Cyrus Hernandez

> We have to do something. If the others won’t, then I will. I’ll be the leader.
>
> Cyrus Hernandez, Prototypes Ch. I

Cyrus Hernandez is a character in the Project 54 series. He is a highly ranked employee at Construo Corporation. His area of expertise is automatons, leading a group that includes Ulysses Roder, although he worked with the police on several instances to catch Dr. Eagleden and Septimus.

## Appearance

Cyrus is often mistaken to be older than he is, though is probably because of his stern personality. However, his face is still youthful, with dark brown eyes, an aquiline nose, and bags under his eyes (presumably from working too much). He has tanned brown skin and shaggy black hair with bangs that fall over his forehead (that he cuts himself). He has an average build and stature. He has been described as handsome, “if not for those dark circles under his eyes.”

He typically dresses nicely, in brown, black, gray, or white suits. The Construo insignia is usually on his jacket. After being crushed by a fire escape in the chaos of Septimus’s weapon, he was temporarily in a wheelchair and cast.

## Personality

Cyrus is hard-working, serious, smart, and straightforward, always making an effort to be rational with everything he does. Because of this and his pessimism, he’s often mistaken to be older than he is, even though he looks young. However, these traits allowed him to be extremely successful and high-ranking in Construo. They have also led him to be arrogant and critical at times. Even at the young age of 21, he acted as a leader among his colleagues, taking charge during times of crisis such as when Arliss Rylerne was killed. He feels a lot of stress, which shows itself in the dark circles under his eyes. As a child, his father verbally and (occasionally) physically abused him. Because of this, he rarely opens up to anyone and doesn’t like socializing much, except for with Arthur Chandler.

## Relationships

### Arthur Chandler

Arthur is Cyrus's boyfriend. The two have had a very complicated relationship over the seven years that they've known each other, but it is ultimately a positive and loving one. When they first met, their views of each other were very different, with Cyrus finding Arthur annoying, and Arthur falling in love with Cyrus. However, over time, the two became closer though gift-giving and Arthur's friendliness, especially as they were both working on catching Dr. Eagleden. After Cyrus drove Arthur home from his apartment one night (about two years after they had met), they shared a kiss, and started dating (after some avoidance and awkward conversations). They continue to be a couple throughout the rest of the series, though they have to keep this very well hidden, as their society is not very accepting of homosexuality. In *The Seventh Machine*, their relationship is hinted at with Arthur's concern about Cyrus and their easiness around each other When Cyrus's legs were broken and he was in a wheelchair, it put him under a lot of stress and also affected their relationship, but they got through it.

Cyrus still sees Arthur as somewhat annoying, but he cares about him a lot, becoming quite concerned and protective whenever the latter has a seizure. Arthur is also one of the only people he really opens up and lets his guard down around. Arthur looks up to Cyrus, but also does his best to take care of him, and looks to him as a source of comfort. He also finds Cyrus very handsome (which he has thought ever since they first met).

### Eduard Eagleden

> That Dr. Eagleden! That Eduard Eagleden! He massacred us and escaped without a scratch! When I saw him, I would kill him! Did he really feel no remorse for the blood on his hands?!
>
> Cyrus Hernandez, Prototypes Ch. VI

Eduard Eagleden used to Cyrus's coworker at Construo, but after Arliss Rylerne died, the former became a criminal and went on the run, and Cyrus was tasked with hunting him. Cyrus and Dr. Eagleden became nemeses, with each blaming the other for someone's death (Reeve Hong and Arliss Rylerne, respectively). After nearly seven years of chasing, Cyrus and a team of police finally cornered Dr. Eagleden and took him into custody, where Dr. Eagleden committed suicide. However, before his death, Dr. Eagleden revealed that he had always seen a lot of potential and a lot of himself in Cyrus, and invited him to "join the fight against Construo." When Cyrus declined, offended, Dr. Eagleden attributed this to the fact that Cyrus had not seen the "one he loved most" die, saying that Dr. Hang was simply a companion and was not enough. This worried Cyrus, as the tone that Dr. Eagleden used implied that he knew about Cyrus's secret relationship with Arthur Chandler. However, Dr. Eagleden never acted on this knowledge, and poisoned himself afterwards.

Cyrus's hateful feelings towards Dr. Eagleden also impacted how he treated Septimus and Sixtine, Dr. Eagleden's "children", one of which resembled him.

### Eulalie Roder

Cyrus Hernandez and Eulalie met twice before the events of *The Seventh Machine*, both times at Construo parties (though neither left much of an impression on the other at the time). After Dr. Hernandez was placed in charge of catching Septimus and Eulalie and succeeded, Eulalie's feelings toward him turned hostile, and she was rude and aggressive with him. However, after they learned the truth of the bomb, the two worked together to find Septimus, complete him, and save the city. When Dr. Hernandez was crushed by a fire escape in the chaos of the bomb, Eulalie was terribly worried about him, and only left him after lots of yelling from him. The shared trauma of the weapon seemed to form a bond between them, along with their shared skill in engineering. Over time, their relationship improved into one between a mentor and a student, and Dr. Hernandez eventually helped Eulalie get into engineering school and become a successful employee at Construo.

Dr. Hernandez, though originally disapproving of Eulalie, now thinks of her as talented, intelligent, and full of potential. She also reminds him of Arthur Chandler, with both of them being gifted engineers with a lot of people skills.

### Septimus

> “Septimus, you are indeed linked to the fate of the world, but not in the way you imagined. Because you are the threat, Septimus. You are a bomb, set to go off tomorrow if completed.
>
> Cyrus Hernandez to Septimus, The Seventh Machine Ch. XXXIII

Dr. Hernandez doesn't like Septimus, holding a bit of a grudge against Septimus for the ordeal with the weapon, but he tolerates him and feels a bit of pity for him. However, there is still a feeling of mutual respect between the two of them, as Dr. Hernandez treated Septimus like a human being after learning more about him, and Septimus was compliant with Construo after the bomb, feeling grief and regret about what happened. He also helped Septimus and Sixtine, making new hands for the latter, when they asked for his aid. Secretly, Septimus's appearance throws him off slightly, since he resembles Arliss Rylerne, whom Cyrus witnessed die.

Septimus also doesn't like Dr. Hernandez a lot, since the latter was rude and strict with him. Septimus also feels a great deal of guilt about Dr. Hernandez being crushed in the chaos of the weapon, and avoids him because of this.

Had they met under different circumstances, it's likely that the two would've had a better relationship, as they have a lot in common (sharing a hatred for Dr. Eagleden, a love for engineering, and introverted/reserved personalities).

### Matias Hernandez

> We had always had a rocky relationship, my father and I. He wasn’t really much nicer to any of my other family members, but especially me. At least, I was the only one he had ever hit. Which had only happened 11 times, but that’s 11 times more than the others.
>
> Cyrus Hernandez about Matias Hernandez, Prototypes Ch. XII

Matias Hernandez is Cyrus's father. However, the two do not have a very good relationship. As a child, Cyrus was always the "disappointment" of the family, showing more interest in books and engineering rather than physical activities, unlike his brothers Oscar and Micah. Matias often took out his anger (whether about Cyrus or not) on Cyrus, verbally and occasionally physically abusing him. This led Cyrus to become shut-up and cold, rarely smiling. Despite all of his father's berating, Cyrus continued to pursue engineering, working hard until he became a successful engineer at Construo. As Cyrus said, "Somehow, he started being much nicer to me after I started earning so much." They currently have a tense and negative relationship, since they do care about each other deep down, but those feelings are buried by anger and trauma.

### Arliss Rylerne

> I still saw her limp body in my nightmares - along with Dr. Medola’s, Dr. Hang’s, and all of the other casualties of that whole mess.
>
> Cyrus Hernandez about Arliss Rylerne, Prototypes Ch. VIII

Arliss Rylerne and Cyrus didn't know each other very well when she was alive - they had only met a few times, and their relationship was only for work. However, after Cyrus witnessed her die (which was partially his fault), his feelings about her became complicated, since he developed PTSD about the event. Her dead body frequently appeared in his nightmares, and seeing Dr. Rylerne and Septimus, who resembled Arliss, always threw him off slightly. Though he never really had a deep relationship with her in real life, her death greatly affected Cyrus's life.

### Valeria Hernandez

> I had never understood the prejudice against women much - I’d met some very strong and smart women in my lifetime, like my mother.
>
> Cyrus Hernandez about Valeria Hernandez, Prototypes Ch. V

Valeria Hernandez is Cyrus's mother. Their relationship is actually quite positive and caring, unlike Cyrus's relationship with his father. Cyrus always admired Valeria for being rational and strong, which influenced the way he came to be as an adult. Valeria would always get furious whenever her husband abused Cyrus, and comforted Cyrus afterwards. She also supported his hobby of engineering, even though her husband didn't.

### Sixtine

At first, Cyrus was thrown off by Sixtine's resemblance to Dr. Eagleden, and disliked her for this.

### Reeve Hong

> We had come to be companions, maybe even friends. I think that he saw himself in me, or something.
>
> Cyrus Hernandez about Reeve Hong, Prototypes Ch. VI

Cyrus and Reeve Hong worked together on RHH00, and were both there when it killed Arliss Rylerne. After that, they both worked on catching Dr. Eagleden for a short while, and grew closer in the process, becoming companions. Cyrus says that he thinks Dr. Hong saw himself in Cyrus. After Dr. Hong's death, Cyrus was infuriated with Dr. Eagleden, his killer, and mourned Dr. Hong. Cyrus also had quite a bit of PTSD from watching Dr. Hong die, and would see his dead body in his nightmares.

### Rashida Sayed

Rashida Sayed and Cyrus worked together to catch Dr. Eagleden for a short while, then later to stop Dr. Rylerne. They had a relatively good relationship with mutual respect, though they would sometimes argue a bit. Overall, Cyrus considers her an ally and an intelligent detective.

### Oscar and Micah Hernandez

Oscar and Micah Hernandez are Cyrus's brothers (2 years older and 2 years younger, respectively). Cyrus was always the "disappointment" to their father, leading to a bit of competition between the three brothers for their father's praise. Even though Cyrus finds the two incredibly annoying, the three still love each other and have a positive relationship, with Oscar and Micah often coming to comfort Cyrus whenever he was abused by their father.

## Quotes

* (To Septimus, *The Seventh Machine* Ch. XXXIII) *“Septimus, you are indeed linked to the fate of the world, but not in the way you imagined. Because* you are the threat*, Septimus. You are a bomb, set to go off tomorrow if complete.”*
* (To Eulalie, *The Seventh Machine* Ch. XXXIV) *“Dr. Eagleden was truly amazing. And what he created is incredible: something -* someone *- with thoughts, emotions, free will.“*
* (To Eulalie, *The Seventh Machine* Ch. XXXIX) "*I think my legs are broken, but that’s hardly a deadly affliction…*"
* (Narrating, *Prototypes* Ch. IV) *“For a few seconds, I just laid on the ground and questioned my life.* Why? Why? Why do these things happen to me?*”*
* (To Chief Sayed, *Prototypes* Ch. VI) *“Do you want a gun?”*
* (To himself, *Prototypes* Ch. VI) “*That Dr. Eagleden! That Eduard Eagleden! He massacred us and escaped without a scratch! When I saw him, I would kill him! Did he really feel no remorse for the blood on his hands?!*”
* (To himself, *Prototypes* Ch. VIII) “*If I ignore them, they’ll go away. If I ignore them, they’ll go away.*”
* (To Oscar and Micah, *Prototypes* Ch. X) *“I don’t have time for a* girlfriend*!"*
* (Narrating, Prototypes Ch. X) "I didn’t see what my brothers saw in girls, I didn’t see what my classmates saw in dating, and I didn’t see what everyone saw in love."
* (Narrating, *Prototypes* Ch. XII) *“To me, being called irrational was the very worst of insults. I prided myself on being rational and practical.”*
* (Narrating, *Prototypes* HAVENT WRITTEN YET HAHA) *"But nothing had ever been more comparable to eternity. And if it was eternity, I wouldn’t have complained."*

## Trivia

* He has dimples when he smiles.
	+ Because of this, he is insecure about his smile.
* Cyrus (and the rest of the characters) were originally supposed to live in France or a French-inspired imaginary country, but it was changed so that they live in an English/American-inspired imaginary country.
* Cyrus Hernandez’s name was originally Cyrus Hayes.
* He is right-handed.
* Quince, the fifth automaton in Project 54, resembles Dr. Hernandez.
	+ Quince’s character design was actually created before Cyrus’s, so in reality, Cyrus’s appearance was based off of Quince’s rather than the other way around.
* He is a Capricorn (with his birthday being on December 29).
* His blood type is O positive.
* He is agnostic (but celebrates Christian holidays).
* Cyrus cuts his own hair (which is why it looks so messy).
	+ He doesn’t do this often, since he can’t find the time.
* Gardening is one of his hobbies.
* He never dated anyone before Arthur Chandler.
* He wanted to be a police officer when he was a child.
* Cyrus plays violin and viola.
* He doesn’t know how to play checkers.
* He is a good cook, often using the produce he grows.
* His favorite fruit/vegetable is the tomato, which is often found in his garden.
* Orange is his favorite color.
* After being crushed by a fire escape, he developed an almost superstitious fear of them, along with cleithrophobia (the fear of being trapped).
	+ Cleithrophobia is not the same as claustrophobia; though they are similar, the latter is a fear of small spaces, whereas cleithrophobia is only the fear of being trapped in them.
* His MBTI personality type is INTJ-A.
* Because of an unknown bad experience as a child, he hates crabs (even cooked ones) and is even slightly afraid of them.

## Gallery

Ch. XXXIX of The Seventh MachineCh. XXI of The Seventh MachineThe first drawing of Cyrus