Proteptogen

Protepogen (pGen) is the aerosolised, nerve agent form of liquid proteptomine16 (pT16) that can be used to temporarily inhibit the powers of most neohumans by blocking control pathways and preventing the neo instinctually concentrating and '*switching on*' their power. Like P16, however, the gas has it's limitations, particularly against the use of neohumans who have physical powers such as superhuman strength, whose power dosn't require the use of those activation and control pathways, merely the standard neural pathways used to move muscles; pGen does, however seem to dull enhanced strength factor slightly, sometimes enough for regular, or enhanced restraint techniques usually ineffective without the use of the gas.

### **History**

The aerosolization of proteptomine16 was thought to have been first developed by Augustine Corporation/Eurodyne and the Russian government in 2006 in two separate attempts, but usually for the Kremlin, decided to share this information to the US, considering they also helped the United States first develop proteptogen16.

The early formulas for what is now called 'proteptogen' were stolen along with the original pT16 formula by a Eurodyne mole, where it was altered by Cuban national Lúcio Castro, a previous Eurodyne biochemist who became a major anti-government agent after his family were killed by early, deadly variants of what is now known as proteptogen, sold to Cuba by Eurodyne and Augustine. Lúcio, creating the splinter cell of Lycan Security known as Loupoir, attempted to control pGen, likely in an attempt to "out" the US and various European governments for testing early proteptomine gas variants in wars with Cuba and bring down corporations like Augustine and Eurodyne from within; Along the way, however, Castro made a fortune selling and reproducing the gas to criminal syndicates who used it to repel superhuman attempts on their illegal activities.

In 2007 a neo-lethal Russian variant of the gas was found to be in circulation, apparently developed within the experimental labs of the Slava Rossi group, and Castro may have helped make more accessible to others, in particular the Russian variant, known as Protepogen-R (pGen-R) took massive orders from what is believed to be an early Imperia Dominus, who then sold it to ally organisations.

While eventually he was hunted and put away by Volt and Diesel, the latter of whom had a personal feud with him after he killed her uncle, Castro's legacy made sure that the chemical was no longer a government weapon, but available to anyone for the right price.

While the chemical was illegal for many years after Loupoir was shut down, and various groups and agencies, both government and private were tasked with finding and destroying these variants, especially when more deadly variations of the formula were starting to be used by groups such as Imperia Dominus and the Federal Minutemen, eventually after 2016, various world militaries and law-enforcement agencies started stocking a legalised, refined version of the gas, pGen-A.

### **PaX**

Procyianine Amadraxyl-Xanimax was a highly deadly variant of Proteptogen similar to pGen-R that was more like the standard nerve agent; while it was intended to kill neos and alts and leave humans unaffected, it was known for long-term side effects in normal humans with regular exposure including paralysis, cancer and very rarely death, as well as having a negative impact on wildlife. As such the WHO and the UN declared PaX illegal in many nations, but the biochemical found its way into groups such as Imperia Dominus, who began making the chemical themselves.