Johan Ross

*- Johan's most famous quote, telling the player (Simon Jarrett) through electronic manipulation that the WAU and any sentient life constantly suffer.*

*- Johan telling the player (Simon Jarrett) to destroy the WAU.*

## Character Overview:

### Alias:

Mr. Ross
Dr. Ross
John
Johan
Dead Man
Devil Flesher (In the game files)

### Powers/Skills:

Teleportation
Telepathy
Electronic Manipulation
Underwater Breathing
Genius-Level Intelligence
Manipulation
Hacking Skills
Enhanced Durability
Stealth
Versatility
Charisma
Cunningness
Biology Studies
Body & Mind Knowledge

### Goals:

Have Simon destroy the WAU at all costs. (Succeeded)
Kill Simon in order to destroy the new pattern. (Failed)

### Hobby:

Working at PATHOS-II.
Constructing ways to destroy the WAU.
Planning.

### Crimes:

Attempted Murder
Assault & Battery
Hacking
Blackmail
Cheating
Sabotage
Theft
Vigilantism
Vandalism
Stalking
Harassment
Death Threats

### Type of Villain:

Anti-Villainous Fallen Hero

**Johan Ross** is the anti-villainous tritagonist in the psychological survival horror video game *SOMA*.

Originally an A.I. psychologist on the underwater research facility Pathos-II, he has since been killed and resurrected via structure gel by The Warden Unit (WAU); however, unlike many characters infected or altered by the WAU, Ross maintains his sanity and his intelligence for the most part. Having become aware of the malfunctioning A.I.'s intended plans for the few surviving members of humanity, he is intent on destroying the WAU at all costs.

He is voiced by Anthony Howell.

## Biography:

Involved in the development of the Warden Unit alongside Mark Sarang and Julia Dahl, Ross was tasked with studying and directing the A.I. from his vantage point at Site Alpha, a top-secret facility hidden deep within the abyssopelagic regions of Pathos-II. Eventually, Ross was able to convince SSE Wolchek to switch off the external control systems and allow the WAU total independence in its role as station caretaker. For a time, the machine's oversight served Pathos-II well; however, events soon took a turn for the worst following the Telos Impact.

On January 12th, 2103, the comet Telos collided with Earth, wiping out all life on the surface. Though the inhabitants of Pathos-II survived as well as all other forms of oceanic life, the few researchers, engineers and technicians in residence were not enough to repopulate the planet, effectively condemning the human race to extinction. Several days later, Ross noticed that the Warden Unit was beginning to change: while it continued maintaining life-support throughout Pathos-II, it began pumping structure gel through the pipes and walls of the various facilities, forming strange growths throughout the area. Eventually, the psychologist realized that the WAU was attempting to save its creators from the ongoing extinction of the human race, either by mentally copying their minds into on-site machinery, fusing them with biomechanical components to create roaming servitors, or simply incorporating them into its growths as comatose dreamers; worse still, the WAU did not truly understand the hell it would be condemning the surviving humans to, having been programmed to preserve human life - regardless of what condition it could be preserved in.

With all this in mind, Ross came to the conclusion that the A.I. would have to be eliminated before it posed a threat to the entire base. However, circumstances quickly turned against him: having been forced to move into Site Tau, his attempts to warn Sarang and Dahl of the danger failed due to the ongoing collapse of the communication relays; later, during the evacuation of Tau, Ross was foiled again when the escaping base personnel were forced to turn back by highly-aggressive WAU-infected marine life, leaving him stranded at the bottom of the Abyss with the others. Finally, Ross and Steve Glasser made a desperate attempt to reach the climber on foot, hoping to ascend to Omicron and warn Sarang in person. Along the way, Glasser was ripped apart by the Leviathan, and though Ross made it to the climber, he didn't survive the journey intact: Omicron personnel found his body in the climber, clinically brain-dead.

Kept in a glass observation chamber, the brain-dead researcher began to exhibit anomalous quantities almost immediately: still determined to continue his mission of preserving humanity, the WAU used electromagnetic fields to direct structure gel around Ross's body, repairing it; though many Omicron employees suffered interference in their blackboxes as a result, Ross was effectively reanimated. During this time, Ross was able to contact Omicron employee Raleigh Herber in an attempt to further his plan to eliminate the WAU: under his guidance, Herber created a new strain of structure gel capable of fatally poisoning the A.I.; however, before she could descend to Alpha and deploy the gel, WAU responded by killing everyone at Omicron, overcharging their blackboxes until their heads exploded.

## In-Game:

While Simon is attempting to fix Raleigh Herber's Haimatsu Power Suit, Dr. Ross sometimes appears and tries to contact him throughout the entirety of Omicron. Dr. Ross will often appear briefly in front of Simon, standing motionless and staring at him. In addition, while Simon is reading various computer monitors, the sentences *"We have to stop it-- Stop the WAU,"* *"Take the gel,"* *"Get the virus,"* *"An eternal nightmare,"* *"We suffer,"* can appear on the monitor briefly, accompanying the same distortion of the screen when in Dr. Ross' physical presence.

During Simon's descent into the Omega Sector, the Climber begins to malfunction and Dr. Ross appears in front of Simon. He expresses joy at Simon's progress towards Tau, and states that he will make preparations for his arrival. Dr. Ross will then jump off and disappear into the Omega Sector as the Climber will continue to descend into the abyss. When Simon questions Dr. Catherine Chun about the event, she states that Dr. Ross merely stared at Simon for a few moments and did not speak at all. This indicates that he communicates with Simon telepathically, most likely possible due to them both being creatures infused with structure gel. During Simon's journey through the Omega Sector to reach Tau to retrieve the ARK, Dr. Ross can be seen in the distance at various points, watching Simon's progress. While Dr. Ross will usually appear on the trail ahead of Simon, he can also be seen watching Simon from the darkness of the abyss, unreachable.

When Simon enters Tau properly, the airlock will close and open once again, which is revealed to have been done by Dr. Ross to allow him to follow Simon. When Simon enters the main room of Tau, Dr. Ross will occasionally appear in the middle of the room on the table, telling Simon that there's nothing left at Tau and no reason for him to remain there. If the computer in dispatch or the infirmary is used to try to unlock Cabin A, Dr. Ross' personal quarters, he will interfere with the computer to input the right code himself, likely wanting Simon to see his reasoning for wanting to destroy the WAU, which can be found on Dr. Ross' datapad left on his desk.

When Simon leaves Tau through the Phi Access Tunnel, a structural collapse in the midsection of the tunnel blocks any further progress that could be made. At this point, Dr. Ross will reveal a passageway in one of the damaged sections of the tunnel that allows Simon to go back into the abyss. The trench Simon finds himself in leads straight to Alpha, with Dr. Ross' waiting outside of the breached entrance of the site to meet Simon. He will explain that it is the source of the downfall of PATHOS-II, and grief over how the WAU needs to be stopped to end any further suffering for Humanity. He will then disappear further into Alpha, awaiting for Simon outside the Core Isolation Laboratory.

As Simon enters the atrium of Alpha through the breached server room, Dr. Ross will further explain to Simon the events that transpired, revealing that the structure gel used by Simon to fix the suit was actually a modified variant of the substance made by the personnel at Omicron, how nobody listened to his instructions but Herber, who died along with the rest of the personnel at Omicron. This means that Simon is capable of carrying out Dr. Ross' initial plan to destroy the WAU once and for all.

Once the Core Isolation Laboratory is reached, Dr. Ross pleads for the structure gel to be used to kill the WAU, to which Simon can either refuse or accept by sacrificing most of his left forearm to the heart, a rudimentary solution to inject the modified structure gel straight to the WAU. Should Simon succeed in destroying the WAU's heart, Dr. Ross will attempt to kill him in order to prevent the WAU from adapting to the new pattern through Simon's immunity. Should Simon opt not to destroy the WAU, Dr. Ross will attempt to force him to do it.

In both scenarios, the Leviathan will spontaneously emerge from the floor and consume Dr. Ross before he can do anything more. With the Leviathan spitting out his fleshy innards later afterwards.

Shortly thereafter the event, Catherine reveals to Simon once they are inside Phi that the date and time is currently May 11, 2104, 3:30 AM, meaning that Dr. Ross' death occurred on May 11, 2104. As the short trek between Site Alpha and Site Phi took at least thirty minutes but possibly up to an hour before 3:30 AM to accomplish, the exact time of Dr. Ross' death may have been 3:00 or 2:30 AM.

## Gallery:

Johan attempting to kill Simon Jarrett.Johan's death at the hands (or tentacles) of the Leviathan.Johan visibly meeting Simon at the elevator.Johan at Omicron (Also where he was re-animated into a WAU creature).Johan's plans to destroy and kill the WAU.Notes that Simon (The Player) can find, noting when divers found Ross's unconscious body.