THE DEMOLISHER

The Story.

Michael Roth is a fast-rising, paper-pushing young executive who is promoted to head what he believes to be an important robotics project being done by the Battlemech, Inc. division of Roxxon Oil. What's actually going on, however, is something a bit more sinister. The "robot" that is being constructed by the project's technical director, Harlan Ryker and his staff is actually a cyborg super-soldier called Deathlok. In order to store the tremendous amount of information necessary for Deathlok to function, his computer's central processing unit is linked to a human brain, which as it turns out, can store far more information than any mechanical device constructed for the same purpose. Unfortunately, a few days before Deathlok's first field test, his organic brain dies.

The stakes are high, Deathlok has been leased out to assist in an actual shooting war. Ryker scrambles to find a suitable replacement brain in time. Roth notices the increased activity at the research facility and, late one night, goes into the main lab to find out what's happening. He discovers a headless body floating in a strange tube of fluid. He also sees the Deathlok "robot" for the first time with it's battle helmet off. Deathlok has a human head, the head's skull is open, and there is no brain inside. Reeling with horror, Roth gets a computer jock friend and co-worker to crack the lab's computerized files and he discovers the truth about Project: Deathlok.

Roth confronts Harlan Ryker and demands that the project be shut down. Ryker tells him to mind his own business and warns him that, "if you continue to interfere, one of these days you're going to wake up dead." This is no idle threat. When Roth threatens to take the story to the media, one of Ryker's men knocks him out with a taser. "Get Dr. Kimble and his staff here right away and prepare for surgery."

A missile smashes into the lush, green jungle that serves as the site of a Central American war. The missile does not detonate on impact. Instead, something explodes out through the side of the missile. It is Deathlok. One side of the conflict has leased his services from Battlemech and they most definitely get their money's worth. His super-heated plasma weapons blaze, setting much of the surrounding jungle aflame. Deathlok takes out a few dozen troops and their tanks with ease. However the computer notices a "glitch." It is Roth. His brain was removed from his body and used as Deathlok's storage system. But in Ryker's haste, his technicians neglected to erase Roth's memories before recording Deathlok's programming. Roth is alive and aware. Slowly he realizes what has happened. He is horrified at the carnage he is "responsible" for.

Imagine his horror. You are locked inside of a remote-controlled tank, forced to watch as the tank kills but unable to stop the tank from doing so. Here is Roth, a pacifist, locked inside the most perfect killing machine ever devised and put there by the man who "killed" him. The computer that runs the Deathlok cyborg, and uses Roth's brain simply as storage for the system's RAM, "thinks" that the Roth personality is a glitch and intends to report it at the end of its field test. But Roth discovers that he can override the system to a degree, a small amount at first, then more and more completely. As he gains control over his cyborg body, he begins to change. Corrupted by his newfound power every bit as much as by his hatred for the man who did this to him, Roth's pacifism seems less important than his mission. Roxxon must be stopped. They must never control him. They must never be allowed to build another monstrosity like him.

Deathlok returns to Battlemech, and destroys it, along with (he believes) all of the other deadly weapons being developed there. Finally, after running the entire gauntlet of "security." devices, Deathlok confronts Ryker. Removing his battle helmet, Roth intends to kill first Ryker, then himself, forever ending the Deathlok project. But Ryker has one last surprise for him. Floating perfectly preserved in a tube of stasis fluid is Roth's body. There was no time before the transplant to do a tissue match, so it was stored for replacement parts in case the original organics in the cyborg began to reject Roth's brain. The upshot of this is that Roth can be cured, his brain restored to his own body. But if Ryker dies, so does Roth's body and any hope for a cure. Stalemate. As Ryker laughs, Deathlok walks away towards an uncertain future. In his anguish, he leaves behind his battle helmet. He will never regain it.

Status Quo

Roxxon, in the person of Ryker, wants its 2.4 billion dollar project back, and will do nearly anything to get it. Roth wants revenge on Ryker but even that must take a back seat to his mission. He will get his body back, find Dr Kimble, and convince him to restore his brain to its rightful place. And he will use the weapon he has been given to demolish Roxxon. Using his ability to tap into virtually any computer network, and his contacts inside Roxxon, Deathlok finds ethical mercenary work to support his minimal needs. Although he deposits the bulk of his profits into his family's bank account, he cannot return to them. His wife and child have seen his body and believe him to be in a coma that Ryker is selflessly working to wake him from. As his adventures continue, his heart is gladdened by the positive effects he can have on people's lives. In particular, an encounter with Captain America inspires him to try and live up to the heroic ideal. Perhaps a cyborg super-soldier can be a force for good. Perhaps he is only deluding himself and trying to find an excuse to justify his continued existence, an existence depending on a machine that he feels should be destroyed. But right or wrong, Roth now has the power to make a difference.

And he will...

Storylines

The Deathlok we envision is a visually appealing character with strong internal and external conflicts. While his battle with Roxxon is more than enough of a plot line to keep things humming (we hope the ever more shadowy Ryker will become the Dr. Doom of this series, popping up now and again to make Roth's life miserable), Deathlok, being a basically good man, will more and more often find himself sidetracked from his primary mission to deal with some of the other evils of the Marvel Universe. The stories will all be exceptionally action-heavy and the device of dual narration between Roth and the computer he shares the body with will allow a lone, action-hero a sensible reason to deliver plot exposition. Some important storylines are listed below.

As Roxxon tries to retrieve Deathlok, Deathlok uses his old contacts at Roxxon for aid and intelligence.

Deathlok goes to see, and is rejected by, his family. But that doesn't stop Ryker from kidnapping Roth's widow and child to lure Deathlok back within reach of Roxxon.

Deathlok meets Captain America, The F.F. and Nick Fury on various occasions. All of them met his alternate universe predecessor and therefore believe they know him. He's sure he's never met them before. They fight and or team up according to circumstance.

Roth regains his humanity, and in his first purely heroic act, becomes Deathlok again to do a job that no one else can.

Of course, Roxxon will send a steady stream of Deathlok catchers at Roth, including Roxxon created or hired Super-villains and finally a new Cyborg. At this point Roxxon will decide to cut their losses and destroy their expensive mistake.

Roxxon "infects" Deathlok's operating system with a "Virus" program that overrides much of his autonomy and compels him to return to Roxxon.

Deathlok goes public in a press conference, revealing Roxxon's deeds. Roxxon denies any knowledge and points out that they no longer even have a Battlemech division. This leads into Deathlok eventually setting up a phone line where he can be reached by people who need help, as well as coming to an uneasy understanding with his wife (who still won't entirely believe that he is Roth).

Several groups will try and enlist Deathlok in mercenary work as his existence, if not origin, become more publicly known. He takes jobs that he thinks are just. And in one case he is offered his humanity in return for an ethically uncertain job.

And much more.

We would like to co-write the book and have Jackson Guice do the penciling and inking. Attached are some samples of our version of Deathlok.

Powers and Abilities.

Deathlok, while superficially resembling his alternate-future counterpart and benefiting somewhat from that future's technology, is an entirely new weapons system that is several orders of magnitude more efficient and effective than his predecessor. The most crucial component in his success as the most versatile weapon in history is the new Encephalonic reading and writing technology which allows the use of an organic brain to store information which can be accessed by Deathlok's main computer and operating system. The human brain has a storage capability which is at this point literally incalculable. However, as of this writing, we have stored for retrieval the complete contents of 17 Cray computers in Deathlock's organic memory system. This includes all motor function routines for his body, systems maintenance for his organic, computer and mechanical parts, the sum total of all known military history and battle strategies for every conceivable scenario, manuals for all available weapons and weapons systems and their proper use, as well as a dump of every data base we could access, legally or otherwise. The central processor can also receive orders from properly coded hard disks inserted into the external drive port on the cyborg's left forearm. The sum total of this knowledge is guided by Deathlok's operating system, the Strategic Computer Guided Response Matrix. This system organizes and analyzes external tactical data from a battle and generates a model to determine the proper (program permitted) response to a given situation, offering a menu of responses if more than one is possible. If there is a way to win, Deathlok cannot lose.

The system's brain is supported by organic human lungs to supply it oxygen and a simplified organic stomach to process nourishment (Deathlok can only digest liquid nutrient formula of the sort given to people unable to feed themselves. "Ensure" is the most readily available brand). Dissolved nutrients are pumped by an artificial heart through an artificial circulatory system in a synthetic blood-like substance that also carries oxygen from the lungs. For the sake of convenience, most of the original biological head remains intact to allow the unit's use of the mouth/throat/lung construction for speech. The unit also retains its biological right eye and ear as back-up sensor apparatus in the highly unlikely event of a mechanical systems failure. To protect the unit's vulnerable biological systems, an adamantium/vibranium alloy shock-dampening helmet clamps onto the adamantium left skull and jawbone prosthesis, wrapping around to cover all exposed organics (right skull, organic eye, ear and face).

The unit's artificial left eye is sensitive to a spectrum stretching both above and below visible light. The artificial ear is also more efficient than human, and has directional capabilities. Both can be further augmented by digital data analysis and all data gathered by both systems is routinely digitzed and stored in organic memory where it can be accessed for playback either by the unit or on any monitors.

Other than the previously mentioned organic systems, the unit is of entirely artificial construction. The unit's skeleton is pure, indestructible adamantium and is tooled to mimic the normal human range of motion. The muscles and cartilage are composed of an extremely impact resistant and surprisingly elastic, adamantium/steel alloy and also mimic the human range of motion. The chest cavity contains the organic lungs and stomach, the computer's central processor and the controlled fusion generator that powers the cyborg and its primary firearms. The unit can lift (press) 85 tons under optimal conditions. The strength limitation is a result of the stress and elasticity limitations of the muscle alloy. The Deathlok system is capable of exerting more force than its muscles can bear without being deformed or ruptured. For this reason, an inhibitor function in its operating system prevents it (under almost all circumstances) from exerting anywhere near its theoretical 150 ton strength levels.

Deathlok's primary offensive weapon is the Plasma Assault Rifle, normally carried slung over the unit's shoulder supported by a simple strap. The weapon fires plasma created by super-heating inert gases and is powered by the cyborg's internal fusion reactor. The weapon is limited by power considerations, and the gun's inability to operate unless in direct contact with the finger-tip power outlets in the cyborg's right hand. Deathlok also carries a pistol with similar limitations, but less firepower. Alongside the rifle is a plasma "grenade" launcher with immense destructive power. The plasma weapons are often supplemented by more conventional weaponry as it tends to be too destructive for use in many scenarios (for instance, it causes fires which could harm human soldiers fighting on the side of the unit's lease holder).

Dwayne McDuffie

Revised 6/6/88

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