Roger Goodman

Roger Goodman is a superhuman cyborg known for his confident optimism, advanced intelligence, and a dominating concern of success and approval. Within *Core* he operates as an undercover agent investigating the smugglers.

## Early Life

### Years Lost

Through a series of unfortunate seizures, procedures, and misshaped brainscrubs Roger has unfortunately lost track of what he was or what had occurred much sooner than his coming of age. Incapable of being upset by this, Roger instead considers this misfortune to be a reason to keep looking forward and focus on his work. What little information he does recall involves his family possessing a fair amount of social significance and wealth. Research into the roots of the Goodman name came back with evidence that Roger Goodman is merely an identity he took up for his work and has since forgotten his real name.

### The Repercussions of Perfection

Roger recounts the start of his autobiographical memory with the Glory Days of his days as an effortless student of esteem at his local high school. A gifted student as well as a lover of theater, science, and women, Roger was exceptionally popular as his reputation from one sphere of life would carry over to the other without even requiring the use of effort to get those around him to appreciate him and his talents.

Understandably, this caused Roger to emerge into an all too different world following his graduation. Success and praise were all he had known, and suddenly all his work and outlets were stripped from him. Having been born into an affluent family, Roger had initially intended to spend his days engaging in the finer things and making followers out of the rich and celebrated nobility of the day. The theater meant little to the established world. His cultivated cool persona was suddenly null as those wealthier than he was were irrefutably more influential as were heirs and seated nobility. Though Roger does not remember his siblings, he's certain he was not the oldest and thus helplessly below the peers which once flocked to his entourage.

> *"There is no joy in second finest. When you find yourself running an endless race along the path to victory, you needn't suffer an eternity's sprint nor lie along that distance. You must find a new path."*
>
>

After a long internal debate over the morality of fratricide, Roger reasoned that there would always be people of greater wealth than he could possibly obtain -- people with just deep-rooted connections that it was their very will which gave motion to the economy. Rather than seeking to challenge the golden throne, Roger opted to enter a field of more direct power: He sought to climb the agency. Here he would not only wield power but be in a position to deny it from though who had foolishly sought the life of extravagant wealth.

With his mind restored to its state of infinite confidence, Roger so boldly opted to skip advanced education as a whole, instead choosing to apply directly into the agency into a high ranking position. Though he was rejected within days, he was still offered a position as an officer in order to receive the training required to become an agent. He begrudgingly agreed.

### Officer Goodman, MPD

Roger took to the work naturally as an officer. Though he initially hid his face whenever possible to prevent from being seen in a lower-class job, he eventually began to see the position as empowering. Among his co-workers, he became highly respected and among the city, he was feared and incorruptible

> *"-- Still, not every race has the same finish line. Often times paths will intersect, yet both possess winners nontheless."*
>
>

Roger was a good cop to the core and loved his work, finding self-worth in the popularity he garnered and how it reminded him of high school. That was until he was denied his first promotion. Four years of hard work had passed and not only did they deny him entrance into the agency but failed to receive a promotion at the department. Thoroughly frustrated, Roger continued acting as a good cop in the light of day, though he signed up for several recon and investigation missions as opposed to simple patrol and call. Here he networked wherever possible. He befriended gang lord and senior officer alike. Another four years went by and the heavily networked Roger didn't even have the chance to enjoy his newfound promotion before being brought on board to the agency.

## The Agency

### Twelve Years a Spy

[Something about gaining contacts, getting augments and being good at his job] [W.I.P]

### The Augments

Roger had always been a choice selection for augmentations in the workforce. Due to his highly competitive "second-to-none" attitude, he was willing to sign up for any augment, regardless of its danger so long as he was convinced that his position was at risk. In addition to this, his short stature was helpful in the conservation of larger models to be used on soldiers as opposed to agents.

The first of his augments was the shriekerbox. As a lover of theater, Roger was more interested in the ability to replicate voices as opposed to the combat function of the device. No convincing was necessary for the procedure and his persistent interest was noted as a viable subject to enter into the ranks of the cyborgs.

Next came the Intrusion Augment. Seeking not to damage the mind of a talented agency hacker, they instead turned to a more expendable subject who they knew wouldn't say no. The model they were testing was one larger than most, potentially rendering the subject braindead depending on the size of their brain, though it would, in theory, allow for future overclocking upon successful implementation. Roger survived and made a friend with the cybernetics director despite discovering the malicious reason for his selection.

Finally, Rogers arm and legs came as a complete package. As he finally became more recognized in the field as an intelligent and capable agent, Roger was selected as both a favor from the director of cybernetics and as a bonus during his promotion for excellent and dutiful service as one of the only agents to dutifully follow the requirements to be wed, even at the ripe old age of 38.

### The Incident

During a mission investigating the illegal manufacturing of non-regulation approved Rail Guns, Roger had his cover blown after a mishap caused a 12ft rod to be fired straight through one end of his left temporal lobe and out the other in a diagonal line. Fortunately for him, his routine update was due in minutes and as such reinforcements were sent in before blood loss could deal serious damage to the cognitive connections of his cerebral cortex.

Roger next awoke in the back of an Emergency Respondent Helicopter and was shortly afterward bandaged and mostly recovered with his skull having been re-fitted with the original bone shards found on the scene and his own donated blood re-entered into his bloodstream, his physical wellness was almost as good as new within 12 hours.

Still, something was wrong with Roger. He didn't feel grateful at all for his rescue, rather he felt only the worst and most uncontrolled aspects of his mind shining through. He wished to smear the doctor against the curb for having pricked his arm and was only restrained by his transfusion bag when overcome by the sight of his nurse bending down to lift up the papers Roger had purposefully knocked to the ground. Even before the doctor could describe the implications of the destroyed region of his brain, he had discovered what was lost: He was helpless to his animal propensities and held little deference for those around him.

#### The Recovery

Roger's frequent outbursts and the disappearance of his cool demeanor did not rest on idle eyes at his workplace. Within days his superiors had augmented a new cybernetic for him after having been forced to rush the process out of fear of the damage that he may inflict on himself or others. Selecting the most available neural implant in a size suitable for the damaged region of his brain, Roger received a basic Computer Intrusion skill augmentation with altered properties which allowed the chip to interact with his mind and act as a replacement conscious and source of self-control. They named it: *The Joywire*.

Fortunately for Roger and the Officers who so dearly wished not to see the cybernetic investments which had already gone into Roger not go to waste, the operation was successful with both Roger emerging undamaged and the intended effects occurring... enough. While no longer an animal, and strikingly similar to his old self, Roger still remained distinctively different. Though many of his impulses disappeared as a whole, along with them did several associated habits. Roger no longer experienced feelings of fear, sadness, lust, and more. Though he maintained a rudimentary sense of empathy, this was purposefully left quite subpar in order to prevent conflicts in his line of work.

Furthermore, the chip was powered by Roger's biomass, though it only charged itself upon use whilst being active at all times in order to maintain its unintended secondary feature. As such, Roger was forced to make use of the device in some form of hacking lest the Joywire enter low-power mode and Roger become at risk of seizures as his brain attempted to send electrical signals to a brain region which didn't exist. This effect first occurred after a week of using the chip as a replacement, but it was already too late as the brain had begun re-creating connections around the chip, placing Roger at mortal risk if further alterations were to occur.

### The Escape

With word of his status as a spy spreading rapidly and a sudden drug-like dependence on hacking, Roger found himself transferred to the *"DEEP DIVE"* team after a sudden seizure while operating a surveillance van jeopardized the mission as a whole. Roger initially fought against this but was forced to admit that it was the most realistic application of his talents until further notice. Still, he dreaded the place. One of the few feelings that remained after the incident was that lingering feeling of inadequacy just like when he had first exited high school.

Knowing very well how he had fixed this feeling in the past, Roger attempted to fight off this feeling for as long as possible, even putting his nose to the grindstone and becoming a highly adept hacker, yet he still could never match the brilliant minds that surrounded him. After five months of passionless work, Roger used his new-found knowledge to trace and remove his tracking devices without firing their alarms and disposed of re-implanted them into destroyed versions of his augmentations found inside the demolition lab, then dropping these off inside a container along with a quart of his blood in a sewer entrance just outside of gang territory.

Though free from the confinements of facing his own imperfection, Roger was still had several problems on his plate. In hiding from the agency and its enemies whilst facing an addiction to illegal activity, Roger had few other options to pursue than reach out to old ties outside of the planet and managed to find his way into a smuggling ring, hoping to stay far from his home planet, thus reducing the risk of being recognized.

### Static Among the Fog

-- At least this is what Roger has been told following his capture. Being chipped and barcoded didn't let Roger get far and although he didn't recognize any of the people who instructed him, he was certain that this was the Agency. They told him all that had happened as if they could read his very thoughts. Of course, he remembered nothing of thing; Amnesia is a common side effect as he's told. Though no such rail-sized incision exists on his head, nor does he have any recollection of fits of anger. Still, everything he feels oddly trusting of these people and has resumed his work as an agent, now in an undercover dive into the complete smuggler's trail to locate all possible smuggling hotspots before blowing his cover. First on the agenda is a man who's been selected specifically for his ignorance towards Roger; An experienced mover named Laurence. While unsure of why the sudden sanction of his work on the field was removed, Roger opted out of asking questions, plenty excited to enter the field. While on duty he is instructed to fulfill any and all duties, legal or not; Maintaining his identity is a must.

### Fog Among the Static

Roger was never shot by a railgun, rather the entire event was orchestrated by the agency. After having been observed allowing the continued freedom of criminals for future connections, Roger was pulled aside during a routine brainscrub and placed under euthanasia. Here they entered his brain and simply modified the pre-existing chip to allow more remote control over Roger via the effect of seizures during unwanted behaviors. Unfortunately, a true mishap did occur as navigation around a chip already encased in brain matter is an extremely delicate procedure. Roger wound up having the region of his brain which controls fear, anger, and all accessory emotions destroyed. Now having permanently crippled Roger in a highly illegal procedure, the agents above him who had created and planned the event immediately called it off, instructing the surgeons to halt before further damage was done. As a result, the device was never properly enabled to control for specified behaviors and instead defaulted to the only known brain function currently existing on the chip: Intrusion.

In an act of damage control, Roger was hastily brainscrubbed to believe that he was the victim of a freak accident that had happened too suddenly for him to perceive -- a railgun misfire. The same day he was hastily shipped off on a mission which would keep him out of their hair for as long as possible without raising any eyebrows. He was shipped off to spend several years investigating and mapping the complete smuggling trade with minimal contact to the home base. While on duty he is instructed to fulfill any and all duties, legal or not; Maintaining his identity is a must.

## Personality

Roger is a gentleman to the core, hardly possessing an offensive bone in his body. Both witty and polite, Roger possesses an attitude most comparable to a loving father from the 1950s. He's hyperaware and acts almost entirely off of pragmatism, having little capacity for superstitions or inefficiency; This goes beyond being tactical and levelheaded -- Roger can easily become tunnel visioned by his task and won't think twice about disadvantaging innocents to get his work done.

Roger thoroughly enjoys poetry, theater, and classic works of literature. He takes delight in quoting these writings and offering sage advice to friends facing a conundrum. Due to the nature of his assignment, he treats the group as if he could trust them with his life, despite viewing them as an enemy. Strict to his instructions, he wouldn't do anything to appear like a lousy crewman and actually takes delight in how easy it is for him to stand out among them as a figure of importance.

This yearning for importance is perhaps Rogers most fatal flaw. Though he lacks issues with authority and is actually quite fond of instructions, he can't stand the idea of being useless or even less useful than someone else. He delights in the idea of people respecting him and wishing to befriend him despite having no interest in forming bonds with others.

Despite this all, the longer a person remains in contact with Roger, the more eerily evident it is that all his kindness and caring is merely superficial for the purpose of approval or allowing for work to continue as planned. Sometimes it can be questioned if there really is any man inside him, or if he's entirely become a machine. Such frights shouldn't last very long though, as this effect is no indication of ill will and Roger will be just as friendly as always, likely putting in the effort to hide the hollowness of his shell now that he has realized he's being watched.

## Appearance

Roger is a squat and lean cyborg of queer appearance. Typically adorning himself in fine clothing and pampering himself with tediously tended hair and routine skin care and hair treatment practice. This along with his lack of a gruff disposition among criminals and smugglers only contributes to the misconception about his sexuality. While some may gossip of Roger behind his back because of his hygienic rituals, it has benefitted him greatly as the oldest member of Core, allowing him to maintain a younger appearance despite his years.

Though Roger could be easily considered a desirable bachelor though this is not something natural. It's clear that he's at his peak attractiveness, evidently having put significant effort into maintaining his appearance (a process which would've left him much more plain appearing had it not been for his efforts). His hair is a slick and healthy brown slicked back look to accentuate the sharpness of his nose and the small upper-lid exposure of his eye. His eyes are a dark brown color which becomes lighter as it approaches the iris. This effect as well as the emotionlessness of his eyes when not actively attempting to fake it give an eery effect over long exposure as his lifeless eyes draw the most attention out of any other feature on his face.

Roger stands at 5'8", 126 lbs -- a staggeringly low weight for height before considering the fact that he's missing his right arm and his already lean build. Calculating for his arm as well as other augments including chem-pumps within his legs, Roger weighs closer to 175 lbs. His body type is lightly defined simply due to the benefit of existing muscle nuclei from his younger days. Though he still maintains a thin layer of lean muscle to prevent him from appearing scrawny, he is evidently quite weak when put to the test.

## Trivia

* Roger enjoys the company of crooks as he considers himself prestigiously uncontested by them.
* Roger has never had a rival. Such a situation may be the worst possible outcome for him, as he creatively crafts his actions and aspects of himself to avoid being replicated or replaceable.
* Roger's left arm is powerful enough to smash through a porcelain toilet. His right arm requires effort to collect and pour himself a drink from a full gallon of lemonade.
* There is no confirmation that Roger's voice is truly his own.
* Though technically incapable of experiencing fear, Roger is a trained tactician who is fully aware of when a tactical retreat is necessary.
* Roger's favorite genre of music is Show Tunes. His favorite song is Get Happy, sung by Judy Garland.
* Over-use of his chip causes him to feel emotions more intensely though it still does not expand the range of his emotions. He has never used it enough for this to be discovered. This can eventually enter Roger into a state of joyful catharsis as if he were under the effect of powerful hallucinogens.