Waveclaw

> Donovan! Help me, please!! Let me out!!
>
> - Naomi pleading as she is covered in the nanotechnological Vinkulian known as Waveclaw.

**Naomi Cason** aka **Waveclaw** is a character who appears in the HydroVerse series of comics, she serves as the main tragic antagonist of *Slauter: Chosen Path*.

Once a caring, innocent receptionist, Naomi Cason landed the job of a lifetime at Darkstar Corporation and could finally afford her grandfather's medicine. However, she was later used as a guinea pig by her superiors and was transformed into a killing machine.

## History

### Early Life

At an unknown point in her life, Naomi Cason was taken in by her mute grandfather who raised her as his own daughter, put her through school as well as college, up until Naomi began working under Darkstar.

While he tried to be supportive of his granddaughter, Naomi's grandfather felt a sense of worry from that company.

### Working at Darkstar

   During her days working for Darkstar as a receptionist, Naomi also took up the job of caring for her grandfather as he recieved help with his mutism as he had cared for her when she was a child.

One day Naomi checks in on her grandfather, bringing him a cup of green tea before leaving to go to work. As she was doing her duties at her desk, Naomi is approached by her superior Donovan who offers her an oppourtunity to take part in a project.

Naomi was excited to finally be able to work in the big leagues, and accepted Donovan's offer.

### Nanosymbiote

Naomi was taken to a field near the Darkstar base where they would be testing out a new armoured vehicle, at least that's what they had told Naomi.

After placing Naomi in the armoured vehicle and assuring she would be of great help, Donovan stood aside with an assistant as the newly developed nanosymbiote was placed inside the vehicle with Naomi.

As Naomi looks down, she was horrified to realise that a purple goo had latched onto her foot and had transformed it into a monstrous appearance. As the slime moved up her legs, Naomi banged on the doors begging to be let out.

Within seconds, Naomi's entire body is covered in the nanotechnological substance until she is transformed into a monster, which tears its way through the roof of the vehicle with newfound claws.

Deeming the experiment a success, Donovan orders their new weapon, dubbed Waveclaw, to be put into a containment cell.

### Forced to Kill

After reverting back to normal due to being tased, Naomi is escorted by Darkstar agents into a cell where she is met by two civilians who are confused as to why they are there.

As Donovan and his assistant watched from above, the nanosymbiote is activated as one of the civilians approaches the sobbing Naomi. Suddenly, Naomi's arm grasps the approaching civilian's neck as she begins to become encased in the same purple substance.

Unable to control her arm, Naomi can only watch as her claws grasp around the innocent man's throat as the nanotech fully changes her back into Waveclaw. The uncontrollable creature then slashes across the man's chest, slicing him in two.

The second civilian watches on in horror and proceeds to bang on the glass, Waveclaw then begins to generate numerous spikes from its upper arm and swings its arm, launching numerous spikes that strike the main in various parts of his upper body.

Struggling to stay alive, the man begged the creature but is ultimately killed when Waveclaw delivers a single slash to his upper body. This however, causes Waveclaw to have a mental breakdown, Donovan watches as his creation latches onto the roof and quickly slices its way through.

### Back Home

Waveclaw returns home, where Naomi manages to regain control and enter her grandfather's house where she begs him for help as she is scared. Her grandfather can only stare in horror.

Back at the Darkstar base, Donovan's assistant manages to track down Waveclaw and they decide on using a remote control device to take back their weapon.

The nanotech however manages to take over again, and Waveclaw grasps the old man by the neck and raises him up into the air. Waveclaw's hand then transforms into a spiked weapon, but Naomi's grandfather begins to utter his granddaughter's name.

This causes the eye sections of the symbiote to peel back, revealing Naomi's eyes filled with tears. Naomi fights hard against the symbiote's unfluence, allowing her to drop her grandfather and smash her way out the backdoor.

Eventually, the authorities arrive at the street and begin to form a line of defence in order to help let civilians escape. The police squad, lead by Officer James, open fire on Waveclaw who absorbs the bullets through its arm and fires them back, killing some of the officers in the process.

Approaching a helpless James, Slauter swings in and kicks Waveclaw away. As Darkstar arrive to aid Waveclaw, their creation absorbs an entire car and uses it to try and strike Slauter.

Slauter manages to evade Waveclaw's attacks until she is sandwiched into another car, incapacitating her. Waveclaw generates a series of spikes on its upper arm as Naomi pleads for help from within the nanosymbiote, catching the ears of a confused Slauter.

Waveclaw releases a swarm of spikes towards James and his remaining squad, Slauter breaks free from the car on top of her and jumps into the air, using her symbiotic threads to generate a shield to block the spike swarm. Waveclaw turns its attention to Slauter, and slashes her across the arm.

As the Darkstar agents decide to retreat in their van, Waveclaw jumps on the roof of the vehicle to join them in returning to their base.

### Showdown With Slauter

After Slauter infiltrates the Darkstar base and begins battling the agents Waveclaw, in containment, begins "branching out" and generates tree-like roots from its back.

Escaping containment and travelling to the upper floors, Waveclaw spots Slauter and charges the small hero. They both plummet from the balcony, smashing into the floor below and falling into the lower levels.

The two land in an incinerator room, Naomi then appears and begs Slauter to kill her. The nanotechnology becomes stronger, and transforms itself into a beast-like form.

Waveclaw instantly tries to strike Slauter who leaps out of the way, Waveclaw tries to attack again but Slauter manages to catch its arm. Waveclaw uses its other arm to smack Slauter away, angering the heroine.

Slauter shoots her thread at a nearby carrier, and swings it towards Waveclaw which succeeds in knocking the monster to the ground. Slauter attempts to land a strike of her own, but Waveclaw grasps her in mid-air and slams Slauter into the ground.

Shooting multiple threads into Waveclaw's face, Slauter manages to free herself from the massive creature's grasp and strikes Waveclaw in the face hard.

Jumping into the air, Slauter uses both of her fists to slam down onto Waveclaw's head, but she is then caught by the neck by one of Waveclaw's tentacle-like appendages and raises up into the air.

Waveclaw then throws Slauter into the ground, Donovan then walks out holding James at gunpoint in an attempt to make Slauter stand down. It works for a brief moment, as Donovan begins expressing his annoyance at Waveclaw for her inability to kill Slauter, calling it a "foolish excuse of a weapon".

This visibly angers Waveclaw, and the monster growls in response. As James takes Donovan down quick, shooting the clone in the shoulder, Donovan attempts to use the remote control device but an angry Waveclaw stomps on it in front of Donovan's face.

Grabbing its former master and holding him over one of the incinerators, Waveclaw roars at Donovan who mocks how it is still the "same old Naomi" and calls it pathetic. Waveclaw loosens its grip, dropping Donovan into the incinerator to his death, the monster lets out a loud screech as the entire nanosymbiote begins peeling away.

### Finally Free

The nanosymbiote slithers off of the ledge and burns away in the incinerator below, Naomi instantly tries to use James' gun to end her own life but the gun is pulled away by Slauter.

Naomi covers herself and sobs to herself, mentioning how they should have let her end her life and that she is a monster, horrified at her actions and what she almost did to her own grandfather.

Slauter consoles Naomi, and James reassures her that her grandfather is okay much to Naomi's relief. Slauter then offers to get Naomi home, to which Naomi inquires about clothes.