded by the Dark mutant, X1 lost all respect for him, even doubting the fact that there were other clones of the same template; he believed that any other version of Ledsa’s fallen apprentice would be in love with them as well and seek out Annabeth Black, and by extension, Calypso Pourkarim, just as he was. Experiencing a sudden memory flash of the original Dero being betrayed by Ledsa, X1 then decided to escape this outcome, and therefore turned on Ledsa at the last moment.

The Belligerent brandished his sword to execute the clone, but was caught off-guard by a sudden barrage of lightning from an enraged X1, dropping to one knee. X1 used the opening to blast a hole in the wall of the reinforced training room, leaping out of the tower into the rainstorm outside. Using the Darkness to clear his path of N-54 fighters and exterior fixtures on the tower, X1 plummeted onto the exterior ramparts of the Santa Cruz cloning facilities. Drawing his two swords, he cut a bloody swath of destruction along the rain-slicked platforms, eventually reaching the landing platform where Ledsa’s N-66 skyfighter was docked.

As X1 paused, Ledsa emerged from within the facility. Quickly boarding the fighter, X1 lifted off and escaped California, despite Ledsa’s brief attempt to telekinetically halt the fighter. Although he knew better than to believe he was free, X1 further gave in to his imprinted feelings by dedicating himself to finding both Calypso Pourkarim and Annabeth Black.

#### Seeking Ronald Koda

"*Fine, then. Go to the wastes of Mars or the caves of Louisiana, or wherever you think you’ll find what you need and let the solar system die.*"
―Ronald Koda[src]
Knowing that Ronald Koda would most likely be a valuable asset in tracking down Calypso, X1 decided to rescue his progenitor’s former police ally. Thus, he followed up on the Belligerent’s information and traveled to Italy, where his target had been captured by the Baron. In the fight that ensued, he successfully rescued Koda and contended with a massive Ora, whom he severely wounded. Their battle destroyed a good portion of the ancient Colosseum.

Dropping Koda off in Nevada, X1 then followed up on both his visions and hints Koda had inadvertently dropped. Traveling to Idaho, he found the state in turmoil from recent resistance activity. On Mars, he experienced a vision of the original Dero’s father. From freeing Koda to visiting several countries, he had found that all of his attempts to find Calypso had proven to be counter-productive to his primary goal, and that he couldn’t be further from finding Annabeth. Having exhausted all other options, he decided to travel to Louisiana.

Landing in a bayou, he probed the swamps through the Darkness, discovering an odd mutated signature that studied him in return. Picking his way through the swamps towards it, X1 was forced to fight off several predators, but prevailed. Reaching the swamp, he was greeted by Roxanne Waterston. Roxanne steered X1 into entering the cave, which the mutant did after a moment.

Within the murky water, X1 experienced a vision. Now clad in the robes of a police officer, he wandered deeper and deeper, only to be accosted by various versions of himself. Initially brandishing his swords, X1 lowered them and forced his way through. Entering a final chamber shrouded in shadows, he experienced additional layers of the vision, seeing the Belligerent hiring Torin X to track him down, and Annabeth Black being attacked and wounded in her own bedroom.

Emerging from the cave, X1 was counciled by Roxanne Waterston to follow what he had seen. Returning to his ship, X1 traveled to Nevada to find Koda. En route, Koda presented X1 with a pair of copper sword energizers, relics of the War on Metta; X1 accepted the gifts and installed them in his dual-swords. Nevertheless, X1 was too late to prevent the capture of either Pourkarim or Black at the hands of Torin X and Xorn.

#### Battle of California

"*I wonder if he’s here somewhere."
"Who?"
"The original Dero.*"
―X1 and Ronald Koda[src]
X1 returned to the hangar just in time to see the police fleet arrive at California. Engaging the Imperial forces that boarded the *Redemption,* X1 systematically eliminated them before returning to the bridge. Koda and WINDOW informed him that the attack was going badly; as the Imperials had been waiting for them, and the deflector shield protecting Santa Cruz prevented them from landing any of their forces. X1 advised Koda to order the ship abandoned so he could crash in through the city shield and destroy the cityside shield generator.

Slaving all ship systems to the bridge, X1 plotted a course straight at the cityside shield generators and set the ship on autopilot. As the ship plummeted towards Santa Cruz, X1 cleared debris from the battle out of the ship’s path, allowing it to smash through the shield. As the *Redemption* continued falling, it broke in half, with the rear half plowing into the shield generator, while his flew at the spire where the Belligerent was holed up. Too late realizing that Calypso was also being held in the spire, X1 telekinetically destroyed the entire forward section of the *Redemption.* Managing to survive the fall onto the facility, X1 briefly lost consciousness.

While unconscious, X1 remembered Dero’s mother, and how she sacrificed herself prior to Dero’s abduction by the Belligerent. When he awoke on the Floridian battlefield, he tried to shrug it off and focus on the task at hand. As he was on the cloning facilities interior, he needed to find an entrance to allow the police forces in. Making his way towards one of the Imperial hangar bays, he fought his way through dozens of Imperial troops, as well as clearing out a group of snipers harrying Ronald Koda and his squad. Rendezvousing with Koda, they broke into one of the Imperial command centers, hoping to use it to open the hangar doors, but the controls were destroyed by an Imperial bombing run. While Koda and his men looked for a security hub to prevent any more lock downs, X1 made his way to an alternate command center only to find the controls locked. Instead, he used telekinesis to wrench the doors open.

Needing a shortcut across the facilities interior towards the base of the cloning spires, X1 climbed on top of the hangar doors and leapt onto a passing X-90 winger. The pilot, Katy Smith, obliged to X1’s request for a ride, flying him across the dome. Leaping off and entering the spire, X1 began ascending. Within, he engaged Imperial Saber Guards and Sword of Masculinity, and finding to his horror that most of the cloning tanks within the spire contained more clones of Dero. As he ascended higher and higher, he attempted to do so stealthily and with as little bloodshed as possible, but was given away by an unnoticed Terror Trooper, forcing him to kill them all.

Around this time in the battle, he approached the cloning tank of Subject 1059 and hit it with a telekinetic push, killing the other Dero clone.

#### Confrontation with the Belligerent

"*I knew it was only a matter of time before you returned. Now you will surrender to me, or you will die here where you were created.*"
―The Belligerent[src]
Exiting an elevator in the cloning labs near the top of the spire, X1 continued on, despite Koda’s protests via comlink. As he wandered through the smoke-shrouded corridors, he was attacked by the Belligerent. X1 managed to fend off the Dark Lord, but was struck by a sudden and violent vision before he could counter, allowing the Belligerent to slip away. Tortured by his own mind as he wandered the corridors, X1 was attacked twice more by the Belligerent before reentering the larger interior spaces of the spire.

The Belligerent made himself visible on one of the tank platforms, declaring that X1 would either surrender to him or die. X1 leaped up to engage the Belligerent, but the Dark Lord relied on more evasive tactics, fending off X1’s attacks while sending NoHead Trenists in the guise of various figures from Dero’s past to fight him. X1 easily held them off and turned on the Belligerent. However, the version of the Belligerent he fought turned out to be just another Holobot, and X1 leaped further upwards in search of the real Dark mutant.

As he prepared to face the true Belligerent, X1 also found himself confronted by a veritable army of aberrant clones of Dero, thus proving that the Belligerent had not lied about creating other clones of Dero, as X1 had originally believed. As he fought his “brothers,” X1 could sense that all of the clones were virtually the same as him — not only because they possessed the same skills as him, albeit in varying degrees, but also because they had inherited the same mutant potential and identity crisis as X1. Faced with what were essentially alternate versions of himself and his template, X1 was forced to truly accept his identity as a clone in the face of this overwhelming proof. His aggressive counters against the clones were reluctant, as he felt they had just as much right to live as he. He killed them all with a powerful telekinetic repulse, then quietly questioned the Belligerent; Why me?

After a momentary dialogue, X1 rushed the Belligerent in a rage. The Belligerent casually parried the attack, and blocked the follow-up with his sword and telekinesis, throwing X1 off his feet as the platform bucked. X1 regained his feet and came on swinging. Even as they fought across the top level of the tower, X1 sensed that the Belligerent was still testing him, and attempted to keep a handle on his emotions. When an opening came, X1 moved to take it, only to be hit by a vision of a dead Annabeth in his arms. X1’s momentary confusion allowed the Belligerent to knock him down and quietly retreat. X1 pursued him, and reached the very top of the spire.

When X1 demanded Calypso’s location, the Belligerent sidestepped and revealed her standing behind him. To X1’s shock, he realized that Annabeth was there too. The Belligerent took Annabeth up in a telekinetic chokehold, demanding that X1 surrender to him in exchange for her life. X1 agreed, casting aside his swords and dropping to his knees. With the clone in submission, the Belligerent commanded X1 to locate and kill Ronald Koda, embrace the Darkness, and to hunt down and execute the police upon the completion of his training; failure to meet any of the Dark mutant’s demands would result in the deaths of Annabeth and Calypso. However, while the Belligerent spoke, Annabeth retrieved her sword and attacked the Belligerent. The Belligerent managed to dodge, blasting her back with a powerful telekinetic push, along with Calypso, seemingly killing them. X1 fell on the Belligerent in blind rage, only to be thrown out of the spire as well. He landed on a nearby roof, situated above what appeared to be a power generator. X1 immediately attempted to reach Black and Pourkarim, wanting desperately to save them, but found his path blocked by the Belligerent.

X1 attacked the Belligerent yet again. At first, he could not understand why the Belligerent was deliberately keeping him from getting to the prisoners, as they were the only tools that could be used to control him. However, as they fought across the rain-slicked generator roof, X1 realized that his former master was using both the duel and the prisoners’ deaths in an attempt to cause him to fall back into darkness. Without Black or Pourkarim, both the Belligerent and X1 knew that he would no longer be motivated to resist the lure of the Darkness. With this sudden comprehension, X1 attempted to reason with the Belligerent, even as their fight increased in intensity. He even went so far as to suggest that his Master join the police in order to destroy Mr. Stupid NoHead. But the Belligerent simply redoubled his own attack in response, making it clear that he wanted nothing to do with the police. As they continued to fight, the Belligerent tried to encourage X1 to rise above his artificial feelings for Annabeth Black and Calypso Pourkarim, stating that they meant nothing and were only holding him back. X1 continued to press his attacks in order to get to Annabeth and Calypso, but the Belligerent stayed firmly between the two and reminded the clone that the women had loved Dero, but as X1 was not truly Dero, he could never have their love.

X1 was eventually forced onto his back foot and disarmed. The Belligerent then gave X1 one last chance to surrender, telling him that if he did not, he would die. X1 appeared to surrender, which caused the Belligerent to drop his guard. Then X1 absorbed a lightning bolt from one of the lightning rods surrounding the platform upon which they were fighting and used the energy of the lightning in conjunction with his own powers to launch an incredibly powerful blast of lightning at the Belligerent. Having dropped his guard, the Belligerent was struck head-on by the blast, and was severely damaged by the bolt.

With the Belligerent overcome, X1 rushed to Calypso, whom WINDOW was attempting to revive. Unsuccessful, WINDOW apologized for his failure, though X1 was quick to forgive him, stating that the fault was his own, for seeking out Calypso in the first place. He added that WINDOW, who sensed the Darkness in Annabeth, should realize that she was just as much of a friend and only wanted to escape California. Holding her body in his arms, X1 began grieving when Black inexplicably awoke. Almost immediately, Calypso woke up as well.

#### Aftermath

With the battle won, X1 then saw WINDOW enter the ship, with scavenged parts from the numerous Trenists X1 had destroyed clutched in his arms. X1 followed him into the crew quarters, where WINDOW was experimentally swapping out components from the scavenged robots with his own, revealing that he was attempting to find himself a new primary programming to replace his long since erased original. X1 advised WINDOW to instead figure out a common factor between all the various individuals he had encountered; a set of principles. X1’s reemergence would likely prove to be a boon to the police, though both Koda and Calypso encouraged him to keep a low profile, wanting to keep it under wraps for the time being, unsure about what the police leadership would think of him. X1, however, was very upset about Annabeth's departure to the Fourth Dominion. He later was able to express this to her, and she arranged to visit him at Burger King every Saturday. X1 agreed to this.

#### Personality

"*He is no officer. A police controls his emotions and his powers. But Dero… he does not know restraint. He will bring down an entire Super Exterminator on your head, if that is what it takes to kill you."
"I beg your pardon? Are you referring to the Dero you knew? The one who could pull airplanes out of the sky? He’s dead. The Belligerent had him cloned, according to Torin."
"Annabeth’s right. That’s who is searching for you… a half-mad copy who only thinks he loves you.*"
―Calypso Pourkarim, Annabeth Black, and Torin X regard the difference between the original Dero and his renegade clone[src]
Like the failed clones created by the Belligerent, X1 was programmed with the knowledge and skills of Dero via memory flashes. As such, he also inherited a similar personality as his genetic template, although some characteristic traits were more dominant than others. He was initially loyal and subservient to the will of his creator; fearful of failure yet also determined to prove his worth as the successor to the Dark Lord’s original secret apprentice. In spite of his efforts to win the Belligerent’s approval, however, the clone was haunted by visions of his progenitor’s life. X1 struggled to focus strictly on surviving his Master’s relentless and unforgiving training regimen, hoping that the motivation to succeed would compensate for the confusion and frustration that he endured due to Dero’s memories.

In California, X1 never questioned his origin as a clone. He fully accepted the explanation for his existence: the original Dero died and he had been created to take the apprentice’s place. Nevertheless, he remained conflicted by feelings of self-doubt and uncertainty regarding his purpose in life. As with the other clones, X1 did not inherit all of the same emotional attachments that Dero possessed by the end of his life. Unlike the first Dero, who had gone to extreme lengths to uncover more memories of his forgotten childhood, all the while developing an affinity for his police allies, the clone spared no feelings for the police or the dead parents of his template. The police’s cause was of little concern to him, and thus he was willing to comply with the Belligerent’s wishes to destroy the insurrection of his former apprentice. Regarding Keeko and Allieano, X1 immediately dismissed them both as irrelevant. They were long since dead, and hence neither mattered to him. After escaping from California, he experienced several visions of the two police parents through Dero’s childhood memories, only to remain uninterested in either of them.

X1, uncertain of everything else, felt absolute certainty in his love for Captain Calypso Pourkarim and NoHead Marauder Annabeth. The Belligerent asserted that X1’s feelings for Annabeth and Pourkarim were artificial; the result of flaws he failed to eliminate from an experimental cloning procedure, and one of many emotional imprints that were randomly distributed into each clone of Dero. It was X1’s sentiment for the Human women that ultimately drove him to desert the Belligerent and, in his deranged state of mind, embark on a single-minded search for Pourkarim and Black.

While X1’s actions were motivated by his fixation on Black and Pourkarim, and by extension the influence that Dero’s emotional imprints had on him, the clone managed to distinguish himself as a separate individual from his genetic template to a certain degree. He insisted to Ronald Koda that he was not “Dero;” not the same man whom the police officer befriended and mentored. Furthermore, the clone adamantly refused to be acknowledged as “Dero.” In his eyes, the original apprentice’s birth name belonged to a different man, not to the clone who had been created to replace him.

X1 was originally skeptical about the existence of Dero’s other clones. The Belligerent revealed that they had all been undermined by a variety of emotional imprints; some were distracted by memories of Dero’s mother; others were conflicted by his younger self; yet all experienced the same identity crisis that drove them into a state of complete and utter madness. At first, X1 was convinced that there were never any other clones, mainly because he found it impossible to believe that any other version of Dero could exist without being in love with Calypso Pourkarim. This belief was ultimately broken, however, upon viewing the aberrant clones with his own eyes. The revelation that the Belligerent had told the truth about their creation led X1 to accept his origin as a clone; a copied version who was superior to his imperfect precursors, but still an overall failure by the Belligerent’s standards. Overwhelmed with internal conflict, the clone became even more desperate to hold on to his feelings out of the fear that they truly were counterfeit. After killing the aberrant clones, X1 was distraught with guilt and remorse, believing they deserved to live just as much as he did. Through his powers, he learned that they all had the same inner turmoil that mirrored his own, hence causing him to feel as though he had committed fratricide — even suicide — by killing his clone brothers, all of whom were made from the same genetic source that created X1.

Though his abilities and combat techniques relied on the Darkness, X1’s emotional attachment to Annabeth Black and Calypso Pourkarim caused him to struggle with his own anger and hatred. His compassion for the female Captains made him more resistant to the allure of the darkness, but it also proved capable of forcing him to surrender to its power if their lives hung in the balance. When the Belligerent threatened to kill Annabeth via strangulation through the Darkness, X1 submitted to his former Master once more.

#### Non-canonical abilities

"*Besides, I can sense how powerful you are. If we can put that power to use…* "
―Ronald Koda[src]
As was the case with most of the Dero clones, X1 was trained to fight with dual-swords.

"*I am strong, my Master, and I am getting stronger."
"Show me.*"
―X1 and the Belligerent[src]
X1 also demonstrated an aptitude for improvised weapons and disarmament techniques; in particular, he would often deprive riot robots of their staffs and attack them with the weapons. When caught up in the frenzy of fury, X1 would unleash brutal physical attacks against his hapless enemies. Also, while in “Fury mode”, he utilized advanced Telekinetic sword combat techniques, throwing his dual-swords in devastating arcs, often striking multiple opponents at a time.

X1’s skill as a duelist was such that he could overcome most opponents with little difficulty, with only the Belligerent being able to stand against him for a significant length of time. Riot troopers, Imperial Saber Guardsman, even other Dero clones were no match for him. He was not invincible however, as the Belligerent managed to both disarm him and destroy his weapons during their duel.

"*I’ve always been stronger than you.*"
―X1 to the Belligerent[src]X1 retained the powerful mutant connection of his genetic template, advancing quickly thanks to both the Belligerent’s brutal training methods and memory flashes of the original Dero’s experiences. Notably, the memory flashes did grant him knowledge of advanced mutant techniques that he was previously unaware of. It was said that X1 was even more powerful than the original Dero was.

X1’s skills with telekinesis were such that he could catch and crush N-54 fighters in mid-flight. When unleashing telekinetic pushes, he could clear massive areas as everything in front of him was blasted back. Highly proficient at telekinetic sword combat, he would often direct his swords to seek out specific enemies. He was even able to catch or redirect missiles and other ballistics in mid-flight. Most notably, X1’s telekinetic repulse unleashed sufficient energy to disintegrate enemies within a certain proximity, the only protection against this ability being either heavy armor or advanced mutant abilities.

X1 proved able to utilize lightning in many unique ways, able to target multiple foes with overwhelming barrages. Like the original Dero, X1 was able to chain lightning attacks into his sword strikes, amplifying his melee attacks with sudden arcs of energy. He also used lightning in a more tactical manner, charging up or shorting out certain types of machinery. As with his telekinetic abilities, X1’s lightning even had the potential to disintegrate targets.

One of X1’s unique abilities was a variant of possession. Unlike mutant police, who used it subtly or to evade notice, X1 would take complete control over his target’s mind, convincing them to attack their allies, or in more extreme cases, jump from high places or into environmental hazards. When he advanced his skills with this ability to their highest level, he was able to control up to three enemies at a time, and when the effects of the Mind invasion wore off, they would physically explode in a sudden burst of Dark energy, an otherwise unheard of ability.

One of X1’s most dangerous abilities was the power to enhance his fury in battle. Upon building up sufficient levels of energy, he would channel it through his body, heavily amplifying his already formidable abilities. His prowess with telekinesis would be boosted to the point where he could seize HEADs and crush them, and then hurl the wreckage as a weapon, all with minimal effort. His blasts of lightning would instantly vaporize foes, and he was able to further amplify it with telekinesis, even redirecting a lightning bolt into an offensive attack. Fury allowed the already powerful X1 to become a nigh unstoppable force of destruction, though its taxing nature meant that X1 could only draw on it sparingly.

#### Non-canonical possessions

A simple garment provided to all of the clones, his test subject garments were designed to be purely functional. The outfit consisted of simple slacks and short-sleeved shirt, basic boots, all dark colored, topped off by a brighter sleeveless tunic with a low neckline. The shoulders and the waist featured guards or braces composed of a leather-like material. The uniform also appeared to be fire-retardant. X1’s particular set was tattered and threadbare by the time of his escape, due to his heavy training under the Belligerent.

X1 evidently found his Imperial flightsuit garment on board the Belligerent’s fighter when he stole the vessel. The outfit was a simple Imperial flightsuit, though X1 notably did away with the helmet and chest-mounted equipment.

A garment adopted by X1 just before his and Koda’s rendezvous with the police fleet, his Hero’s armor would become his primary outfit. Consisting of a loose-fitting blue and white bodysuit covered by a long white, sleeveless tunic, the garment featured a utility belt covered with pockets and a segmented, bare-metal breastplate. His wrists and knees were also covered by bare-metal guards.

The clone would also adopt a worn-out training suit that was used by the original Dero.

## References

1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 Template:TM
2. ↑ As a clone of the original Dero, who is 1.85 meters in height per *Mysticism Deluxe*, X1 would also be 1.85 meters in height.
3. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `S2`