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Name:
Pyrite.
Birth name: Ekaterina ("pure") Petrovna ("daughter of Pyotr"). Her
nickname was Kiska, or Kisa ("kitten").
She doesn't know it, but she's from batch pi, right hand shelf. That's
also the name for fool's gold, which is a lovely but valueless mineral. It
was a small pun on the part of an unknown technician -- she's beautiful
and useful, but she's still emotionally empty.
Aliases:
Tease
Age:
Unknown to Pyrite. She knows only that she's probably
between 16 and 25, but doesn't remember much more than a few months of
intensive training.
Unbeknownst to her, she was snatched for her intelligence, her
aptitude for the job, and opportunity targeting. She was no more than 12
when she was snatched. She's now 22.
Birthdate:
Unknown to Pyrite.
Pyrite is 22 years old.
Birthplace:
Unknown to Pyrite. Her first memories are of The
Centre.
Born in Niznij Novogorod.
Known Relatives:
None -- Pyrite does not recall having a family
whatsoever. The closest analogue is her trainer/creator/programmers. To
them she was an exciting developmental tool, in much the same way one is
astonished, pleased, and slightly awed by really excellent coding that
actually runs on the first test.
Parents: Pyotr ("stone") and Oksana ("praise be to god"). Both listed
as deceased.
Appearance:
Strongly built human female, 6'4", with short, buzz-cut
blonde hair and piercingly blue eyes. Her features are perfect and
regular, what would be called beautiful, except that she's almost
unblinking, rarely smiling, and usually expressionless -- which makes
her at best striking. The overall 'effect' is the kind of looks that
make you think, 'expensive status symbol.' If she ever relaxed and
genuinely smiled she might be a knockout… but at least right now the
only knocking out she's going to be doing is painfully physical.
Her body language is peculiarly 'off' -- the few, economical movements
are inhumanly precise. She moves like someone who not only knows
precisely where every part of her body is at all times, but who
also is always poised, never off-balance. She considers herself a tool
-- her concept of 'self' is currently extremely poorly developed -- and
a good tool is always ready for use. The impression currently is
somewhat like watching a mechanical figure that's been turned off… or
at least is on neutral.
Wears sleek matte-black protective motorcycle leathers -- that, her
motorcycle, and her weaponry is all she owns in the world
currently.
Occupation:
Works for "Alexei."
Educational Background:
Extremely extensive training/programming as a
bodyguard/assassin.
Background:
Pyrite remembers only a few months of life, and is an
almost complete amnesiac. She has extensive training, and has
done many, many hours of simulator missions, although to her they seemed
quite real. She's been on maybe one or two real missions, all of
them as successful as her simulator ones.
It was upon completion of her last mission that she returned to her
'home base,' and discovered it a smoking, rubble-strewn ruin. Not having
any direct orders except to preserve herself between missions, she
decided discretion was wisest, and left the vicinity to look for whom
her next client might be... without someone to bodyguard, she felt a bit
out of sorts and uncomfortably at loose ends.
Currently she's extremely pleased at being employed by Alexei…
although quite confused as to why he insists he doesn't need her as a
bodyguard. She's not even sure what being hired as a student, to learn
to be a partner, entails… but she's doggedly determined to do it well.
She does NOT want to be fired -- she's still dealing with the shock of
being apparently 'thrown away' by The Centre. Should Alexei come under
attack, of course, it's going to be extremely difficult for her
to follow his direct orders not to be a bodyguard to him.
Personality:
Pyrite is quite focused and literal minded. She'll do her
job quietly, efficiently, emotionlessly, and literally. For example, if
asked 'how do you feel about yourself?' Pyrite's answer would probably
be a slightly confused, "I feel healthy, of course. My physical
condition will not hamper my ability to do my job whatsoever." She is
shockingly confident. She's a bodyguard -- the best, just ask her. Her
world hasn't had time to grow past that, really.
Pyrite needs to be employed. While she's not, she's
uncomfortable, a little short tempered, not someone to cross. Her
programming drives her to be employed -- she's a
bodyguard, that's her job and by god she's going to DO
it!
Pyrite's almost complete lack of socialisation could be considered an
odious personal habit. She just doesn't get hints, innuendo, body
language, or anything similar. Words are either commands, threats, or so
much window dressing to her. It may make talking to her a bit...
problematic on occasion.
Pyrite likes learning things, but it's not a driving force in her life.
She's currently extremely dispassionate, simply because she's felt so
little in her life. Her body language could be said to be inhuman, as
she doesn't display any of the normal human fidgeting, nervous habits,
twitches, or socially learned behaviours... she doesn't look away when
eye contact is made while she's studying someone, for example, because
she doesn't know it's rude to stare. Pyrite's almost a complete
tabula rasa -- she likes being employed, she likes her very
effective and lethal weaponry, she likes doing her job well! Her
programmers didn't have time to put anything else into her,
unfortunately.
Pyrite would really HATE losing her client, although the possibility
hasn't even occurred to her yet. She hates being unemployed. She also
dislikes not being in tip-top condition physically. Yes, these are all
programmed into her. She is 'guided' by her client. She follows orders
literally, with the sole exception of something that will either damage
her client, or damage herself without cause. Stopping a bullet meant for
her client -- no problem. Cutting herself with a knife so the client can
see her bleed, or obeying orders when she knows it will get her client
damaged -- don't be silly. It's strictly practicality. She's not even
sure what emotions are yet.
As to her general demeanour... think of a stop light, with the usual
green, yellow, and red lights in it. Green is the normal person on the
street... relaxed, unprepared for violence, not terribly aware of their
surroundings. Yellow is your average body guard or martial artist --
they're aware of their surroundings most of the time, they have training
in dealing with emergencies or violence, but they don't consider
themselves to be in a war zone -- there are times to draw a breath and
relax, after all. Soldiers in combat are red lights, expecting incipient
death at any second from any corner... and humans simply cannot handle
combat stress for too long a period of time -- thus the exhausted
demeanour of soldiers that haven't had a chance to get R&R in too
long.
Pyrite, on the other hand, lives in a red-light world -- she's ALWAYS
aware of what's around her because she's never been trained to tune out
anything until it's been analysed for possible threat value -- she's
always combat ready because in her tiny simulator-based world view,
violence comes at any second from any direction -- and if she's not
ready her client might die. Not having had a family or a normal life,
and being less than a year old memory-wise, she has no idea what it is
NOT to live so... and so she does not develop combat stress. However,
she also has no concept of the phrase 'off-duty' -- one is either on the
job, unemployed but looking for a job, or dead... and as you can perhaps
tell, she also has no concept of the phrase 'I quit!'
Pyrite also has no idea of things we take for granted. She knows the
words but has no definitions (beyond how they impact her duty) for ideas
like love, drunk, insane, hate, madness, sex, or a myriad other terms.
Take the word 'drunk': she's never had alcoholic beverages and finds
alcohol repulsive -- a useful bit of programming to put in a
hair-trigger weapon that must be ready for use at any second. To Pyrite,
'drunk' means merely that her client will be mentally and physically
impaired. As a consequence, to her it also means that she has to be more
carefully coaxing rather than commanding in dealing with
them.
Back to the Pyrite page.
Pyrite copyright © 2000 B. A. "Collie" Collier
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