Page 249 - Chronicles of Darkness

Mental Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 3, went on for six months, and at the end he was given a clean
Resolve 3 bill of health and told his training was over. He was to report
Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, back to his division for his new orders.
Stamina 2 He didn’t feel specially trained, and he certainly didn’t
Social Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 2, believe he was any different than he was before the training.
Composure 3 Bemused but accepting, Samuel returned to his division.
Mental Skills: Academics 3, Crafts 1, When he reported to the officer on duty, he was instructed to
Investigation 3, Occult 3, Science 1 take a vehicle and meet his trainers at the site. He wondered
at the strangeness of it as he drove there alone. Soon, Samuel
Physical Skills: Drive 1, Firearms 1, Larceny learned why his orders were special. He was supposed to run
(Lockpicking) 2, Stealth (Hiding) 3 through the exercise without a team. He had to do a task,
Social Skills: Persuasion (Emotional Appeals) 1, which normally required 15 people to accomplish, alone.
Subterfuge 3 After the initial shock wore off, he decided this was probably
Merits: Eye for the Strange, Resources 3, Safe just a test, something designed for him to fail, but that the
House 3 where and when would be important.
Health: 7 With that in mind, Samuel set out. Within minutes of
Willpower: 6 the first assault and explosion, he was certain that this was
no routine test. The shrapnel was real, and he was certain
Integrity: 7 he saw bullet holes in the walls as he ran for cover. He felt
Size: 5 faster and stronger than normal. His hearing was more
Speed: 9 acute, as were his senses of sight and smell. He didn’t have
much time to contemplate these changes as he dodged bul-
Defense: 2 lets and explosions. Samuel realized that he wasn’t thinking
Initiative: 5 about anything at all; instead, it seemed that his body was
responding to the attacks on its own. He attempted to slow
LIEUTENANT SAMUEL down for a moment to collect his thoughts, but his body was
HACKETT unresponsive to his desires. It moved and shifted through
the urban landscape of its own accord. Samuel watched in
horror, as though he were a stranger in his own body. He
watched as he decapitated a target, and then flawlessly shot
Experimental test subject, Alpha.
three more in the head as he casually passed by. He wanted
Background: Samuel Hackett joined the U.S. Army di- to squeeze his eyes closed and block out everything so that he
rectly out of high school. He wasn’t particularly bright, but could get a grip on himself, but the effort was futile. Instead,
he was dedicated and strong. He was placed in the mobile he rode along as his body performed actions that he would
infantry and trained to be a combat soldier. His training was have never dreamed possible.
rigorous, but Samuel was up for the job. He had benefits, Though he is a simple man, Samuel knew that he had
steady pay, and time off every now and then to visit his fam- been turned into a weapon. Afraid of what he could be used
ily. It was more than he could have ever asked for, and it was for, Samuel ran, using his newfound abilities to break out
his life. Samuel never got the chance to be career military in of military control. Now he is on the run and afraid for his
the traditional sense. He never rose in ranks and standing life, as well as the lives of anyone he comes in contact with.
to gain an officer title. Instead, he was selected to be part of Samuel’s program was a glowing success. His body was
a test group for infantry improvement. hard-wired with mechanisms that allow the God-Machine
Samuel wasn’t told much about the project. He was to control his every motion. He is a tool, ready to be used
given over to the hands of a civilian corporation contracted when necessary. Even his departure from the military was
to perform some medical tests and oversee his training. He not entirely his decision. The God-Machine needs Samuel
wasn’t allowed to talk about the program to anyone except to be as free of constraints as possible, so that it may fully
his direct superiors. work through him at a moment’s notice.
Training ended up being a very loose term for what Description: Samuel Hackett is a large man with big
Samuel went through. He spent night and day hooked up muscles and meaty hands. He has close-cropped brown hair
to a large machine, unlike anything he had ever seen before, and deep brown eyes. He is soft spoken with a rich, baritone
that seemed to monitor his every movement, heartbeat, and voice. Samuel can’t shake his military training, and is always
breath. His memory of the time spent attached to the ma- clean. His clothes are always freshly pressed, starched with
chine is hazy at best. He remembers hearing people talking straight creases, and have a crisp, clean smell. He shaves and
over him about his treatments, and he remembers hearing exercises, but only out of habit. No matter what he eats or how
the grinding of wheels shortly before blacking out about once sedentary he becomes, his body keeps itself in fighting trim.
a week. He would wake up from these episodes feeling sore Storytelling Hints: Samuel is terrified of himself and what
and exhausted, with the taste of copper in his mouth. This he is capable of. He is not always in control of his body and he

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cogs in the machine-characters